Wood · Cutting · Desk
Desk cut list and cutting diagram
What it does and how it is worked out
Type the parts of your desk and the page lays them out on the fewest sheets, with the edge tape and, if you give prices, the cost. Free, in the browser and on a phone. The list below is an example, a desk with a cubby, 48 × 30 × 24 in, in 3/4 in plywood: 7 parts on one sheet of 96 × 48 in, 90 % of the board used. Clear it and put in your own sizes.
- sheets
- —
- used
- —%
- edge banding
- —
- waste
- —%
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The example of this page, worked out
The list the page opens with is an example, not anybody's order: a desk with a cubby, 48 × 30 × 24 in (width × height × depth), in 3/4 in plywood, on sheets of 96 × 48 in with a 1/8 in saw cut and no trim. Every part comes from those outside sizes, and the figures are the optimiser's own, worked out by the same code as the tool above.
| What the optimiser answers | Figure |
|---|---|
| Sheets to buy | 1 |
| Parts | 7 |
| Board used | 90.2 % |
| Edge tape, with the 10 % allowance | 33.1 ft (30.1 ft net) |
| Offcuts worth keeping, 12 in or more a side | none |
The cutting list of the example
| Part | Qty | Length, in | Width, in | Banded edges | Grain |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top | 1 | 48 | 24 | all four | yes |
| Side | 2 | 29.25 | 23.25 | 2 long | yes |
| Modesty panel | 1 | 46.5 | 10 | 1 long | — |
| Divider | 1 | 29.25 | 22.5 | 1 long | — |
| Fixed shelf | 2 | 21.75 | 12 | 1 short | — |
What to watch on a desk
- The top is the part that shows. Grain along its length and tape on all four edges. It is also the largest part, and it decides how much of the first sheet is left for the rest.
- Keep the modesty panel. It ties the two sides and stops the desk from racking; leaving it out to save board gives a desk that sways.
- Sides are seen from the front and from behind. Both upright edges are banded; the modesty panel takes tape on its lower edge only.
- Your sheet, your saw, your thickness. Pick the sheet you buy under «Usual sheet formats» and set your blade's kerf: the plan is worked out again as you type. The sizes here are for 3/4 in board; in another thickness the parts between the sides change, and the cabinet cut list guide gives the rule for each.
Templates: desk
Example sizes, not a standard: load one into the list above, then change each size to yours. Loading one replaces the list; nothing is sent and no email is asked for.
| Template | Parts | Sheets | Used | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small desk, no cubby 40 × 30 × 20 in | 4 | 1 | 50.2 % | Load |
| Large desk 60 × 30 × 30 in | 7 | 2 | 64.5 % | Load |
| Office desk 72 × 30 × 30 in | 7 | 2 | 72.9 % | Load |
Sheets and board used on a sheet of 96 × 48 in, as the optimiser works them out. From outside sizes to every part, rule by rule: how to work out a cabinet cut list; to draw the piece to your sizes first, the cabinet designer.
Questions people ask
- How many sheets of plywood does a desk take?
- The example on this page, a desk with a cubby, 48 × 30 × 24 in, in 3/4 in plywood, is 7 parts and takes one sheet of 96 × 48 in with a 1/8 in saw cut, with 90.2 % of the board used. Put in your own sizes and the page works out yours.
- How much edge banding does it take?
- 30.1 ft net for the example, 33.1 ft with the 10 % allowance for overhang and joins, on 12 edges: the faces that show, as marked in each row of the list. Change the marks and the metres follow.
- Can a desk be cut from one sheet of plywood?
- It depends on the top. The example on this page takes one sheet of 96 × 48 in; put in your sizes and the page says at once whether your desk fits on one sheet, and what is left of it.