How to Use WoodShop Toolkit: Board Foot Calculator, Cut Lists, Fractions & Spacing
WoodShop Toolkit
Board feet & lumber cost · Cut lists · Feet-inch fractions · Even spacing · Lumber sizes
WoodShop Toolkit is a woodworking calculator for Android that handles the shop math before you head to the lumber yard: a board foot calculator with lumber cost, a cut list optimizer for plywood sheets and boards, a feet and inches calculator, a spacing calculator for balusters and shelves, and a table of nominal lumber sizes.
This guide walks through every screen with real screenshots, using a sample bookshelf project. Everything runs on your phone — no account, and no internet connection needed for the math.
1. The Home screen and projects
Home shows the six tools as cards. The brown Continue card at the top reopens whatever you worked on last, so you can pick up a cut list or tally right where you left it.
- Board Feet & Cost — lumber tally with price and budget
- Fraction — feet-inch and fraction calculator
- Spacing — even gaps and on-center layout
- Cut List — parts, stock and cutting diagrams
- Reference — lumber, plywood and unit tables
- Projects — saved workspaces
A project keeps one build together: its board-feet tally, its cut list and notes. Tap Projects → New project to start one, or use the import button at the top of the Projects screen to open a project file (.wst.json) someone shared with you.
2. Board foot calculator & lumber cost
Hardwood is sold by the board foot: a piece 1 inch thick, 12 inches wide and 1 foot long. The formula is:
So a 2″ × 8″ × 10′ board is 2 × 8 × 10 ÷ 12 = 13.33 board feet. The app does this for every board and keeps a running total with cost.
Add a board to the tally
- Open Board Feet & Cost (or Edit in Board Feet inside a project).
- Choose Nominal or Actual sizes — whichever your supplier uses for pricing. The ⓘ button explains the difference.
- Tap a Quick thickness chip (4/4, 5/4, 6/4, 8/4, 12/4) or pick a common Lumber size.
- Enter Width, Length and Qty.
- Enter the Price and choose per board foot or per piece. Species is optional.
- Check the live line — here 13.33 bf each, 26.67 bf · $306.67 — then tap Add to tally.
Tip: the Extra purchase allowance (15% by default) adds a buffer for defects and waste. Use − and + to change it; the Budget updates instantly.
Read the lumber cost summary
Inside a project, the Tally tab lists every line with its board feet and cost, plus the totals: Board feet, Materials, the extra allowance and the final Budget — the number to take to the lumber yard.
To change a line, open Edit in Board Feet: tap a line in its tally to edit it, or swipe it away to delete — tap Undo if that was a mistake. Changes save automatically, and Export PDF prints the tally as a shopping list.
3. Cut list: parts, stock & settings
The cut list turns the parts you need into a layout on the plywood and boards you have. Open a project, switch to the Cut list tab and tap Edit cut list. The editor has three tabs.
Parts
- Tap Add material and choose a Sheet (plywood, MDF) or a Board (solid lumber), with its thickness.
- Tap + Part and enter a name, length, width (sheets only) and quantity. Lock the grain on parts that must run with the grain — they show a ⇅ mark.
- The footer counts rows and pieces and confirms Every part has stock to cut from.
Have a long parts list in a spreadsheet? Use Import CSV in the ⋮ menu to bring it in, and Export CSV to take it back out.
Stock
Tap a standard size — 4×8, 5×5 or 4×4 ft sheets, or 8, 10, 12 and 16 ft boards — then set the material, quantity and price. Prices are optional but let the result show a shopping-list total.
Settings
- Kerf — your blade width (1/8″ by default). Every cut removes this much.
- Edge trim — how much to clean off each factory edge first.
- Allow rotation — parts may turn 90°; grain-locked parts only turn to follow the stock grain.
- Priority — Fewest stock (buy as little as possible), Highest yield (least waste per piece) or Fewest cuts (Pro).
4. Optimize and read the cutting diagram
Tap Optimize at the bottom of the cut list. The plywood cut optimizer finishes in about a second and opens the Result screen.
- Summary — sheets or boards used, number of cuts, gross use, yield after offcuts, reusable offcuts and waste (kerf, trim and scrap), and how many pieces were placed.
- Diagram — one page per sheet or board. Parts are labeled
P1,P2… with their sizes; hatched areas are reusable offcuts. Use ‹ › to change sheets, pinch or the zoom buttons to look closer, and tap a part for details. - Cut order — a valid sequence of straight cuts. Each cut runs fully across its panel, measured from a named edge, so it works on a table saw or track saw.
- Deep optimize — searches for up to 30 seconds for a tighter layout and keeps the best one. On the sample bookshelf it brought the plywood from 15 cuts down to 13.
Always verify before cutting. Diagrams are scaled guides, not full-size templates — measure your actual stock, and change the cut list if a sheet is undersized.
Change a part, a sheet size or the kerf later and simply tap Optimize again — the result always matches your current cut list.
5. Print your cut plan (PDF)
- On the Result screen (or a project’s Tally tab) tap the Export PDF icon.
- Choose Letter or A4, the diagram page orientation, and whether to include cut order tables.
- Tap Create PDF. When it says PDF ready, choose Preview & print, Share or Save to device.
The first page is a summary with a shopping list (stock, quantity, price and total) and reusable offcuts, followed by one page per sheet with its diagram and cut order.
Print at 100%: choose the same paper size as the PDF and Actual size in the print dialog so the scale stays right.
6. Feet and inches fraction calculator
Tape measures speak in fractions, so the Fraction calculator does too. Type a measurement the way you read it:
- Type the feet and tap
', then the inches, a fraction key (1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/16, 1/32) and". - Tap an operator (+ − × ÷), enter the next measurement and tap =.
- The answer shows as a fraction, with feet-inches, decimal inches and millimeters underneath.
Example: 3′ 2 1/2″ + 1′ 5 1/4″ = 55 3/4″ (4′ 7 3/4″ · 55.75 in · 1416.1 mm).
Use the 1/16" chip to round to 1/16, 1/32 or 1/64, and the in / mm switch for metric. Long-press the display to paste, copy or clear; the clock icon opens your history.
7. Spacing calculator for balusters, slats and shelves
Need 15 balusters evenly spaced along a 72″ rail? The Spacing tool works out the gap and every position.
- Pick Equal gaps (same gap at both ends and between items) or On-center.
- Enter the Total length, Item count and Item thickness. Enter 0 for thickness if you only need marks.
- Read the gap — here ≈ 3 1/8″ (exact 3.09375″) — and the on-center distance, with a drawing of the layout.
- Scroll to Positions: the start, center and end of every item measured from the left end. Copy positions puts the list on your clipboard.
A ≈ means the value was rounded to your precision; the exact decimal is always shown too. Not sure where to start? Tap Try an example.
8. Lumber sizes reference
A 2×4 is not 2 by 4 inches. The Reference screen lists nominal lumber sizes and their actual dimensions in inches and millimeters.
- Lumber — US softwood dry dressed sizes (1×2 to 2×12 and more) and hardwood quarter thicknesses (4/4, 5/4, 8/4…).
- Plywood & MDF — what thickness labels such as 23/32″ or 18 mm actually measure.
- Units — convert lengths and board-foot volume.
Type in the search box (for example 2x6) to jump to a size, and open Source & sizing notes to see where the numbers come from. Actual sizes still vary by supplier — measure before you buy.
9. Settings, backup & Pro
- Units — Imperial (inches, feet, board feet) or metric.
- Fraction precision — 1/16, 1/32 or 1/64, shared by every tool.
- Default kerf and Currency — starting values for new projects.
- Appearance — System, Light or Dark theme.
- Back up / Restore — save every project to a
.zipfile and bring it back on a new phone. Your projects live only on your device, so keep a backup.
Free and Pro
| Feature | Free | Pro (one-time) |
|---|---|---|
| Calculators & reference | All included | All included |
| Saved projects | 3 | Unlimited* |
| Cut list | 25 part rows, 2 stock types | Unlimited* |
| PDF exports | 1 a day (+1 by watching an ad) | Unlimited* |
| “Fewest cuts” priority | — | ✓ |
| PDFs without WoodShop branding | — | ✓ |
| Ads | Yes | No ads |
* Subject to device processing limits. A separate Remove ads purchase removes ads only; the free limits stay. Prices are shown in the app from Google Play.
Frequently asked questions
How do you calculate board feet?
Multiply thickness (in) × width (in) × length (ft) and divide by 12. A 2″ × 8″ × 10′ board is 13.33 board feet. WoodShop Toolkit adds up every board and its cost for you.
Does WoodShop Toolkit need an internet connection?
No. Calculations, cutting diagrams and PDFs are made on your phone and projects are stored on the device. There is no sign-up.
Can the cut list handle both plywood sheets and boards?
Yes. Sheet parts are laid out in two dimensions on each panel, board parts along the length, and each material gets its own diagram and numbered cut order.
What is included in the free version?
Every calculator and reference table, up to 3 saved projects, 25 part rows and 2 stock types per cut list, and one PDF a day, with an optional ad for an extra PDF. Pro is a one-time purchase that removes these limits and the ads.
Why does the result say “≈”?
The value was rounded to your chosen precision (1/16″ by default). Where it matters, such as the spacing gap, the exact decimal value is shown as well.
Get WoodShop Toolkit
Board feet, lumber cost, cut lists, fractions and spacing — in one offline app for Android.
About AppMaven Studio
The AppMaven Team builds focused, offline-first mobile apps. WoodShop Toolkit is our shop companion for woodworkers and DIY builders. Questions or ideas? Email hacong86@gmail.com.
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