Woodworking · for woodworkers cutting parts from plywood and sheet stock
SawNest is a cut list optimizer for woodworkers who break down plywood, MDF, and other sheet goods on a table saw or panel saw. You enter the parts you need with their dimensions, pick a stock sheet size, and tap Optimize. The app lays every part out on the sheets using straight, edge-to-edge guillotine cuts you can actually make, subtracts the blade kerf from each cut, and reports yield, sheet count, and leftover area. The pieces left over can be saved as offcuts, and the next project pulls from those before opening a new sheet.
A project is a list of parts: width, length, quantity, and an optional name. Inches with 1/16 fractions or millimeters, whichever you work in. Tap Optimize and the layout draws on the sheet in a few seconds, with each part labeled where it sits.
The result screen shows every sheet in the job with parts placed and cut lines drawn. Yield as a percentage, the number of sheets used, and the leftover area sit beside the drawing. Tap any part to highlight where it landed. Export the whole thing to PDF, print it, and pin it above the bench.
After a job, add the usable leftovers to your offcut inventory with their real dimensions. On the next project, SawNest tries those pieces before it opens a fresh sheet. An offcut only leaves the inventory when you confirm a layout, and it comes straight back if you undo.
Optimizers that pack parts like a jigsaw look efficient on screen and are impossible to cut on a table saw. SawNest only produces guillotine layouts: each cut runs from one edge of the sheet to the other, and every subsequent cut is made on one of the resulting pieces. That is how a panel saw or a track saw actually works, so the sheet on the screen is the sheet you can cut.
Blade kerf is subtracted from every cut, using the thickness you set. Parts where grain direction matters can have rotation locked so they are never turned sideways to save material. Stock sizes come from presets such as 48x96, 1220x2440, 910x1820, and 1525x1525, or you enter your own. Tell it how many sheets you have on hand, or let it use as many as the job needs.
The display unit is a setting. Switching it changes how dimensions are shown and never rewrites the numbers you already entered, so a 3/4 inch part does not quietly become 19.05 mm and back to 0.7500. Inch entry accepts fractions down to 1/16, which is what a tape measure reads.
The packing runs on the phone. There is no account, no server, and no analytics, and the app makes no network requests. Projects and the offcut inventory are stored on the device; a backup file can be exported and imported whenever you want. A Home Screen widget shows how many offcuts you have on hand and your latest yield.
Layouts are a planning tool for before you cut. Always double-check dimensions in the shop.
It is built for sheet goods: plywood, MDF, particleboard, melamine, and similar panels. Linear stock like boards is not the layout it produces.
Yes. Each part has a grain lock. Locked parts keep their orientation on the sheet even if rotating would improve yield.
Yes. Set how many sheets you have on hand for the project, or leave it open and let SawNest use as many as the job needs.
Yes. Offcuts are a single inventory. Any project can use them, and they are consumed only when you confirm a layout.
Yes. The layout exports to PDF and can be printed or shared from the phone.
Yes. No ads, no in-app purchases, and no account.
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