Cutting Lists:
Aids to efficient timber selection and processing.      The sample cutting list below is made on a word processing programme and saved on the computer's hard and Zip drives. It is simply a table formatted with columns and rows. If you highlight all the far left column from the row below the Ref. header (see table below), you can insert and format lettered bullets. A, B, C, etc., and the whole of this column will automatically fill in as you tab down. A whole page can be prepared with all the rest of the fields left blank and a few copies run off for workshop use, or the fields filled in for a job using the computer, and saved under a job name for future reference.

Ref.	Timber/ Material	Part	Quantity	L, mm	W, mm	T, mm	Found	2.S.S	4.S.S	Notes
A	Cherry	Leg	4	1080	70	70				Mark shape and joints from rod.
B	Cherry	Top	1	610	472	20				Make up from boards. Use biscuits.

     The empty columns--Found, 2SS (2 sides square), 4SS (4 sides square)--are reminders used during material processing to keep track of the job. In large or complex jobs with many parts, the most used column is Found, where the located parts are marked off thus, IIIII, to show batches of 5 accounted for.
     In specifying material dimensions for most furniture making projects, it's easy to calculate exactly what's needed for the main carcase elements, but drawer parts, for instance, can often only be reckoned approximately, and are therefore given generous notional sizes.
     In using the cutting list, go through your timber and decide where to make cuts so as to get the best utilisation. Mark the parts as they are located with letters that correspond to the cutting list, and make a reciprocal note on the list. Regard as a minimum, the last 50 mm at both ends of a board as waste because the ends of boards tend to dry rapidly and are unlike the rest of the plank. Also because of the different drying pattern there is the possibility of hidden end shakes. Additionally, if there are readily visible shakes evident at the ends, allow at least another 50 mm as waste. Cut around any shakes in the middle of a boards length by 50 mm. Generally cut rough timber at least 100mm longer than the required finished length to allow for planer or thicknesser snipe, etc. Gang together short and/or narrow pieces into one and trim to size later, e.g., three pieces to finish at 300 mm long might come out of one piece about 1000mm long.
     If the choice of timber species has been left flexible, make decisions now. Decide if some, or all the parts should come out of either quartersawn or plainsawn material, depending upon the design, and with quartersawn selected if stability is a concern. However, a possible drawback of quartersawn timber is that the grain pattern is usually straight and plain which may not be suitable aesthetically. Quarter sawn oak is one notable exception where this cut reveals prized 'silver grain'. Like everything else in furniture making, timber selection is a compromise.
     All the timber should be cut, surface planed and edged (US terminology is, jointed on the face and edge) and thicknessed as required. Parts not immediately needed to start construction, such as the drawer parts, leave long, wide, and a few mm thicker. Stack and sticker these parts in your office or house until needed. This gives the parts some time to acclimatise to typical interior conditions. (My workshop for instance, has no climate control.) Sometimes a good strategy is to cramp the pile or piles together if stability is a concern. This doesn't always work, but it often helps to maintain flatness.