What is a Kerf?
A kerf is the width of a saw cut and is determined by the width of your saw blade. A typical kerf width for a table saw is 1/8 inch.
Why does my part not fit?
KerfMaker adds a kerf width to all edges of a part before trying to place it in a board. The board, therefore, must be at least two kerf widths wider and longer than the part. For example, a 2"x20" part needs at least a 2 1/4" x 1/4" board to fit.
How is the thickness treated?
KerfMaker fits parts into boards of the same thickness only; it does not attempt to fit parts into thicker boards.
How does the import/export feature work?
Import lets you paste a project from the clipboard into KerfMaker using a simple text format. Export lets you copy a project to the clipboard. This enables you to share projects using email or other text applications. The import command is accessible through the left side menu. Export is done through the right side menu. Text describing a project consists of “project", "parts", and "mat" lines. The “project” line creates a new project; subsequent parts will be added to it. The “parts” line adds a set of parts to the new project. "Mat" lines are used to add materials to the project. These lines consist of multiple “key=value” arguments separated by commas. Blank lines and lines starting with “#” are ignored. To see the syntax of a project file, export an existing project to the clipboard.
How do I treat glued-up parts?
Enter a glued-up part as the set of its components. For example, it you need a panel of size 20 x 30 inches, you could use 4 parts that are 5 x 35 inches. KerfMaker does not automatically divide a large part into smaller ones to fit within your boards.
How does KerfMaker handle units, like inches and millimeters?
You can select units (inches, millimeters, etc.) for a project. Once you've entered parts or boards you cannot change project units because KerfMaker does not perform unit conversions.
How does KerfMaker fit parts into boards?
KerfMaker's default algorithm works with parts in the order of descending size. It first finds the smallest board that the largest part will fit into. Then it finds the smallest board that the next largest part will fit into, and so on.
What affects KerfMaker speed?
The more parts and boards you have, the longer it takes KerfMaker to calculate the fitting of parts into boards.
How are materials defined?
Each project has a material library with prices and densities. You can add, delete, or edit materials through the “Materials” button on the Project details page or by clicking on the material of a Part or Board. KerfMaker has a global Materials library, accessible through the left side menu, that is also editable. The global library is used to initialize the material library for new projects. Wood density values are from www.engineeringtoolbox.com
What is the KerfMaker Privacy Policy?
KerfMaker 1.2.6 or later does not collect or share your personal data.
