SawWise documentation

SawWise turns a modern SketchUp .skp model into a practical starting point for buying and cutting rectangular timber and sheet goods. It reads grouped or component-based parts, suggests suitable stock, builds shopping lists, and lays out timber and sheet cutting plans with blade kerf included.

It is designed for hobbyists and newer woodworkers. You only need a basic understanding of SketchUp groups and components. You do not need to know cut-list or optimisation terminology before starting; these guides explain the terms as they arise.

Why use SawWise?

A model can tell you what a finished project looks like, but it does not automatically answer workshop questions such as:

• How many repeated pieces are there?
• Which pieces look like timber and which look like sheet panels?
• What stock sizes should I check at the supplier?
• How might the cuts be divided among boards or sheets?
• Which saved panel offcuts could be used first?

SawWise brings those answers together in one workshop plan, taking care of the fiddly arithmetic and making missing pieces easier to spot.

A simple workflow

1. Prepare the physical pieces in SketchUp as groups or components.
2. Import the .skp file into SawWise.
3. Review part quantities, dimensions, material hints, and suggested stock.
4. Set up the exact stock and kerf you intend to use.
5. Check What to buy and look over anything that could not be placed.
6. Use the timber and sheet plans to work out a sensible cutting order.
7. Print the cut sheets or export the useful data format for your job.

The main results are split into Overview, Parts, Timber, and Sheets. Overview gives the purchase summary and highlights anything worth a second look. Parts is where you confirm or correct suggestions. The other tabs contain the cutting plans.

Before cutting: Give the plan a quick sense-check against your model, your material, and the way you normally work. SawWise can do the sums, but it cannot see the board in front of you.

Local browser processing

You choose a SketchUp file from your device, then SawWise reads and processes its contents in your browser without sending the model to a SawWise server. Settings, project-specific choices, and panel-offcut inventory are stored locally in that browser when browser storage is available.

The imported model is not saved as a SawWise project, so import the .skp file again after refreshing or reopening the page. SawWise may remember choices for a project it recognises, which saves a bit of setup next time.

What SawWise is best at

SawWise is built around rectangular timber and sheet parts. Joinery, hardware, edge banding, grain matching, rough milling, final trimming, and supplier prices stay part of your normal project planning.

Part dimensions come from rectangular bounding boxes, so curved, angled, or irregular pieces may need a manual cut size.

How optimisation works: SawWise looks for a practical way to fit your rectangular parts into the stock you have set up, including kerf. There can be several good answers, so try the available plan styles when you want to compare waste or offcuts.

The rest of these guides walk through the whole process one friendly step at a time.