Alignment, saw kerf, and squaring allowance
Three main settings influence your cutting layout computation: preferred alignment, saw kerf, and squaring allowance.
Preferred alignment
Section titled “Preferred alignment”The cutting layout algorithm only produces through-cuts following a level system. (Level)
- L0 = Full panel, root level
- L1 = Primary strips coming from the first series of cuts
- L2 = Sub-strips or parts coming from cuts perpendicular to the L1 strips
- L3 = Further subdivision until the part is released, etc.
L0 L2 L2 ┌────────────┬───────────┬────────────────┐ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ L2 │ L2 │L1 ├────────────┴────┬──────┴──────────┬─────┤ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ L2 │ │L1 ├─────────────────┴────┬────────────┴─────┤ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ L3 ├──────────────────┤ └──────────────────────┴──────────────────┘The alignment choice forces the orientation of the first cuts (L1).
Length
Section titled “Length”Primary strips are horizontal, parallel to the panel’s length. The drop is expected at the bottom. This is the classic mode for comfortably cutting on a sliding table saw or panel saw.
L0 ┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ │ │ Strip A │ │ │L1 ├─────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ │ │ Strip B │ │ │L1 ├─────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ │ │ Drop │ │ │ └─────────────────────────────────────────┘Primary strips are vertical, parallel to the panel’s width. The drop is expected on the right.
L0 L1 L1 ┌─────────┬─────────┬─────────────────────┐ │ │ │ │ │ Strip A │ Strip B │ Drop │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ └─────────┴─────────┴─────────────────────┘Optimal
Section titled “Optimal”Optimal alignment allows primary cuts in both directions. In the length and in the width. This alignment can produce a more efficient part packing at the cost of cut comfort. The drop is expected at the bottom right.
Cutting in optimal mode can require more operator handling. As a result it’s better suited to panel saws or CNC.
Example: in the illustration below, Strip B is released at level 2 (L.2) vs. level 1 (L.1) with a length or width alignment.
L0 L1 ┌─────────┬───────────────────────────────┐ │ │ │ │ Strip A │ Strip B │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ L2 ├───────────────────────────────┤ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ Drop │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ └─────────┴───────────────────────────────┘Saw kerf
Section titled “Saw kerf”The saw kerf is the thickness of material removed by the blade between two adjacent parts on a panel. It depends on your equipment:
- Circular saw — typically 2.5 to 3.5 mm
- Sliding table saw — 3 to 4 mm
- Panel saw — 3 to 4 mm
- CNC milling — 5 to 10 mm depending on the bit
Default setting: 3 mm, conservative for most workshop configurations.
Panelgator subtracts this value between every part in the cutting layout.
Squaring allowance
Section titled “Squaring allowance”The squaring allowance is a margin trimmed off the edges of the raw panel, to compensate for:
- Edges damaged or chipped in transit
- Squaring defects
- Visual safety if you want to guarantee a flawless edge appearance after cutting
Default setting: 15 mm.
Panelgator applies the squaring allowance based on the panel type:
- Full sheet or Drop — on the 4 sides of the panel
- Pre-edged board — only on the 2 ends
You can set the value between 0 mm (no squaring) and 100 mm (generous squaring).
Good to know
Section titled “Good to know”- Cut parameters are persistent: they’re kept between sessions but not saved in the
.pnlgproject - Changing these settings automatically invalidates the previous cutting layout result. You have to recompute to see the effect.
- The Reset button at the bottom of the Settings tab restores the default values.
What’s next
Section titled “What’s next”- Settings tab — complete reference of every available parameter
- Results tab — visualize and understand the cutting layout statistics