Can we talk about the week I tried to build a whole kitchen without a proper cut list?

I was rushing a job in Spokane and thought I could keep all the measurements in my head, which led to three wrong cabinet sizes and a whole day of re-cutting. My old boss used to say 'the pencil is cheaper than the wood' and I finally get it after wasting about $400 in maple ply. What's your best trick for keeping a cut list organized when you're working alone in the shop?

3 comments

3 Comments

gracet221mo ago

Ever try the old trick of writing your list on the plywood itself with chalk?

elizabeth9001mo ago

Chalk on plywood would just rub off the second I move a sheet...

uma6851mo ago

Man, that hits home. I see this everywhere now, people skipping the small boring step that saves the big headache later. My trick is a fat red marker right on the plywood, with big X's over the parts I've already cut. It looks messy but the visual shout stops my brain from zoning out.