Panel Saw Cut List Generator

Panel saws cut in straight lines from edge to edge of the current piece. That's the constraint. A "perfectly nested" layout from a generic optimizer might include cuts that start in the middle of a sheet — your panel saw operator can't physically execute that.

A panel saw cut list needs guillotine mode: every cut goes from one edge of the remaining piece to the opposite edge. EZNESTING does this natively, plus it orders the cuts in a sequence that makes sense to the operator.

Guillotine cuts vs free-arrangement cuts

Guillotine cutting: every cut starts at one edge and ends at the opposite edge of the current piece. Make a cut across a 4×8 sheet, you get two rectangles. Cut one of those rectangles in two, repeat. Every cut produces clean rectangular sub-pieces.

Free-arrangement (also called "best-fit" or "non-guillotine"): parts can be arranged anywhere on the sheet, with cuts that start in the middle of a piece. This gives the best material utilization mathematically — but it can only be cut on a CNC router or by hand with a track saw.

A vertical panel saw (Striebig, Safety Speed Cut, Holzher) can only cut guillotine. A horizontal sliding table saw can do limited non-guillotine cuts but it's awkward. Set EZNESTING's optimizer to guillotine mode for any panel saw workflow.

Worked example: 4×8 broken down for cabinet boxes

A single 4×8 sheet of 3/4" plywood, breaking down for two base cabinets:

4 sides @ 23" × 30"
2 bottoms @ 22.5" × 23"
2 backs @ 23" × 29.5"

In guillotine mode, EZNESTING outputs:

First cut: 30" off the top of the sheet (yields a 96" × 30" strip plus a 96" × 18" strip)
From the 30" strip: rip into 4 pieces × 23" wide (the cabinet sides)
From the 18" strip: 2 pieces at 23" × 22.5" (the bottoms) + 2 pieces at 23" × 29.5" (the backs)

The operator sees a clear cut sequence with consistent fence settings. No mid-sheet cuts, no part rotation that breaks the guillotine constraint.

In free-arrangement mode on the same parts, the optimizer might fit everything into 0.9 sheets — but the layout would be unbuildable on a panel saw.

Cut sequence: first the longest cut

For a vertical panel saw, the longest cuts come first. Here's why: long cuts use the full crosscut capacity of the saw. Once you've broken the sheet into smaller pieces, those pieces fit comfortably on the saw for shorter cuts.

The reverse order (short cuts first) means you'd be cutting full sheets into small pieces, which still works but uses awkward saw positions and risks the small pieces falling off the table.

EZNESTING orders cuts left-to-right, top-to-bottom within each sheet, with longest cuts first. Hand the printout to your operator and they can work through it without re-thinking the strategy.

Generate a guillotine cut list

Why best-utilization isn't always best on a panel saw

A free-arrangement optimizer might give you 94% utilization. A guillotine optimizer on the same parts gives 88%. That 6% extra material sounds like waste.

It's not — it's the price of being able to cut the layout on the equipment you have. The "94% nest" can't be executed on a panel saw. You'd have to buy a CNC router (six-figure investment) to use that utilization.

For a small shop running a Striebig or similar, the trade is real: slightly higher material cost, much lower equipment cost. The CNC math only works at high cabinet volumes.

When to use a CNC router instead

Crossover point is roughly 15-30 cabinet boxes/week, depending on your panel saw operator's hourly cost and the value of better material utilization.

< 15 boxes/week: panel saw is fine. Use guillotine optimization.
15-30 boxes/week: investment math gets murky. Depends on whether your operator is full-time on the saw or splitting time.
> 30 boxes/week: CNC router pays back inside 18 months on material savings + operator productivity. Switch to the CNC router nest optimizer and free-arrangement mode.

Even shops with CNC routers often keep a panel saw for rough breakdown of full sheets — the guillotine cut list stays relevant.

Related guides

Frequently asked questions

What is a guillotine cut?

A guillotine cut goes from one edge of the current piece to the opposite edge in a single pass. Every cut produces two rectangles. Vertical panel saws and sliding table saws cut guillotine-only by design. The math: any layout buildable on a panel saw is a guillotine layout. Free-arrangement layouts (cuts that start mid-piece) require CNC routers or hand cutting with track saws.

What's the best cut sequence for a panel saw operator?

Longest cuts first. Vertical panel saws have a maximum crosscut capacity — usually 100" or so. Make the long cuts while the sheet still has clean edges, then work through shorter cuts on the resulting smaller pieces. Cutting full sheets into small pieces first means awkward saw positions and risk of small pieces falling off the table. EZNESTING orders cut sequence left-to-right, top-to-bottom within each sheet.

Can I rotate parts on a panel saw cut list?

Yes, but the optimizer should know which parts are grain-locked (visible faces of cabinets, doors, drawer fronts) vs. rotation-free (hidden bottoms, backs, shelves). Set per-piece rotation locks in EZNESTING. Rotation-free pieces typically improve utilization 5-10%. Rotating grain-locked pieces gives a visually mismatched finished cabinet.

What's the difference between guillotine cutting and efficiency cutting?

Guillotine cutting (also called "best material" mode) optimizes for minimal material waste with the constraint that every cut goes edge-to-edge. Efficiency cutting (also called "best yield" mode) optimizes for the fewest total cuts at the expense of slightly more material. For panel saws, use guillotine. For shops where labor cost matters more than material, efficiency mode trades a few percent of waste for noticeably faster cutting.

Does EZNESTING work with Striebig and Holzher panel saws?

Yes — the cut list output is saw-agnostic. EZNESTING generates the cut sequence and dimensions; you read them off the screen or print them and execute on whatever panel saw you run. The PDF export includes a visual layout per sheet that you can tape to the saw operator's station.

When should a cabinet shop switch from panel saw to CNC router?

Rough crossover is 15-30 cabinet boxes per week. Below that, a panel saw covers the workload economically. Above 30 boxes/week, CNC router math works — better utilization, faster cut times, fewer operator-hours. Even shops with CNC routers usually keep a panel saw for rough breakdown of full sheets, so guillotine cut lists stay relevant.

Plan your panel saw cuts