Frequently asked questions

The basics

What does Saw It Coming do?

You tell it the panels you have (melamine, plywood, MDF, stone…) and the parts you need. It works out how to cut the parts from the fewest panels, with the least waste, and gives you the layout of every panel, the order of the cuts, the offcuts worth keeping, the edge band you need and printable labels for the parts.

Is it free? Do I need an account?

It is free. You sign in with Google only so your projects are saved in your own Drive; there is no account with us.

How do I start?

1. In Inventory, add your materials, the panels you have and your edge bands.
2. In Projects, create a project and type the parts (or import a CSV).
3. Press Optimize, look at the plan, print it and the labels.
4. When you have cut it, press Cut it: the panels come out of the inventory and the offcuts go in.

The ? button at the top of the app shows a tour of the page you are on. The kitchen example in Projects is a good way to try everything.

Cutting

What are kerf and trim?

Kerf is the width of the saw blade: the material lost in every cut (usually 3–4 mm on a panel saw). Trim is the strip cut off each edge of a panel because factory edges are often chipped or not square. Both are in the cutting settings of each project.

What are guillotine cuts?

Every cut goes from one side of the piece to the other, as on a panel saw or a table saw. Turn it off for CNC routers or waterjets, which can cut any layout; that usually wastes less.

What does "rotate" mean on a part?

Whether the part may be turned 90° to fit better. For materials with grain (wood veneer, some melamines) rotating changes the look, so it is only allowed if you tick it. Without grain, parts always rotate.

Is the plan the best possible?

The results say how far it can be, at most, from the best possible ("at most 3% from the best possible"). The longer the search time in the cutting settings, the closer it gets. You can stop it at any time and keep the best plan so far.

Is every plan checked?

Yes. Before showing a plan the app checks that no parts overlap, every cut leaves room for the blade, everything stays inside the trimmed panel and, with guillotine cuts on, that the saw can actually make it.

Offcuts and stock

Which offcuts are kept?

Those whose both sides are at least the size you set in the cutting settings. When you press Cut it they go into the inventory, labelled with the project, and the next plans use them first.

Workshop inventory or panels just for this project?

By default every project takes its panels from the workshop inventory. If a job uses boards the customer brings, or a special order, choose Just for this project: it gets its own list of materials and panels (it starts with your workshop materials and bands, and no panels), and cutting it does not touch the workshop stock.

Edge banding

How is edge banding handled?

Pick a band for each side of a part. By default the band thickness is taken off the cut size, so the finished part has the size you typed. You can also add a pre-milling allowance per banded side (for edge banders with a pre-milling unit) and an extra length per edge. The results show how many metres of each band you need.

Printing and files

What can I print?

The plan (as paper or "Save as PDF"): every panel, the cut list, the cut sequence and the band totals. And labels for the parts in Avery L7160, L7159 and L7163 sheets or 62 mm label printer rolls, in the order the parts leave the saw. You can skip the labels already used on a sheet.

Can I import a cut list?

Yes, from a CSV file (Excel, LibreOffice, Google Sheets, SketchUp cut list extensions). Columns: label, material, width, height, qty, rotate, band_top, band_bottom, band_left, band_right. Spanish headers and semicolons work too. CSV files are always in millimetres.

Can I use inches?

Yes. In Settings, choose millimetres (the default), centimetres, decimal inches or inches with fractions down to 1/16. You can type 23 5/8 or 23-5/8". Dates and numbers follow the region you choose.

Your data

Where are my projects saved?

On your device and in a hidden app folder of your own Google Drive, encrypted on your device first. We have no server: we never see your projects. The details are in the privacy policy.

How do I use it on another device?

Sign in with the same Google account; the new device asks for the link code or QR shown in Settings on a device you already use. That code carries the key that decrypts your data.

Does it work offline?

Yes, once signed in. Changes are saved on the device and sync when you are back online. The cloud icon at the top shows the state: a tick when everything is in Drive, dots while changes wait, a pause when the Google session needs a tap to resume.

I lost all my devices. Can I get my projects back?

Without the link code, no: nobody can decrypt them, not even us. You can start over with the same Google account. A backup file from Settings, kept safe, avoids this.

How do I delete my data?

Settings › Delete all my data removes everything from the device and your Drive and revokes the app's access.