Use These Free Apps to Plan Your Next Woodworking Project
Most carpenters have memorized a certain number of abbreviations for measuring angles, listing cuts, or estimating distances, but thanks to technology, you don’t have to do that anymore. If you need accurate and fast results when sizing an arch or angle, there’s an app for that. Here are some of the best.
Try a simple bubble level
One of the easiest leveling apps is the digital bubble level, which uses your phone’s internal sensors to level everything from the washing machine to the shelf. Place your phone on your project, balancing the device along either of its flat sides, and the app will tell you the angle, rise over slope, or slope percentage.
For small DIY projects, this level will serve you well. Keep in mind that many phones have an uneven body to accommodate cameras and buttons, phone cases can get in the way of a flat phone, and you risk your device’s safety by using it as a tool.
Try it on Google Play.
Let your phone do the math
Why bother more with math when converting inches to centimeters or calculating the required volume of concrete? You need the Handyman Calculator app. This is a useful tool for determining how much material you will need for a given project, or even for estimating how long a project will take. The downside is that with so many different conversion and calculation tools, you might have to dig for some time to find what you’re looking for.
Use augmented reality to measure distances
The AR Ruler app is suitable for simple measurements when laying out furniture, planning shelving or visualizing a project. You’ll still need a real tape measure for accurate measurements, but for visualization and planning purposes, it’s fine. The downsides of this tool are that it doesn’t work in low light, and you can’t save multiple projects in the free version of the app.
Get a lumber valuation
To estimate the amount of lumber you will need for a project, you can try the Timber Calculator app. If you enter the raw dimensions of your project, your lumber calculator will tell you how many planks you will need. This saves you the hassle of making multiple trips to fetch firewood and saves you time.
Keep in mind that you will need to know the dimensions of your project before you can calculate the amount of lumber you will need, so you need to work on plans to make it work.
Floor plans can also be made in apps
To visualize layouts, plan renovations and extensions, or plan a new build, Floorplan Layout lets you draw your own plan, but that’s all it does. This can be useful for reference purposes, especially if you’re building custom furniture, adding a closet, or tearing down a wall. If you need to add furniture or other objects, you will need a more advanced application.
Get plans and tutorials straight to your phone
If you want to get started with woodworking, there are a couple of apps with free plans that you can work with and some free guides that will walk you through some of the basics. The downside to this is that it’s hard to read full plans on the small phone screen, so you might want to consider using a tablet, or even go old school and print them out.