Woodshop Bench Browse
Free · no login · runs in your browser

Calculators that actually reflect how a small shop works.

Most online woodworking calculators hand you a textbook formula and call it a day. We add the layers hobbyists and one-person shops actually deal with — kerf waste, project-type scrap factor, EMC-driven wood movement, compound miter with spring-angle compensation, dust-collection branch balancing, joint selection by use case. Built by a working woodworker, not a generic SEO page.

32
Specialised calculators
0
Accounts · cookies · pop-ups
100%
Client-side, no upload

No ranking data is collected. This is curated by us, not by tracking you.

All 32 calculators

Each one ships with a working tool, a long-form explainer, "how to read the result", a limitations list, and an FAQ. Pick what you need — there is no gating, no upsell, no email capture.

Measuring & Estimating

Cut & Machining

Joinery & Fastening

Finishing

Shop & Workflow

Safety

Pricing & Materials

How these calculators are built

A short note on the methodology, because calculators are easy to get wrong.

Real shop inputs, not textbook shortcuts

Most "board foot" pages ignore kerf, planing and defect losses. We bake them in by default because a hobbyist buying rough lumber for a tabletop needs a 25–35% scrap allowance, not 0%.

Values from published tables

Wood strength, EMC, Janka ratings and dust toxicity come from USDA FPL, Wood Database and OSHA references. Where a value is approximate, we say so on the page.

Honest about limits

Every tool has a "Limitations" block. A calculator that says "your joint will hold 100 lb" is lying; a calculator that says "this is an estimate, your results will vary" respects your time.

No tracking, no upsell

No analytics scripts, no cookies, no accounts, no email capture. The page works offline once loaded. You can read the code — every tool is one self-contained HTML file.

About this site

What Woodshop Bench is, and what it isn't.

Woodshop Bench is a free, ad-supported collection of niche woodworking calculators. It's run by a working hobbyist woodworker with a one-car garage shop and a long history of buying the wrong amount of walnut. The goal is simple: give small-shop woodworkers calculators that reflect how a real project goes — with kerf waste, project-type scrap factor, EMC-driven wood movement, compound-miter spring angles, dust-collection branch balancing and all the other things the textbook ignores.

Who this site is for

  • Hobbyists building a few furniture pieces a year who want a number that's close enough to order lumber confidently.
  • One-person shops who want a quick sanity check before quoting a client.
  • Woodworking educators looking for worked examples with a clear limitations section.
  • Anyone who got tired of "calculator" sites that are three input boxes, no explanation, and three affiliate links.

Who this site is not for

  • Structural engineers. We give ballpark values for shelves and beams; we don't replace a stamped calculation.
  • Commercial mills and CNC shops — you'll want software tuned to your workflow, not a static web page.
  • People looking for woodworking project plans. We have calculators, not plans.

How each tool is structured

Every page has the same skeleton: a working calculator at the top, a "what this solves" block, a "how to read the result" block, a worked example, a limitations block, and an FAQ. The calculator runs entirely client-side; no value you type leaves your browser. Inputs are not stored.

Limitations of the calculators themselves

Wood is variable. A "Douglas fir 2×4" bought in Oregon is not the same wood as one bought in Georgia. The values in these calculators come from averages of published reference tables (USDA Forest Products Lab, The Wood Database, AWC's NDS). They are good enough to plan a project, not good enough to certify a structural member. If a project is load-bearing or life-safety, talk to an engineer.

How the site is funded

The site is funded by ads served by Google AdSense. We do not run sponsored content, sponsored reviews or affiliate links. We don't sell anything. The ads are clearly labelled and placed away from interactive controls (see Privacy below).

Contact & corrections

If you spot a calculation that's off, a species reference that's wrong, or a UX bug, the fastest way to reach us is via the contact link in the page footer. We read everything and update the calculators when the correction is meaningful.

Privacy policy

Privacy policy

Last updated: . Plain-English summary first, formal policy below.

In plain English

  • We don't collect personal data. No accounts, no emails, no names.
  • The calculators run in your browser. Your inputs never reach our servers.
  • Google, the ad partner, uses cookies to serve ads. You can opt out — see below.
  • We don't sell anything, so we have nothing to share with anyone.

1. Information we collect

From you directly: nothing. The site has no sign-up, no contact form that stores data, no comment section.

Automatically, through your browser: your IP address is necessarily visible to any web server you connect to, including ours. Our hosting provider logs standard request metadata (timestamp, URL, user agent) for security and abuse prevention. These logs are rotated and not used for advertising or profiling.

Through Google AdSense: when Google serves ads on this site, it uses cookies and similar technologies to decide which ad to show. The data Google collects is governed by Google's own privacy policy, not ours. We don't see or control that data.

2. Cookies used on this site

  • Google AdSense cookies — used by Google to serve ads, limit how often you see a specific ad, and measure ad performance. These are first-party or third-party cookies set by Google (e.g. _gcl_au, IDE).
  • Consent state cookie — we set a single first-party cookie (wb_consent) that records whether you've dismissed the cookie notice. It contains no personal data and is used only so the notice doesn't reappear on every page.
  • That is the complete list. We do not use analytics cookies, advertising cookies from networks other than AdSense, or any social-network tracking pixels.

3. How Google uses data from partner sites

When you load a page with AdSense, Google may use the fact that you visited this site (along with other data Google holds about you) to choose and personalise ads shown on this site and across the wider Google ad network. Google does this on its own infrastructure — we do not see the personalisation data and we cannot disable it for you.

You can opt out of personalised advertising from Google at adssettings.google.com, and from many other ad networks at once at youradchoices.com.

4. Third-party services used on this site

  • Tailwind CSS CDN — stylesheet only; no cookies, no tracking.
  • Font Awesome CDN — icon font; no tracking.
  • Google AdSense — advertising (see above).
  • No embedded YouTube videos, no Facebook / X / Instagram pixels, no Google Analytics, no Hotjar, no chat widgets.

5. Children

This site is aimed at adults. We do not knowingly collect data from anyone under 16, and Google AdSense is configured to comply with applicable COPPA rules.

6. Your rights

Because we don't hold personal data about you, there's nothing for us to delete. For data held by Google, use Google's own tools (myaccount.google.com). Under GDPR / UK GDPR / CCPA you also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.

7. Changes

If we change anything material in this policy, we'll change the date at the top and add a short note on the homepage for at least 30 days. Material changes are not made lightly.

Disclaimer

Disclaimer

The information and tools provided on Woodshop Bench are for general educational and informational purposes only. They are not, and should not be relied upon as, professional engineering, architectural, structural, safety, medical or legal advice. Nothing on this site creates a professional-client relationship.

No warranty

The calculators are provided "as is", without warranty of any kind, express or implied, including but not limited to warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement. We do not warrant that the calculators are accurate, complete, free of defects, or that they will meet your specific requirements.

Use at your own risk

You are solely responsible for verifying the results of any calculator before acting on them. Wood is a variable, anisotropic, hygroscopic biological material. Two boards of the same species can behave very differently. For load-bearing, life-safety or commercial projects, consult a licensed engineer, architect or qualified professional.

Not a substitute for codes & standards

This site is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or a substitute for the American Wood Council, the International Code Council, OSHA, ANSI, ASTM, NFPA or any other standards body. Where those organisations have published guidance for a specific task, that guidance takes precedence over anything on this site.

External links

This site links to a small number of external resources (USDA FPL, Google policies, etc.). We do not control those sites and are not responsible for their content. A link does not constitute endorsement.

Affiliates & advertising

Some pages display ads served by Google AdSense. We do not endorse the products shown in those ads. Any purchase you make from an advertiser is between you and them; we receive no commission beyond the standard AdSense revenue share and we have no insight into which specific ads are shown.

Changes

Calculators, formulas and reference data may be updated as we learn more. We don't promise advance notice of every change. If a tool matters to your work, re-check the formula before relying on a result.