LumberJocks

Cutting Board Design software (CBdesigner)

Project by jayman7 posted 442 days ago 7529 views 73 times favorited 60 comments Add to Favorites Watch

Hi guys. After I completed my first cutting board, I wanted to make more using a different design. I wanted an easy way to design one on the computer, so I made a simple program in Visual Basic the other day. I hereby proclaim it as CBdesigner. Not so clever, huh? :) It helps me visualize what small changes in the first glue-up will turn out in the end-grain version, so maybe it will be of use to some of you woodworkers out there as well. I made it pretty self explanatory to use.

It creates a materials list so you know how much you need ahead of time so you can decide if you have enough scraps. It even takes into account the amount of wood lost from the saw blade itself so you can minimize waste. I made it as accurate as could be, but of course there is the possibility of errors so any comments/corrections are more than welcome! The colors I picked may not be the best representation of the woods listed either. Maximum layers is 200 (though the program breaks long before you get there). You can now insert and delete layers in the middle. You can also now drag the layers around by dragging the double-headed arrow. This program works on the assumption of ideal conditions, so please be sure to account for extra wood as you should be doing anyway. :) Feel free to distribute it if you like it. Lemme know if there’s a better way to host the file too. Thanks!!!

IMPORTANT: If you don’t have it already on your computer, you will need the comdlg32.ocx file in your Windows\System32 folder. I used its scripts for the standard Open and Save commands in the program. In short, just follow the instructions at this link to register the ocx file and it should work. You can tell I don’t do computer programming for a living. :P
Download and register comdlg32.ocx file

NEW: Special Thanks to Brad over from Sawmill Creek for hosting the file on his personal web space!! He even made the “official” webpage for CBdesigner.

CBdesigner Home Page and Download Link

CBdesigner v1.3 Direct Download links:
Mirror1 , Mirror2, Mirror3, Mirror4, Mirror5


60 comments so far

View lew's profile

lew

4917 posts in 726 days


posted 442 days ago

NEAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks!

Lew

View toyguy's profile

toyguy

881 posts in 808 days


posted 442 days ago

Thats kind a cool… Don’t know if I’ll ever use it but thanks.

-- Brian, Ontario Canada, http://www.wix.com/brian_graham/woodturning

View Ampeater's profile

Ampeater

214 posts in 718 days


posted 442 days ago

Thanks for posting. I will use it on my next cutting board.

-- "A goal without a plan is a wish."

View Devin's profile

Devin

90 posts in 499 days


posted 442 days ago

Very cool! Thanks for posting.

-- If you don’t have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over? - John Wooden

View Bob42's profile

Bob42

289 posts in 761 days


posted 442 days ago

That looks great!!

I will try it tomorrow. I have some boards to do.
Thanks for sharing.

-- Bob K. East Northport, NY

View Bureaucrat's profile

Bureaucrat

9414 posts in 622 days


posted 442 days ago

Thanks for posting, this will be a big help.

-- Gary, South Central Wisconsin. So much to learn, so little time!

View bayouman's profile

bayouman

87 posts in 636 days


posted 441 days ago

Jayman:

That is a fantastic help to all of us not smart enought to figure it out otherwise. Thanks for posting. I know I will get a lot of use from this.

View Garyb6's profile

Garyb6

290 posts in 601 days


posted 441 days ago

Getting ready to build my first cutting boards as Christmas presents. This will sure come in handy. Thanks for the timely post!!

-- Garyb6, “The ancestor of every action is a thought” - Ralph Waldo Emmerson

View Garyb6's profile

Garyb6

290 posts in 601 days


posted 441 days ago

Jayman, Is there anyway to save? I would like to save different configurations so I can compare and choose the one I loke best.

Thanks!!

-- Garyb6, “The ancestor of every action is a thought” - Ralph Waldo Emmerson

View Wally_nd's profile

Wally_nd

35 posts in 580 days


posted 441 days ago

Thank You… Very good of you to share

-- Jeremy, North Dakota

View jayman7's profile

jayman7

41 posts in 476 days


posted 441 days ago

Thanks for all the compliments! I’m surprised and glad to see many of you are finding it useful. If there is enough interest and suggestions, I might incorporate them into a later version of the program (such as saving; that’s a good idea!).

View RobH's profile

RobH

460 posts in 1020 days


posted 441 days ago

Thanks for the effort. I am sure that will help out in the future.

-- -- Rob Hix, King George, VA

View jm82435's profile

jm82435

581 posts in 712 days


posted 441 days ago

very cool, thanks!

-- A thing of beauty is a joy forever...

View rikkor's profile

rikkor

11329 posts in 845 days


posted 441 days ago

It’s blocked here at work, but I plan to try it at home tonight. TIA

View Bob42's profile

Bob42

289 posts in 761 days


posted 441 days ago

First.. I tried the program this morning and it very easy to use and does a wonderful job. For me simple is better. With in only a few minutes it gives you a chance to see before hand what the board will look like. I really like this program.
Thanks for taking the time to not only make this but share it with us. Keep more programs like this coming.

Now, If I could be so bold as to ask for in a future update a way to save, print, and more choices of wood.

-- Bob K. East Northport, NY

View LeoZ's profile

LeoZ

27 posts in 440 days


posted 440 days ago

wow this is very nice!! ive been browsing here for a while, and finally joined.. ill have to share my CB creations now!

i agree, save and print would be great, thanks!

-- just another woodworking newb

View newTim's profile

newTim

295 posts in 577 days


posted 440 days ago

Amazingly cool… many thanks… is there a way to save a project to a file?

-- tim hill www.newcalshop.com

View jayman7's profile

jayman7

41 posts in 476 days


posted 438 days ago

Updated to version 1.1 to add the ability to save designs. Enjoy! :)

View HossMan's profile

HossMan

22 posts in 688 days


posted 434 days ago

Can’t wait to give it a test drive when I get home.
Thanks for posting it up!

View Bob42's profile

Bob42

289 posts in 761 days


posted 434 days ago

Thanks for the update.

-- Bob K. East Northport, NY

View Brad_Nailor's profile

Brad_Nailor

1344 posts in 928 days


posted 433 days ago

I downloaded 1.1 and tried to run it and i get an error message!

message

-- David, South Windsor, CT "The ***damn Germans got nuttin to do with it" Sheriff Buford T Justice

View Karson's profile

Karson

28883 posts in 1371 days


posted 433 days ago

Thanks for the program. I had the OCX file. No problems

-- I've been blessed with a father who liked to tinker in wood, and a wife who lets me tinker in wood. Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †

View JerryS's profile

JerryS

84 posts in 581 days


posted 432 days ago

Can you Download this using FireFox ? Which link do you click on ?

View LeoZ's profile

LeoZ

27 posts in 440 days


posted 432 days ago

wow.. great updates!

On v1.2, the boarders you added around the previews cause the image to get truncated unless the preview size is less than 25% (obviously dependent on the cb size..)

-- just another woodworking newb

View Tim Dorcas's profile

Tim Dorcas

138 posts in 829 days


posted 412 days ago

What a great program! I wish I had found this three days ago though…..:)

-- www.responsetolight.com - A Woodworking & Renovation Blog & www.craftedbytim.com - I make. You buy.

View etivancic's profile

etivancic

14 posts in 744 days


posted 412 days ago

This is why I LOVE THIS SITE!
THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!
I just made my first cutting board and was getting excitted about my next few…
I just designed my next one with your program. It is a GREAT program!

I feel like a little kid at Xmas :)

View YorkshireStewart's profile

YorkshireStewart

795 posts in 872 days


posted 412 days ago

That’s just amazing jayman7. Thanks for sharing it.

-- Res severa verum gaudium - True pleasure is a serious business. http://www.folksy.com/shops/TreeGems

View LeoZ's profile

LeoZ

27 posts in 440 days


posted 368 days ago

v1.3 is a GREAT update!!! Thank you :)

-- just another woodworking newb

View John Kasparian's profile

John Kasparian

21 posts in 623 days


posted 354 days ago

Nice

-- john

View sbailey's profile

sbailey

1 post in 335 days


posted 335 days ago

This is great. Thank you

View WillyWally's profile

WillyWally

8 posts in 304 days


posted 290 days ago

What a dope I am. I don’t get this File Dropper page I get. Where to go from there?

-- Willy Wally's Wood Stuff

View codaman33's profile

codaman33

6 posts in 670 days


posted 286 days ago

I can’t figure out how to download this thing either. Anyone can help please?

View jayman7's profile

jayman7

41 posts in 476 days


posted 286 days ago

Click the “CBdesigner v1.3” link and then click “download file” link to save the program. I also fixed the mirror site at filedropper. The file at filedropper expires after a certain amount of time.

View codaman33's profile

codaman33

6 posts in 670 days


posted 286 days ago

I have it now. Thanks. I look forward to playing around with it.

View SheriDi's profile

SheriDi

34 posts in 274 days


posted 271 days ago

Excellent program. I know how much effort goes into a program like this and appreciate your willingness to share it with others!

-- Goodbye said the fox and now here is my secret: it is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.

View a1Jim's profile (online now)

a1Jim

23526 posts in 547 days


posted 271 days ago

cool Thanks alot

-- Jim from Heirloom Woodshop, custom furniture ,maker, woodworking school, http://www.heirloomwoodshop.com/

View MWF's profile

MWF

6 posts in 504 days


posted 266 days ago

Wow this program looks great. I have made one cutting board and would like to make a few more when I came accross this posting.

I have downloaded the v1.3 and the comdlg32 but getting an error that says “component comdlg32 or one of its dependancies not correctly registered or is missing or is invalid” Any thoughts on what I can do?

View maluco's profile

maluco

51 posts in 466 days


posted 262 days ago

nice program!

if you wanna, please share the source
planet source code is one nice place to do it http://www.planet-source-code.com/vb/default.asp
maybe you also get some ideas to improve it there

btw, the problem of registering the cmdialog can be fixed easily
vb have dependencies and are not supposed to be only the exe
it work fine if the computer have all files needed but this don’t happen always

just make the setup for the program and it can create all for you
(in vb6, menu add-ins / package and deployment wizard )

found 2 small bugs
interface: taborder are not correct – just click with the mouse in any control to get the focus and press tab to check .. the cursor don’t go to the next control in the correct order ( goes to the next in the order you included in the form )
no error procedure: create 68 layers and get overflow

I hope it can help you to improve it – tanks for posting it

View ChuckNorris's profile

ChuckNorris

14 posts in 313 days


posted 237 days ago

Sweet program!! What’s the chance of adding more wood types? Maybe even some pictures of the endgrain rather than the standard colors? Anyway, this program is great!

-- Brent (Table saws worry about kickback from Chuck Norris)

View roer's profile

roer

4 posts in 210 days


posted 210 days ago

Hi

Brilliant idea !!

I have now installed the program, and it is apparantly running allright, BUT when I press “Lets make a cutting board” nothing happens I run on vista – is that a problem

Any help will be appriciated, as I would very much like to use your software

View ffishermen's profile

ffishermen

11 posts in 204 days


posted 170 days ago

is there another link for this software?

looks like the hosting site is have problems. have not been trying for about week now.

View topp's profile

topp

2 posts in 155 days


posted 155 days ago

Any chance for some updated software links?

Thanks,
Topp

View topp's profile

topp

2 posts in 155 days


posted 154 days ago

Mirror is working. Now I have to try to come up with a nice pattern.
Thanks.
Topp

View sras's profile

sras

420 posts in 100 days


posted 76 days ago

Thank you for your generous contribution. The software package is great. I am giving my first try at an endgrain cutting board. Just using up scraps for this first one – all sorts of random widths. The program is great as I look for pieces. Then as I cut parts and the dimensions turn out a little fat or thin, I can update the design and swap parts around. This would have been a brain buster without your program!

-- Steve - Impatience is Expensive

View roman's profile

roman

1390 posts in 864 days


posted 76 days ago

a fool is born everyday

if you need a program to make a cutting board then Wal Mart will save you a fortune and the cutting boards sold at WalMart are made by the “Off Shore” folks whom in all likelyhood….....work for a living…...and you cant even buy, beg, or borrow, the lumber to compete.

computors are definitly not the be all and end all of woodworking projects

is this for real?

-- http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v96/woodworking/

View roman's profile

roman

1390 posts in 864 days


posted 76 days ago

a computor program that will make you a cutting board?

did I miss something?

-- http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v96/woodworking/

View Profenceworks's profile

Profenceworks

240 posts in 95 days


posted 63 days ago

View Glen's profile

Glen

55 posts in 47 days


posted 45 days ago

Thanks Jayman. I downloaded it and it works great.

-- Glen

View KevinVan's profile

KevinVan

69 posts in 121 days


posted 43 days ago

I just found this and it works great!!!

Thanks for making it for us!

-- ALS IK KAN “to the best of my ability,”

View Arnold's profile

Arnold

134 posts in 532 days


posted 43 days ago

Anyone with vista using this software?

View closetguy's profile

closetguy

385 posts in 862 days


posted 43 days ago

Yes, it runs under Vista.

-- I don't make mistakes, only design changes....www.dgmwoodworks.com

View Diggerjacks's profile

Diggerjacks

37 posts in 109 days


posted 43 days ago

Hello
What’s the problem?
I have an error message “please put a number in the box(es) 3
Help me please

I have installed the program, and it is apparantly running allright, but when I press “Lets make a cutting board” nothing happens I run on windows xp home

I would very much like to use your software but I can’t

-- Diggerjack-France

View TroutGuy's profile

TroutGuy

120 posts in 682 days


posted 43 days ago

Very cool little program! I had some minor issues on the first run, but now it seems to be working. (Vista Ultimate 64)

-- There is nothing in the world more dangerous, than a woodworker who knows how to read a micrometer...

View Arnold's profile

Arnold

134 posts in 532 days


posted 43 days ago

Now all it needs is to be converted into an app. Anyone know how to do that?

View jayman7's profile

jayman7

41 posts in 476 days


posted 42 days ago

Diggerjacks: When you get that error message, it most likely means you put something other than a number in the boxes.

The “Let’s make a cutting board” doesn’t really do anything, so don’t be concerned if it doesn’t do anything. It used to be the button to press to generate a cutting board, but in v1.3 it’s more of a “refresh” button since the cutting board automatically refreshes after any change. I will relabel it as the “refresh” button if I get around to making a v1.4 with more improvements.

Thanks again for all the compliments!

View Diggerjacks's profile

Diggerjacks

37 posts in 109 days


posted 42 days ago

Hello

I must substitute the ”. ” by ”,” and all is allright

Thanks a lot for the software

-- Diggerjack-France

View Tim Pletcher's profile

Tim Pletcher

76 posts in 44 days


posted 41 days ago

View sandhill's profile

sandhill

642 posts in 894 days


posted 40 days ago

How about windows 7?

-- Just another day in paradise

View DraftsmanRick's profile

DraftsmanRick

36 posts in 30 days


posted 27 days ago

Thanks for sharing your program! It works great!

View AKNewbie's profile

AKNewbie

1 post in 25 days


posted 19 days ago

Just found your program, downloaded it, and planning my next few weekends!
Thanks for sharing, what a fantastic tool!
Kevin

You must be signed in to post the comments.

  • View all advertisers
  • Advertise with us

DISCLAIMER: Any posts on LJ are posted by individuals acting in their own right and do not necessarily reflect the views of LJ. LJ will not be held liable for the actions of any user.

Latest Projects | Latest Blog Entries | Latest Forum Topics

HomeRefurbers.com

Latest Projects | Latest Blog Entries | Latest Forum Topics

GardenTenders.com :: gardening showcase