Independent planning tools for the small workshop.
Free calculators for bench heights, dowel and axle fits, sanding quantities, FasTrack lengths, nest-box cutting lists and saw choice — each one showing its working — with plain-spoken guides alongside.
Specification ledger
The tools
| ID | Tool | Returns |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | Workbench Height Planner | a bench height band from your elbow height or stature (mm, with inches) |
| 02 | Dowel & Peg Fit Planner | a drill size for glued, removable or rotating fits (mm / in) |
| 03 | Sanding Disc Estimator | a grit sequence and disc count for a job |
| 04 | FasTrack Length Calculator | section combinations for a target length (in) |
| 05 | Bird Box Planner | a cutting list and board length for a nest box (mm) |
| 06 | Cutting Tool Selector | the right saw for a cut, and why |
All six tools are live. Every specification — inputs, constants, rounding rules and worked examples — is published and tested, and each tool shows its working on its own page. The tools index records what each takes and returns.
Working notes
Guides
| Guide | Covers |
|---|---|
| Steam bending and bending jigs | When to steam-bend rather than laminate, and how steam boxes, straps, formers and clamping jigs actually work. |
| Choosing timber for a project | Workability, movement, durability, cost and UK availability, weighed qualitatively for common project types. |
| Reducing waste in the workshop | Cutting-list planning, offcut management, reclaimed-timber cautions and buying only what the job needs. |
| Designing a workbench that fits you | Height trade-offs by work style, top mass and stiffness, vice placement, and the mock-up-first habit. |
| Orbital sander technique | Grit progression, movement and pressure, swirl-mark causes, and HSE-sourced dust control for sanding. |
All five guides are written fresh for this site — no recycled text from the domain's past lives. The guides index lists each with its real revision date.
Independence
What this site is
Woodcraft Parts Workshop is an independent reference site. It is not a shop, and it is not connected to any business that previously traded from this domain.
More on how the site works, and how it sources its facts, on theabout page and the sources ledger.