The Design-Checked Project Kit
The free calculators check one shelf or one board at a time. The Kit checks the whole project: pick a template — bookcase, wall or base cabinet, table, dresser, workbench — enter your parts once, and get a verdict on every shelf against the 0.02 in/ft standard, the seasonal allowance for every solid panel, and one shopping list for the whole build. Parts lists yes, cut layouts no. Checking yes, drawing no — that is the whole product, on purpose.
Every shelf gets a PASS / WATCH / FAIL against the published 0.02 in/ft standard — and every flag comes with fixes that are re-computed, not guessed: thicker stock, fixed ends, an edging strip, a stiffer species, a shorter span. Tap one and the verdict updates with the new number.
Included in the $39 Design-Checked Project KitEvery solid top, door and drawer front gets its seasonal movement in inches and fractions, plus the clearance to build in — computed from USDA shrinkage data and your shop-to-home moisture range.
Included in the $39 Design-Checked Project KitOne parts list and lumber bill for the whole project — then swap the species and watch every verdict and the total cost re-compute side by side before you spend a dollar at the yard.
Included in the $39 Design-Checked Project KitProjects save in your browser under your own names — come back weeks later and they are still here. When the design checks out, print one pack: the check summary, the validated parts list, and the shopping list, ready for the shop wall.
Included in the $39 Design-Checked Project KitFrom a sample bookcase run — 36-inch shelves, 11 inches deep, 3/4-inch stock, 25 lb of books per foot:
| Shelf | Long-term sag | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| Red oak shelves, shelf pins | 0.032 in/ft | WATCH |
| Same bookcase in particleboard | 0.236 in/ft | FAIL |
| Particleboard + fixed ends + 1 in thick + 1 1/2 in oak edge | 0.007 in/ft | PASS |
Same bookcase, three honest answers — and the third row is the Kit's fix engine at work: it found the cheapest combination that brings the shelf under the standard, and shows the number it lands on. Solid top for the same case, black walnut, 24 in wide, shop 12% → home 6.5%: movement 0.360 in (about 3/8), build-in allowance 1/2 — the Kit prints that on the panel's line of the parts list.
Get the Design-Checked Project Kit — $39 one-time
One payment. Yours to keep — no account, no subscription. Works in your browser; projects save on your device.
Planning aid, not engineering certification — verify built work with test loads on the real piece. Terms · Disclaimer