🪵 FreeCAD Lumber Board Generator Macro

This FreeCAD macro helps you create dimensional lumber boards with real-world standard or custom measurements. Perfect for woodworking mockups, planning framing layouts, or learning parametric CAD workflows.

📐 Features

• Select common dimensional lumber sizes (2x4, 4x4, etc.)
• Specify custom dimensions for thickness, width, and length
• Parse input in inches, feet/inches, or fractional inches (e.g., 8', 96", 6' 1 1/2")
• Specify how many boards to generate
• Stacks boards automatically in 3D space
• Fully parametric modeling using FreeCAD and Part workbench

📦 Supported Sizes

By default, the following nominal lumber sizes are available:

Nominal Size	Actual Dimensions (inches)
2x4	1.5 x 3.5
2x6	1.5 x 5.5
2x8	1.5 x 7.25
2x10	1.5 x 9.25
2x12	1.5 x 11.25
4x4	3.5 x 3.5
4x6	3.5 x 5.5
4x8	3.5 x 7.25
6x6	5.5 x 5.5
6x8	5.5 x 7.25

You can override any of these with your own custom values.

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🚀 Getting Started

1. Install FreeCAD

You’ll need FreeCAD version 0.19 or newer.

2. Download the Macro

Download the macro file from this repository:

LumberBoardGenerator.FCMacro

Save it to your FreeCAD macro directory. You can find this directory in FreeCAD via:

3. Run the Macro

1. Open FreeCAD
2. Click Macro → Macros...
3. Select LumberBoardGenerator.FCMacro from the list
4. Click Execute

This will open the dialog window.

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🛠️ Usage Guide

Step-by-step:

1. Select a Standard Size – Choose from 2x4, 4x4, etc.
2. (Optional) Enter custom thickness or width (in inches or fractions)
3. (Optional) Enter custom length (supports 8', 96", or 6' 1/2")
4. Set Quantity – Number of boards to create
5. Click "Add Lumber Board" – Adds the specified number of boards to the scene
6. Click Finish to close the dialog

Units and Format

• Inches: 96"
• Feet: 8'
• Feet and inches: 8' 3" or 6' 1 1/2"
• Fractions supported: 3 1/4", 1/2", etc.

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💡 Example Use Case

You’re planning to build a raised garden bed and want to mock up:

• Four 2x6x8' planks for the sides
• Two 4x4x1' posts for the corners

Open the macro and:

• Select 2x6, set length 8', quantity 4
• Then switch to 4x4, set custom length 1', quantity 2

You now have a full model of your materials ready to measure or export!

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⚙️ Behind the Scenes

This macro uses:

• Part.makeBox() to generate parametric solid boards
• Conversion of user input into inches, then mm (FreeCAD's working unit)
• A small vertical gap (+0.1 mm) between stacked boards to keep them separate

If no document is open, the macro will auto-create a new one.

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🧑‍💻 Contributing

Have an idea? Want to add more standard sizes, add labels, or export to spreadsheet?

1. Fork the repo
2. Make your changes
3. Submit a Pull Request

This macro is beginner-friendly and open to collaboration.

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🧾 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License – do whatever you want, just don’t blame me if you make a janky shed. 😄

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👋 Author

@JodiRayTech
New to GitHub, CAD scripting, and automation — learning one macro at a time.
Mainly building tools for FreeCAD.

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🪚 Fun Fact

A “2x4” isn’t actually 2 inches by 4 inches. The macro knows that and uses real-world dimensions, not nominal ones. Take that, lumberyard lies. 😤