⚠ CALCULATION ERROR — displayed values may be stale. Do not cut from these numbers. Adjust an input to recalculate (details in browser console).
StaveCalc — Table Base Stave Calculator
HIDDEN LIFE DESIGNS
Verify angles and dimensions on scrap before cutting project stock · woodworking machinery is dangerous — use guards and follow your machine's manual · figures provided as-is, without warranty
Designs
Stored in this browser only · up to 8 designs. Use ⇪ Share for a link that works anywhere.
Welcome to the Stave Calculator
This tool calculates the exact cut angles for every board (stave) needed to build a tapered oval, round, rectangular, or diamond-shaped table base from flat lumber — no templates, no trial and error.
Set your base dimensions, stave count, and stock thickness. The cut list gives you every bevel, rip, and end-cut angle ready for the shop floor.
Before you cut: verify angles and dimensions on scrap stock. Woodworking machinery is dangerous — use guards and follow your machine's manual. Figures are provided as-is, without warranty.
⚙ INPUTS▾
Shape Mode
Shape type
Bottom Shape (Floor)▾
bottom
Top Shape (Table Mount)▾
Equal draft on every face. On a round or oval base the staves stay flat; on a rectangular or strongly non-round base equal draft changes the top-to-bottom proportions and can twist the staves — watch the flatness check below.
auto
Lock Aspect Ratio · keeps staves flat
Lock Aspect Ratio
When enabled, Top Width is automatically calculated to match the same length-to-width ratio as the bottom shape.
For example: if the bottom is 30"×15" (2:1 ratio) and you set Top Length to 20", Top Width is automatically set to 10" — preserving the 2:1 ratio.
Diamond mode: Locking the aspect ratio guarantees zero twist in the staves, since all four sides taper at the same angle.
top
Stadium Extension▾
Inserts a straight section into the oval — same end radii, longer overall shape. 0 = pure oval.
Taper ends only
Straight sections stay full length; only the curved ends taper inward.
Overall = end diameter + extension
Base Dimensions▾
Options▾
Simplify Setups
Simplify Setups
On a true oval, every joint between staves has a slightly different angle — so the blade tilt, taper jig, and end-cut settings change for nearly every piece.
Simplify merges saw settings that are close enough not to matter. Any two settings whose difference would cost less than 1⁄64" at a joint — the gap glue and clamps close invisibly — are cut at one shared value. The calculator merges as many as your design and stock allow, and never more.
It applies to all three setting families: blade tilts (bevels), the taper jig angle, and end-cut angles. The summary shows exactly how many setups you saved, e.g. “Blade tilts 9→4”.
Why it won't make your joints worse
The merge budget is computed from your design and stock: thicker stock magnifies angle errors, so it merges less; thinner stock merges more. It also subtracts whatever the design's own shape already costs — so if your staves are warped enough to spend the glue line by themselves, the budget shrinks to nothing and no settings merge. Merging never makes the check above the cut list worse than it already was.
Full Accuracy
Simplified
Saw setups
One per distinct angle
As few as glue-tight allows
Joint geometry
Exact
Merging itself adds under 1⁄64"
Best for
—
Fewer setups with no verdict change
Merges blade-tilt, taper & end-cut settings that differ by less than a glue line
Lock Symmetric Design
Top mirrors bottom squareness & aspect — part of the flat-stave default
Units
Fraction precision
📐 DIAGRAM▾
— reads groups without relying on colour
Stave:
Drag · Pinch/scroll · Two-finger pan
Lighting
Background
Wood
📋 CUT LIST▾
Summary
⚠ Asymmetric staves detected — L and R bevel angles differ.
Cut sequence: set saw to L Bevel → cut left end → reset to R Bevel → flip board → cut right end.
Mark the top face before cutting. Simplify Setups (in Options) merges settings that differ by less than a glue line.
Per-Stave Cut Listtake this to the saw
#
Pos
Grp
Bot W
Top W
L Bevel
R Bevel
Rip°
End Cut°
Twist
Rough W
Rough L
↔ swipe for all columns
▸ Notes & shop tips 0
Cut Sequence per Stave
① Rough cut — Cut boards to rough length and width from your stock.
② Taper & Bevel — Shape both long edges on the table saw. Two options:
• Two passes per edge — First rip both long edges to create the taper (wide bottom → narrow top) using a taper jig (Rip°). Then tilt the blade and run each edge through again to cut the bevel (L Bevel / R Bevel) so adjacent staves close flush.
• One pass per edge — If your setup allows, combine both at once: set the taper jig to Rip° and tilt the blade to the bevel angle simultaneously.
③ End Cut° — Miter or table saw bevel across the width when crosscutting to final length. Same angle both ends, same direction. Seats the stave flat to the floor and table underside.