Built by a Framer. For Framers.
RailChop didn't come from a startup pitch deck. It came from a shop floor where cut math was eating too much time and too much moulding.
The Problem It Was Built to Solve
Picture framing is a craft that demands precision. You measure artwork, you calculate the right proportions for matting and moulding, and then you have to cut hundreds of linear feet of moulding without waste. Except waste is inevitable, and the math never got faster.
Most framers do cut planning in their head or on a spreadsheet. You're bouncing between multiple work orders, trying to batch cuts by moulding type to minimize changeover, factoring in what's left on the rack from yesterday, and hoping you don't mess up a dimension on a high-end frame. The whole workflow is scattered — notes on the wall, sketches on the work order, a sense in your gut about what fits where.
There was no mobile app that covered the full cycle: read a work order (or several), optimize how cuts get arranged on moulding sticks, know what remnants you have available, produce a cut ticket you could hand to the saw operator. So one got built.
What RailChop Actually Does
RailChop is a cut optimizer. That's it. It doesn't do pricing, invoicing, POS functions, or customer management. It's not trying to be your entire business system. It handles what happens after the quote lands: optimizing how moulding gets cut, tracking what's left on the rack, knowing what's in stock, and exporting a clean cut ticket for the saw.
You scan a work order (or type in the dimensions manually), pick a moulding profile from your library, set quantities, and hit Optimize. The app figures out the best way to cut those frames from your available stock and remnants, minimizing waste. It shows you exactly what's needed, how it fits on each stick, and where remnants go. You export a PDF, hand it to the operator, and move on.
The app also manages your remnant rack. After a batch is cut, you log what's left, and those scraps become available for future jobs — RailChop keeps them in mind during optimization, so you use what you have before buying new moulding.
How It Works
RailChop runs on iOS today, with a layout tuned for iPad. It also runs on Apple Silicon Macs (M1/M2/M3/M4) via Apple's "iPhone & iPad Apps on Mac" compatibility — the iOS app in a Mac window. That path isn't officially supported yet, but it works for shops that want to plan from a desk. A native Mac app and Android version are coming soon. Everything — the optimizer, remnant tracking, stock inventory, PDF export — runs on your phone with no internet connection. Your shop's data stays on your device.
The only feature that needs the cloud is AI Scan, which reads work orders from photos. That uses a cloud AI model, so it needs an internet connection. On-device OCR scanning, file import, and manual dimension entry all work fully offline.
About JBlaze Development
JBlaze Development LLC is a small, independent software studio focused on building practical tools for skilled trades and craft industries. RailChop is the flagship product — born from real shop-floor experience and built to solve a problem that bigger software companies have ignored.
There's no venture capital behind this, no board of directors pushing a roadmap, and no plan to pivot into something else. JBlaze exists to build focused, well-made tools that do one job and do it right. The company's priorities are simple: listen to the people who use the product, ship improvements that matter, and keep the software honest.
If you have ideas, feedback, or run into something that doesn't work, reach out at help@railchop.com. Every message gets read.
What's Next
RailChop is on the App Store today. The Free tier covers core cut optimization with PDF cut tickets. Pro adds scanning, remnant tracking, and unlimited usage. Business adds AI Scan, cut list import, and a shop dashboard with reports on waste trends, cost savings, and optimization patterns.
What comes next is driven by real feedback from framers — better import options, more detailed reporting, and refinements that make the tool faster to use on the shop floor. This is a tool built for framers, by a framer. It's going to stay focused on the job it does: helping you cut less waste and spend less time on math.