So, I haven’t tried it yet, but, the program won’t let me change the bit size from 1/4", which is fine for a shelf hole…but way to big for hinge screw hole or slide hole…I’m typically using a #6 screw. Is it just making a mark? Or are people using those 5mm euro screws. thanks!
For the hinge holes on the door itself, it just makes a mark. It’s a bit deeper than I’d prefer, but the hinges hold most of the weight with the circular cutout, so it’s probably fine.
There’s currently a bug where if the shelf pin holes overlap the door hinge screw holes, you get a deep hole that won’t accept a screw. So you’ll either have to turn off full run shelves, or manually delete the extra shelf pin holes.
I’m not using the undermount slides myself, so I don’t have it marking the drawer slides, so I can’t really comment here, but I believe it’s just making a mark there, too.
It might be nice to be able to drill pilot holes, but I’m not entirely sure it’s worth the effort of a bit change.
Thanks for the re! Pilot holes would be better, but you’re on that, not worth the time to change the bit. I’ve not had great luck in the past with using the compression bit for holes…it does work of course, but seems to dull the bit rather quickly since it’s pushing straight down instead of ramping in.
Hey Team!
If you’re manufacturing your cabinets with a CNC, the size of the screw holes in Easel Cabinetmaker will be determined by the size of your milling bit, with the exception of the holes on the inside face of the door for the hinge cup assemblies which are fixed-sizes. We’re currently exploring new solutions to incorporate more efficient bit-selection and bit-optimized cut list generation into the Easel Cabinetmaker manufacturing workflow.
You can change the bit selection before you start carving in the carve setup walkthrough. Our Support Center has lots of information about bit selection, adding bits to your toolbox, and more.
Previously, we’d been making the “pilot holes” for the hinge and drawer slide hardware 1/8" deep. We recognized that this was a bit too heavy-handed, and have since updated the depth of these drill-holes to 1/16". The holes for shelf pins are 3/8", but the software will now adjust the depth to 1/16" if/when the holes for a hinge plate overlap the run of shelf pin holes - fixing the issue that Phil mentioned! If you don’t want the drill holes for hinges and drawer slide, you can always turn them off by clicking into the cabinet and going into the Front and Drawer settings.
The main purpose of the drill holes currently is to mark the locations for hardware installation and mounting and reduce opportunities for error when positioning these parts by hand. We have plans to give users more control and customizability over the size and depth of these drill holes, but felt that the changes to the default depth for hardware drill-holes were a needed improvement in the interim. Once we have more customizability in this area, users could tailor the depth and size of the drill-holes based on the assembly/installation method (wood screws, system screws, press-in, dowels, expanding screws, etc.)
As always, we sincerely appreciate your input! Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have other questions or feedback!
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