The cabinet designer

Messages and fixes

When several fixes are possible, they appear one below another, each with its own Before, After and Apply. For mixed fronts choose All fronts overlay or All fronts inset. Drawers lacking a support surface may allow Use side-mounted runners or Use wooden runners. For too many or overly tall drawers compare Distribute drawers equally and Fewer drawers, equally spaced. A misaligned hole row may allow First hole at 5/8" or Turn off the hole row. Only fixes that resolve the message without a new blocking error appear. One remaining fix becomes a single proposal; with none, only Go to the cause remains. One Cancel below all choices closes the preview without a change.

For each message in the list and banner, Go to the cause takes you to the cabinet, compartment or door involved and its existing setting. Another cabinet in the row is selected first when needed. This button does not change a design setting. After six messages, open the complete list with Show all messages (2). The heading counts all messages. On a phone, focus moves to the group so the keyboard does not open immediately. If the object has disappeared, the list refreshes and shows The cause is no longer present..

When a message offers Fix, you can inspect its effect first. For a drawer box that is too deep, Automatic drawer depth proposes a depth that fits. Existing fixes for the carcass, shelves, dividers, machines and pull-outs also open this preview first. A proposal is only offered if it resolves that message without creating a new blocking error. Otherwise, Go to the cause remains available. Under Effect of this change, compare Before and After: the setting, changed parts and messages that disappear or remain. The proposal is calculated on a copy; your design changes only with Apply. If you see Not calculated yet: choose sheet material., the required sheet count has not been calculated. This does not establish any sheet savings. For differences in a row, Fix shows what changes for each cabinet letter: plinth, setback, cabinet height, neighbouring depth or copied neighbour dimensions. Apply applies the whole proposal together; one Undo restores every affected cabinet, including those not selected. Redo repeats the same row change. Overhangs only offer Go to the cause; you choose connecting shelves and space between rows yourself.

Cancel closes the proposal without making a change. Apply applies the fix as one change: Undo restores the previous state, and Redo applies the same fix again. If you edit the design in the meantime, the effect is automatically recalculated before you can apply it. You cannot apply a proposal during Calculating the effect… or after The effect could not be calculated..

Alcove filler

Use Top filler to close the ceiling gap above the active cabinet. Measure Left gap, Middle gap and Right gap in the front plane. The strip follows the cabinet width and extends over a side filler to the wall, including scribing allowance at that end. Scribe the ceiling and wall ends on site. The blocks stay on the cabinet top; the overhang rests on the side filler. Each cabinet gets its own strip. A strip longer than the selected front sheet is split with a message. With no front sheet selected, the app uses 2440 mm as a provisional limit. Check that size before ordering. The sheet limit is recorded with Save. To use a larger sheet later, reopen the filler and save its measurements again. A smaller sheet limits the strip immediately. The block fixing requires gaps from 30 to 300 mm, a level cabinet top and front board at least 16 mm thick.

Joints in the top filler are always above the cabinet, never above a side filler or overhang. Each section has at least two separate 100 mm fixing blocks on the cabinet top. If this cannot fit the sheet length, the app stops the cutting list for the entire row. Every cabinet in that row gets an assembly guide containing only a stop page with the reason, including cabinets with no dimension error of their own. Choose a longer front sheet, open Edit or remove filler and save the measurements again. Or remove the top filler with Remove and divide the strip yourself with suitable fixings. The stored sheet limit only changes when you save again.

Position and level the cabinet permanently first. Scribe the strip to the ceiling. Attach the blocks to the fitted strip on the workbench, then secure the assembly through the top board from inside the cabinet. Do not fix anything to the ceiling. Build manual shows the steps with dimensioned figures; the cutting list, 3D and STEP contain the same strip and blocks. Check the full front movement. An upward opening flap shows a warning with Edit or remove filler: remove the filler or choose another front if there is no clearance.

A single cabinet and the outside cabinets of a row offer Left filler and Right filler. Measure each side separately from the planned plumb cabinet side at the front plane: Top gap, Middle gap and Bottom gap. Middle is halfway up the front strip. Enter actual measurements, not half the alcove width. Supported gaps are 12 to 300 mm. Check the wall along the depth and the insertion route too.

The cutting list orders a rectangular strip in the front finish with 15 mm scribing allowance beyond the largest gap. This is a product design choice. You can change Allowance in the collapsed setting. Gaps of 37/30/24 mm give 52 mm at the standard front gap. Height follows the front line above the plinth. Measured space and cabinet width stay unchanged. Edge-band the straight cabinet edge and ends, leaving the wall edge bare. STEP and the workshop list use the same order size; the raw strip is placed separately in front of the cabinet.

Open the same button to change measurements or remove the filler with Remove. Build manual gives separate preparation, scribing after levelling and plumbing, test-fitting and fixing steps. Narrow gaps use a compact bracket in place of blocks. Brackets and fasteners also appear in What do I need, with unknown prices. The filler does not support the cabinet or replace anti-tip fixings. It does not increase door clearance: the 3D movement check uses the smallest measured gap as a conservative wall limit. Check the full movement on site with the wall, handle and any internal drawers.

Why you want to use it

You can type every part by hand. But with a cabinet that means: every time you change one dimension, you recalculate all the others. Two sides get shorter, the shelves get narrower, the back panel no longer fits.

In the cabinet designer you give the outside dimensions and draw the layout. The parts list follows from that, and stays correct when you change something. You see the cabinet in elevation while you work.

You open it with the Cabinet designer tab at the top.

Choosing a cabinet type

Prefer watching? The video Cabinet under a sloping roof shows the attic cabinet step by step.

Above the designer are three buttons. ← Other cabinet type takes you back to this gallery; if you already have a design, ← Continue with my design is there to return to it without losing anything. Save as template puts your current cabinet in the gallery as your own template, locally on this device, so you can start a new cabinet from it later. On the right are the build guide and What do I need. Did you enter your own sheets first, before any parts? Then they stay when you choose a cabinet type, and the cabinet takes over their material and thickness (if your thickness is not among them, the nearest one from 12 mm).

You start with a type. That is not a straitjacket: it only decides where you begin, and after that you change whatever you like. The types are in groups: Living room, Kitchen, Bathroom and laundry, Workshop and garage and Attic and stairs; your own templates are at the bottom under Your templates. A few types open a complete example project instead of a bare cabinet (marked below); it is a draft that is only saved once you change something.

Bookcase

Open compartments, adjustable shelves

Cabinet with doors

Carcass, 1-2 doors, shelves

Media wall

TV bay with shelves, doors and drawers. Opens the example project.

Wardrobe

Rail + shelves, optional drawers

Drawer unit

Carcass with multiple drawers

TV unit / sideboard

Low and wide, doors and drawers

Secretary desk with flap

Flap folds down into a desk, lid stay on each side. The open flap lies at 750 mm, desk height, flush with the shelf below. See the Flap part below.

Room divider

Open compartment grid, double-sided

Kitchen base cabinet

Standard width, plinth, drawer + door

Kitchen wall cabinet

Shallow, doors, shelves

Wall cabinet with tilting drawers

Three drawers that tilt forward, stacked in one compartment, at the size of the kitchen wall cabinet. See Tilts when pulled out under drawers.

Pull-out pantry

Narrow kitchen cabinet with one pull-out. Opens the example project; the pull-out is in the cabinet row as linked cabinet A1.

Blind corner cabinet with pull-out

Uses the blind corner, with the cabinet next to it. Opens the example project with the neighbouring cabinet.

Wall-hung corner cabinet with tilting drawers

Wall cabinet in the corner, drawers tilt out. The same corner, on cabinet hangers, with two tilting drawers in the hidden pull-out; the neighbouring cabinet hangs along. See Examples.

Corner base cabinet on a plinth

Kitchen base cabinet in the corner, plinth runs round the corner. The same corner as a kitchen base cabinet on a 150 mm plinth, with the neighbouring cabinet at right angles in front and a cabinet on the right on the same plinth; a corner piece carries the plinth on to the neighbouring cabinet. See Examples.

Washer cabinet

Machine on a support deck, pull-out shelf and drawer below. See the Washer and dryer cabinet part below.

Washer and dryer side by side

Both machines on a pedestal with drawers. Opens the example project; in the United States the version for 27-inch machines.

Stacked washer and dryer

Dryer above the washer, cupboard on top. Opens the example project. Not in the United States: the cabinet is made for 60 cm machines.

Wall / bathroom cabinet

Narrow, door(s), shelves

Garage cabinet

Four columns with doors and shelves. Opens the example project.

Workbench cabinet

Drawers on a grid, under a worktop. Opens the example project: drawers on the 32 mm grid, top rails instead of a solid top and a recessed plinth.

Corner cabinet with rolling cart

Cart rolls out of the corner, two triangles pull forward. Opens the example project with a kitchen base cabinet in each row. See Examples.

Corner cabinets above each other

Corner with rolling cart, a corner wall cabinet above. Opens the example project: the corner with a rolling cart with a kitchen base cabinet in each row, and above it in the upper row the corner wall cabinet with the cabinet at right angles to it; a filler strip at the bottom right. See Examples.

Attic cabinet

Straight section + sloped, left or right

Under-stairs cabinet

Sloping top, a door and open bays. Opens the example project.

The cabinet dimensions

Height

The outside dimension from top to bottom, including the plinth.

Width

The outside dimension from left to right, so including the thickness of both side panels.

Depth

From front to back. Doors usually sit in front of that; so the cabinet ends up slightly deeper than this number.

Thickness

The sheet thickness of the carcass. 18 mm is common for a cabinet that has to carry something.

Material

The sheet material. If you want fronts from something else you can set that per part; a single line Mixed with the number of sheet types then appears. Per part unfolds the list per part, reset puts everything back to the cabinet material. The top of the list shows the materials of the sheets in your project, the library below them. With several cabinets in a row, your choice applies to every cabinet that had the same material; a line below the field then gives the number of cabinets and undo.

Sides, top and bottom are strips as wide as the cabinet depth. If your cabinet is just too deep to get two (or three) of them side by side out of the sheet width, the tool recalculates the whole project at the depth where they do fit. If that really saves sheets, a tip appears below the dimensions with that depth, the number of sheets before and after and, where it applies, the shorter drawer slides. The first button sets the cabinet to that depth; in a row, all cabinets with the same depth and material follow, and the message lets you undo it in one go. The second button keeps your own dimension and the tip stays away for that depth. With a corner cabinet or a corner with a rolling cart in the row, the tool does not give this tip.

Dividing the compartments

Tap a compartment in the drawing. On the right appears what you can add to it: Add to this compartment:

+ Shelf

A horizontal shelf; the compartment is split in two.

+ Divider

A vertical divider; the compartment is split side by side. If the divider lands on or under a shelf on pins, the tool fixes that shelf (dowels and cams) and says so; Keep on pins undoes it, after which a point of attention remains. Use Fix to preview fixing the supporting shelves, then confirm with Apply.

+ Drawer

A drawer in this compartment. See Drawers, doors and hardware.

+ Door

A door in front of this compartment. For one door over several compartments: Tap a compartment beside, above or below as well for one door or one cleat area over several compartments; the selection becomes a rectangle by itself. See Drawers, doors and hardware.

+ Washer

An open compartment for a washer or dryer, with a support deck below. Only for a compartment and cabinet at least 600 wide and deep (in the United States 27 inches wide and 31 3/8 inches deep). See the Washer and dryer cabinet part below.

+ Pull-out shelf

A shelf on ball-bearing slides, to set the laundry basket on. See the Washer and dryer cabinet part below.

+ Flap

A flap over this compartment that folds down, with support on each side. See the Flap part below.

Rail

A clothes rail in this compartment, with the brackets added to the shopping list.

Back

Under the heading Back you choose Back panel or French cleats: strips with a bevelled edge to hang tool holders on. Choose a back panel or French cleats per compartment: strips with a bevelled edge to hang tool holders on. Cleat compartments next to or above each other become one area. The cleats run from the outside of one partition to the outside of the other and are screwed to the partitions. Where a back panel lies next to the area, a rebate in the cleat holds it down. Every joint between two back panels gets blocks, so the whole back is as thick as the cleats and the cabinet stands flat against the wall. Works in a compartment that is a whole column wide, with an overlay back panel or without one. For a whole column with shelves, tap all compartments of that column and choose it there. After choosing, the size of the area appears below, with Cleat settings to set the cleat sizes. In a pull-out pantry the heading is Side panel and you choose Panel (or Open) or French cleats per compartment; the cleats then run across the whole width of the field, to the outside of the walls, and the pull-out gets as much narrower as the cleats are thick. This is not possible if you already chose French cleats on the whole side under Side panel in the Carcass and back group.

Empty

Empty this compartment, but keep the compartment itself.

Remove compartment

Remove the compartment itself; the neighbouring one grows.

Shelves are spread in the drawing: each + Shelf splits the compartment in two, and by tapping the shelf you drag or type the size (see below). The row Shelf clearance of the Cabinet card holds the hole row and the clearance per side for shelves on pins, Shelf clearance per side. Tap a shelf anywhere on its line; in the column next to the drawing (on a phone the strip below it) you choose under Fixing between On pins (adjustable, with clearance), Fixed (against the sides, full compartment width, counted in the connectors) and Trim shelf (a trim shelf: fixed but unloaded, so no sag or load check). If a shelf cannot sit on pins, for instance because it closes off a compartment with drawers on the grid, the reason is shown below. For a fixed shelf, a trim shelf and every divider you choose under To the carcass between Dowels and Dowels + cam locks: how the part is fixed to the carcass. That choice counts in What do I need. The same row has Hole row 32 mm: on puts the adjustable shelves on the hole row of the side (bottom of the shelf on a pin in a row hole), so they move in 32 mm steps and the side gets one drilling plan together with the hinges. With the button Space shelves on the row in the palette of a compartment you space all adjustable shelves of that compartment evenly on the row in one go, in whole 32 mm steps; what is left goes to the top compartment. After that each shelf moves on its own again. On: the adjustable shelves sit on the hole row of the side, so the bottom of each shelf rests on a pin in a row hole. Moving then goes in 32 mm steps, also when dragging; fixed shelves, trim shelves and dividers stay free. Set the first hole and distance from the front below, under Shelf clearance. This gives the side one drilling plan for shelves and hinges. Drawer slides: the app tells you when a slide axis sits off the row. With the button Space shelves on the row in the palette of a compartment you space all adjustable shelves of that compartment evenly in one go; after that each shelf moves on its own again. When you switch it on, the app says how many shelves moved; the drawing shows the row holes as dots on the sides.

Per shelf you choose in the bar: on pins (adjustable) or fixed (against the sides). Fixed is exactly the compartment opening; on pins it is this clearance narrower per side.

Tap a shelf anywhere on its line or the handle of a divider and the column next to the drawing (on a phone the strip below it) shows the size of the compartments on either side, Space above and Space below (Space left and Space right for a divider; together they stay the same, so one field follows the other), a field Thickness (its own thickness for this one divider or shelf, for instance a 35 mm divider in an 19 mm cabinet; the neighbouring compartments, the doors over that divider, the drawing, the 3D model and the cutting list all use it), under Position the button Lock and at the bottom Remove shelf or Remove divider. The cross at the top right of the column closes it, as does Escape on a keyboard. A locked shelf or divider stays where it is, even when you add a shelf or divider above, below or next to it: only the free compartments shift. If the layout then no longer fits the carcass, the message above the drawing says how much is missing, with Fix for a proposal that increases the height or width by exactly that amount. Check the effect and confirm with Apply; Undo restores the previous dimensions. You can also change that thickness in the parts list of the cutting diagram; that comes to the same thing. If that divider runs into a shelf or divider of a higher level on the far side, there is also a button Extend upwards, Extend downwards, Extend to the left or Extend to the right. It extends the divider through the neighbouring compartment: the shelf or divider it ran into becomes two pieces, so you can move them independently (for instance a top shelf higher on the right than on the left). The tool tells you what happened: Divider extended: the shelf is now two shelves. The button only appears when the line on the far side meets a divider on the same line or an undivided compartment; the line cannot pass through a compartment with drawers: Cannot extend here: the line would cut through a compartment with drawers.

Zooming the drawing: pinch on a trackpad or touchscreen, or hold Ctrl (⌘ on a Mac) and scroll. The buttons at the bottom right of the drawing do the same: Zoom in, Zoom out and Fit. When zoomed in, move the drawing with Shift plus drag, with two fingers, or by scrolling. Handles, tapping and dragging keep working while zoomed. Fullscreen (top right) makes the drawing fill the screen.

Which options are shown?

Material and edge banding combines material and finishing. Dimensions and Carcass and back remain available for every cabinet. Doors and drawer fronts appears when there is a door, drawer or flap; Hide doors only with doors. Shelf clearance holds the clearance and Hole row 32 mm, with First hole and Row from front edge. Cup distance K stays with the fronts. Tap a compartment and choose + Shelf to add a shelf; tap anywhere on its line to move it, or choose Remove shelf to remove it.

Hanging, Fitting and Sloped side (attic cabinet) sit under the collapsed More cabinet options row. Wall cabinets show hanging directly in the carcass group, built-in cabinets show fitting, and attic or under-stairs cabinets show the slope. Selected exceptions on other cabinet types remain in the summary of More cabinet options. Open the row to change them. The back choice per compartment remains available under More compartment options in the palette, including existing cleat areas.

The construction

In the sidebar (on a phone: below the drawing) sits the Cabinet card with the badge Whole cabinet: the choices that decide how the cabinet goes together and that apply to the whole cabinet. They really change the parts list, not just the drawing. The card consists of rows you fold open and closed independently: Material and edge banding, Carcass and back, Shelf clearance, Drawer box and slides, Doors and drawer fronts and Stability. A closed row shows its main values on one line (for instance "In rebate 10 mm · plinth 80 mm"), so you see what is set without opening it. The tool remembers per row whether you had it open. When you select a drawer stack or a door in the drawing, a separate card appears above it with only what applies to that part (badge This drawer stack or This door); see Drawers, doors and hardware.

Right below Material is Panel thicknesses: the sheet thickness per kind of part, in one place. Empty: same as the carcass (6). Drawer bottom and back panel have their own default. What you enter here applies everywhere: cut list, drawing, 3D and build guide. Closed, the group shows the carcass and what differs from it.

Carcass

Thickness of the sides, top, bottom and plinth. The same value as Thickness with the dimensions at the top.

Doors

Thickness of the doors and a flap. Empty = same as the carcass. For a cabinet above the corner with trolley: Doors and fronts follow the front thickness the corner cabinet below assumes for its left neighbour; set it at the corner cabinet.

Drawer and pull-out fronts

Thickness of the fronts of drawers, pull-out pantries and pull-out shelves. Empty = same as the carcass. With an inset front the drawer or pull-out sits that much further back, and the screws that fix the front from the inside are short enough not to come through.

Shelves and dividers

Thickness of shelves and dividers. A thickness you enter for a single divider or shelf takes priority. Empty = same as the carcass.

Pull-out pantries

Only with a pull-out pantry: Thickness of the pull-out pantries themselves, the units that slide out, and of the mounting strips that carry their runners. Empty = same as the carcass. A thickness you enter for one pantry compartment takes priority.

Box thickness

Under Drawer box and slides: Panel thickness of the box sides and back. Empty = the cabinet thickness. With a ball-bearing slide and 4 × 14 mm screws at least 14 mm; for 12 mm there is a dedicated slide with 4 × 12 screws (Hettich KA 5332). With tilting drawers the slide strips in the cabinet get this thickness too.

Drawer bottom

Under Drawer box and slides: Thickness of the drawer bottom. 6 mm for small drawers, 8 to 10 mm for wide or heavy ones.

Back panel

With every back panel except None: How thick the back panel is. Usually 3 mm (hardboard) to 8 mm (MDF or plywood). With a groove or rebate this sets how wide or deep the recess becomes; the cut list uses this thickness. If the chosen material does not exist in that thickness, the app picks a thin back-panel material that does, such as hardboard for 3 mm.

Carcass

Build it (default) or Bought. Build it: the app cuts the whole cabinet. Bought: you buy the carcass ready-made (sides, top and bottom, back) and only cut the inside: shelves, dividers, drawers, fronts and pull-outs. The carcass then stays out of the cut list but shows in 3D and the drawing, in a light tint. Enter the size of the bought carcass, without hanging rail or legs. Different from Built into a cabinet: there the app does make the carcass of the insert. With Bought this group only shows Carcass wall thickness, Hanging, Leg height and Base (Legs only, Cut a plinth or Build a base). With Build a base the height is called Plinth and you also choose Setback and Plinth build-up: the side pieces and the front kick go in the cut list, a softwood frame in the batten list, and the build guide starts with the base, after which the carcass goes on it. For a base cabinet, Rails at the top (None or Cut 2 rails) adds two sheet rails at the top of the carcass: For a carcass with an open top, like a kitchen base cabinet: two 100 mm sheet rails between the side panels, flush with the top, with a corner bracket at each end. You screw the worktop to them from below. They come in addition to what the carcass already has at the top. The build guide has its own step for them; the choices for back, rails, top and plinth are kept for when you go back to Build it. Under Size the thickness is then called Board thickness inside. Fixed shelves become loose shelves on shelf supports and dividers are fixed with angle brackets, because in a closed carcass you cannot slide a shelf with cam connectors between the walls. With a row of cabinets, the button "For all … cabinets" sets it for all cabinets at once, with undo. In the cut planner the heading of such a cabinet shows carcass bought; the shopping list has the carcass (size with the cabinet letter) and the legs. If the cabinet hangs, it hangs on the carcass fittings: Hanging then reads Hanging rail (a wall cabinet shows On a hanging rail (the fittings come with the carcass)), without hanging brackets; the shopping list counts one hanging rail per run of cabinets side by side, in 2 m lengths with the cutting sizes, plus the screws, and the cabinet hangs 10 mm off the wall. Rail height and load capacity are in the carcass instructions. A bought carcass has a fixed height, so the legs make up the difference: if a bought carcass next to a corner cabinet or the corner with cart ends higher or lower than the corner, a point of attention says by how much, with the button Fix; if a tall cabinet with a bought carcass ends just below the wall cabinets, the row shows the button Fix. The preview shows Set feet to 4" with the calculated height, or Base of B at 3/4" for a built plinth. Only Apply changes the feet. Cancel leaves the project unchanged. The carcass itself never changes. Not for corner cabinets, the corner with cart, the washing machine cabinet, an attic cabinet, a pull-out or a camper cabinet. Before switching to Bought, a confirmation lists the affected parts and their custom dimensions. Cancel keeps everything; Continue applies the change. The message appears only when custom carcass dimensions will be lost, including when changing all cabinets.

Back panel

Overlay lays a panel against the back, In groove runs it in a groove in all four carcass parts (neater and stiffer), In rebate sets it in a rebate all round so it sits flush with the back edge, and None leaves it out. For groove and rebate you fill in Groove depth or Back panel rebate; the line below says how large the back panel becomes (inside size plus twice the inset). A cabinet without a back can rack out of square.

Cable openings

Below the back panel settings you find Cable openings. The info button beside the heading explains the measuring references and checks. Use Add cable opening to add a round hole per cabinet, initially with Diameter 60 mm and Centre above bottom panel 80 mm. Under Horizontal, choose Centre or Set manually; the latter shows Centre from left, measured inside the cabinet. Height is measured from the top of the bottom panel. The two centre measurements on the loose back panel may differ because a grooved or rebated panel extends into the carcass. Use Remove opening to remove an opening. With None the settings remain saved but inactive. Split back panels are supported too. The hint gives the number of pieces and seam positions, measured like the Centre from left and Centre above bottom panel fields, so you can place a hole right next to them. A hole must fit entirely on one piece with a 0.5 mm geometric edge margin. New input moves to a clear spot beside the seam if needed. This is not a structural safety margin. A bought carcass, sloped cabinet, corner cabinet or cleat area shows why it is unavailable. A new measurement that hits an obstacle snaps to the nearest clear spot. Saved unlinked measurements from older projects never move silently when opened: use Move to a clear spot or edit the measurement. If no clear spot exists, the message also states that the hole is missing from the cut list, drawing and STEP. The effect of the opening on cabinet rigidity has not been calculated. Check that plugs fit and there is room behind the cabinet. The back panel remains rectangular in the cut list; the note gives the diameter and two centre measurements from panel bottom left, viewed from inside. For split back panels, the hole and local centre measurements belong only to the correct piece, including on its label and in STEP. The build guide names that part number and shows dimension lines from the left and bottom edges of that loose piece. Marking out and cutting with the matching hole saw come before fitting the back panel.

Shape

Under Shape, choose Round hole or Edge notch. An edge notch starts at the actual outer edge of a back panel piece. Choose Top, Bottom, Left or Right; a panel seam or compartment boundary where the panel continues is unavailable. Initial dimensions are Width along edge 100 mm along the edge and Depth from edge 40 mm from the panel edge. Use Centre or Set manually to position it. The app chooses a clear starting position and snaps edited dimensions to a suitable spot. With a groove or rebate the insertion depth is included: the visible opening is therefore shallower. Check the fixing and rigidity of the cabinet because you interrupt the panel edge. The drilling plan and workbench figure show the actual cut panel with start, width and depth measurements; cut the notch with a jigsaw before fitting the back panel. The cut list keeps the rectangular blank with the notch as additional machining. For a round hole, choose Without finishing ring or Finishing ring (choose your own). For a ring you choose yourself, copy Hole size for ring and Flange diameter from the product. The hole follows the required hole size; the app keeps the entire flange clear of obstacles. Check that the ring grips in the selected panel thickness. What do I need lists the number of rings and the matching hole saw. The build guide fits the rings after fitting the back panel and before positioning the cabinet. STEP contains the notch or round hole as actual machining; the finishing ring is a finish, not a panel to manufacture.

Cable opening here

Select a compartment in the cabinet drawing and open More compartment options. Under Back, Cable opening here appears only if the selected diameter fits in a clear spot (60 mm for your first opening, otherwise the diameter of the last opening). The hole starts horizontally centred and as low as possible above the bottom panel or shelf. The app avoids drawers, runners, shelves, dividers, panel seams, hangers and other holes. The opening stays linked to this compartment when the layout changes. If needed, it moves to the nearest clear spot and shows Moved to a clear spot in this compartment.. The existing measurement fields show the current position, measured from the left and above the inside bottom of the whole cabinet. You can adjust them; a blocked position snaps to a clear spot in the same compartment. Immediately after Add cable opening, you can also choose a suitable compartment under Compartment. Short names count the visible carcass columns (dividers at least half the cabinet height) from left to right, then compartments from top to bottom (left first when side by side). A wider compartment shows its column range. Set manually unlinks the opening from its compartment while keeping the current centre measurements. The selected compartment is highlighted in the drawing without a number. This mark belongs only to the active cabinet and is omitted from exports. If the compartment disappears or becomes too small, choose another one or use Remove opening. Until then, the hole is missing from the output. Check the updated measurements before cutting.

Groove width

Only with a back panel in a groove: How wide the groove for the back panel is. Empty = exactly the panel thickness. A little wider slides in more easily, e.g. 4 mm for a 3 mm panel. The cut size of the panel does not change. If the groove is narrower than the panel, the app reports that the panel does not fit; with more than 2 mm of play it warns that the panel will rattle.

Extra rebate depth

Only with a back panel in a rebate: the depth of the rebate follows from the panel thickness. How much deeper the rebate is than the panel is thick. 0 = the panel sits flush with the back; with e.g. 2 mm it sits 2 mm recessed. Shelves and dividers become that much shorter.

Distance to the back

Only with a back panel in a groove: How far the groove sits from the back. The back panel sits that far inwards; shelves and dividers become shorter as a result. Below the choice you see what the panel and the shelves become as a result, for instance: Groove in all four carcass parts (sides, top and bottom), 4 deep and 3 from the back. The back panel becomes 2×4: the inside dimension plus twice the groove depth. Shelves and dividers become 18 mm deep.

French cleats

Only when a compartment has French cleats (see the palette above): Cleat thickness, Cleat width and Center to center of the cleats, 15, 50 and 105 mm by default; the cleats go in from the top, with 55 mm of space below the shelf or panel above. The app works out the rebate in the cleats and the number of clamping blocks; they appear in the line below. The back panel is then cut in pieces per column, with blocks on the joints, so the whole back is as thick as the cleats.

Base

For a self-built carcass, choose Wooden plinth or Adjustable legs with removable plinth. Plinth construction and Plinth build-up remain available only for wood. Height 0 remains the existing route without a wooden plinth. Adjustable legs change the carcass construction: the sides end at the underside of the bottom, which fits between them. Side height is overall height minus the height below the carcass. A purchased carcass keeps its own base choices.

Height below the carcass

From the highest point of the floor to the underside of the cabinet. Overall height stays the same; the carcass is shortened by this height. The summary shows overall height, carcass and base. Hettich Korrekt 100 (61851) has a range of 89 to 125 mm; outside this range you see This height does not fit the selected legs. Choose different legs or adjust the height below the carcass. The dimension is not silently clamped to the product range.

Legs and fixings

Zaaglab’s own leg placement rule, not a manufacturer rule: one row with a front and rear leg under each side panel and each vertical divider resting on the bottom. Additional rows are evenly spaced between these fixed rows so centre distances never exceed 600 mm. This is not a load capacity calculation. The leg count appears next to the product; the info button explains the rule and assembly order. Open Products and assembly for products and mounting details. Hettich Korrekt 100 (61851), range 89 to 125 mm. Planform mounting block 79693 for each leg. Clip 61855 at each front leg where the plinth clips on. Determine and drill mounting holes on site; no CNC holes for blocks or clips. Leg and block positions are schematic, not an exact drilling profile. Use the supplied manufacturer documentation for installation. For a corner, sloping cabinet, rolling cabinet or run position that cannot be placed reliably, you see No leg placement plan is available for this cabinet yet. with the reason.

Plinth cutting height

Enter the oversize plinth strip height. Also measure where the floor is lower. Cut the plinth oversize; scribe its bottom edge after levelling. The removable plinth uses front material by default and appears once in the cut list, without wooden plinth parts or framing. The setback is measured to the front of the plinth. First attach blocks and legs to the carcass, then position and level it, then fit the plinth. What do I need counts legs, mounting blocks and clips from the same plan, with unknown prices. STEP and the workshop list state Leg mounting holes: drill on site. Mounting blocks and plinth clips have no CNC drilling. Plinth supplied as an oversize blank; scribe and trim on site after levelling. JSON and the project embedded in STEP preserve the choice and cutting height.

Plinth

Height of the recessed plinth. 0 = no plinth. Sides running to the floor (with a set-back plinth each side gets a notch), or the plinth under the bottom: the base panel runs through with the sides on top. If you enter a setback without choosing yourself, the plinth goes under the bottom; that is less work. With a corner cabinet, the field says: The plinth follows the corner: it runs along the front and a corner piece carries it on to the side of neighbouring cabinet B, in line with its plinth. Put B and the cabinet alongside on the same plinth and height. A wall-hung corner cabinet has no plinth.

Setback

With Adjustable legs with removable plinth, the selected base is preserved. The following construction explanation applies to Wooden plinth. Only with a plinth. How far the plinth sits behind the front of the carcass, so you can stand with your feet under the cabinet (a toe kick). 0 = flush with the front. In a kitchen 2" to 3" is common; the fronts add their own thickness in front of that. With side panels down to the floor, each side panel gets a notch at the front bottom, as deep as the setback and as high as the plinth, which you cut out after sawing. On a full-width bottom the side plinths get shorter. The further back, the narrower the base the cabinet stands on: above 4" it tips forward more easily. At most a third of the depth. The measurement is from the front of the carcass. If you have not chosen a Plinth construction yet, a setback sets it to Under the bottom: the plinth sits under the continuous bottom and the sides need no notch; a line below the field says so. If you then choose To the floor yourself, that stays, and the line says how big the notch in each side becomes, with the button Plinth under the bottom. With the sides through, in the cut list the side stays a rectangle, with the note notch 2 1/2 × 4" underneath; the drilling plan in the build guide draws the notch with dimensions, and the Side view shows the side panel with the corner cut away. Above the limit the cabinet warns that the base gets narrow. If cabinets with a plinth in a row are not set back equally, the app says so and a button sets this cabinet's setback on the whole row.

Plinth build-up

Frame or Panel strips. What the bottom panel rests on. Frame: a ladder of rough softwood (listed in the cut-to-length list), the sturdiest. Panel strips: strips of sheet material at plinth height, screwed directly under the bottom panel: a front strip, a rear strip and cross supports every 55 cm. Less work, as in ready-made cabinets. With panel strips, Rear plinth and Plinth support appear as panels in the parts list and the 3D view, and the frame disappears from the cut-to-length list and the stability block.

Back rails

Narrow cross rails at the back, in the same sheet material. They keep the sides apart and give you something to screw to the wall. They do not stop the cabinet racking; for that you need a back panel in a groove or fixing it to the wall. Inset: between the sides. With dividers you get one piece per bay, because the rail cannot pass through them. Surface: against the back across everything, one piece as long as the outside width.

Top

Solid top (default) or Stretchers. A kitchen base or workbench cabinet often has no solid top, because a worktop goes on it. Two stretchers, front and back, keep the sides apart at the top, and you screw the worktop on from below through them. They lie flat, flush with the top of the sides, in the same sheet material as the carcass. Back rails are something else: they stand upright at the back, for screwing the cabinet to the wall. What the stretchers save is sheet area; whether you also buy a whole sheet less shows in the number of sheets in the cutting plan. Without a worktop on it, choose a solid top. Not on a sloped cabinet. If you choose Stretchers, the cut list shows Top stretcher, front and Top stretcher, back instead of the top panel, and below the choice you see how much sheet that saves, with an amount when the sheet has a price. In Advanced mode you set Stretcher width. How wide the front and back stretchers are, from front to back. Default 4"; kitchen makers use 1 1/2" to 4". At most half the depth of the cabinet. If the back panel sits in a groove, that groove has to fit in the back stretcher. If you hang the cabinet on cabinet hangers, or the groove of the back panel does not fit in the back stretcher, the app says so, with a button to fix it. If Back panel is set to None with back rails, below the back rails you see what they save compared with a back panel, only when it saves money. The build guide fits the stretchers between the sides with dowels and glue, in the steps Back top stretcher and Front top stretcher.

Hanging

Cabinet hangers or None (default). For a cabinet that hangs above the floor, such as a kitchen wall cabinet. Cabinet hangers carry a cabinet that hangs above the floor, such as a kitchen wall cabinet or a bathroom cabinet. You screw a rail level to the wall and hang the cabinet on it; afterwards you adjust height and depth without taking the cabinet down. The hangers sit inside the top back corners against the sides; their hook passes through a notch in the back panel to the rail. That is why this choice puts the back panel in a groove with 5/8" of space behind it. The load rating the manufacturer gives applies to a cabinet up to 15 3/4" deep, and not to the wall: in brick or concrete use anchors that suit the wall, in drywall only where a stud or wood backing sits behind it. If your cabinet stands on the floor you do not need this; secure it with anti-tip anchors instead. If the cabinet is deeper than 15 3/4" (up to {diep500}), the app uses a heavier hanger without a rail (Hettich SAH 500): the cabinet part sits with four dowels in each side and hooks into a wall part that you screw to the wall. You buy those from a hardware supplier or online. If you choose Cabinet hangers, the app sets the back panel to In groove with enough distance from the back edge; if that distance later becomes smaller, the app says so and offers a button to put it back. Switching it off leaves the back panel as it is. Below the choice you see the number of hangers, their load rating, the rail length and the weight of the cabinet, empty and loaded according to the load you choose under Stability. If the loaded cabinet is heavier than the hangers carry together, Stability reports it. What do I need lists the cabinet hangers and the rail instead of anti-tip anchors, the 3D view shows them as small metal blocks, and the build guide fits the hanger on each side panel before the carcass goes together and ends the carcass with the step Hang the cabinet, with a section to size and a warning about the wall. On a deep cabinet (see above) wall parts take the place of the rail everywhere: in the list, in 3D, in the section and in the build guide, and the drilling plan then has four holes of ø 10 mm per side panel. On a corner cabinet the neighbouring cabinet at right angles in front hangs along, and the drawers in the hidden pull-out can tilt (see Examples).

Fitting

Free-standing (default) or Inside a cabinet. Free-standing: an ordinary cabinet. Inside a cabinet: you slide this cabinet as an insert into an existing one, for instance drawers high up in a wall cabinet. Without a door in front, the drawer fronts run sideways over the walls of the outer cabinet, up to the gap; not at the top and bottom. With a door in front, the insert sits behind the hinge mounting plates. Hanging is dropped, because the outer cabinet already hangs. Screw the insert in through its sides. With Inside a cabinet, Outer cabinet wall and Door in front (None or Door) appear, with the result below; the i-buttons show a top view of the front corner to size. What do I need then lists four screws to fix the insert and no wall anchors; the assembly guide ends with the step Cabinet into the outer cabinet.

Grain direction

Keep grain follows the wood grain per panel; least waste lets panels rotate freely (on grain-free boards like melamine that already happens).

Next to most fields in the Cabinet card (plinth, edge banding, grain, the shelf clearance, and every field in the rows Doors and drawer fronts and Drawer box and slides) there is a small i button (Info). A tap opens a small window with what the field is, what it is for and a common value; Close or Escape closes it again. There is no hover tooltip, so it works exactly the same on a tablet.

For an attic cabinet two extra fields appear: One side at full height, the other lower with a sloped top. Shelves stay level and get shorter in the sloped part. The height on the low side (the full height is set under Height). And Width of the full-height section on the high side; that is where the slope begins. 0 = fully sloped.

A shelf under the slope may not sit higher than the low side unless a divider stands under it. On the low end there is otherwise no wall for shelf supports, and a sloping panel takes no shelf support. The tool reports such a shelf as an error and offers Fix: inspect the proposed divider under the slope first and confirm with Apply. The divider is placed as close to the low side as the highest shelf allows. The shelves then sit between that divider and the high side; the narrow compartment under the slope stays open. The divider runs up to the sloping panel with its top cut at the slope, and in the build guide the sloping panel is screwed into it. The attic cabinet template already has this divider.

The stability check

In the Stability row of the Cabinet card the tool checks whether your design holds up; the closed row and the dot in the strip at the bottom of the sidebar tell you at a glance whether there is anything. You state how heavily the shelves are loaded: Light, Mixed or Books.

If nothing is wrong, it says Sturdy design. Otherwise you get a concrete warning, such as a shelf that may sag, a cabinet that may rack without a back, or a tall cabinet that must be anchored to the wall.

For a cabinet without a back you choose Choose a back panel: the app jumps to the back panel choice, and the warning disappears once there is a back panel. Or you choose I will fix it to the wall if you screw it to the wall at the top and bottom through the sides. A back rail does not keep the cabinet square, which is why it is not offered.

That warning comes earlier when your cabinet has drawers: from 27 inches tall instead of 59 inches. That is not over-caution but the threshold from ASTM F2057, mandatory for drawer units in the US since 2023. A cabinet with drawers tips more easily than it looks: an open drawer pulls the weight forward, and a child climbing on that drawer does the rest. Fix the top to the wall with an angle bracket or strap, not to the thin back panel, using a wall plug that suits your wall (brick, concrete or plasterboard). Anchoring units like this is required by law in the US from 27 inches tall (ASTM F2057).

The check is a help, not an inspection. The sag figures come from Composite Panel Association tables and keep a shelf within the usual limit of one 240th of the span. For racking without a back panel we use a rule of thumb of our own: sensible, but in no standard.

On to the cutting plan

At the bottom of the sidebar sits a strip that follows your design: the number of panels and sheets, the waste and offcut percentages, the stability dot and the button To cutting plan →. On a computer it stays in view while you scroll through the card. Done designing? Click that button or go to the Cutting plan tab. Your parts are already there, with the names the cabinet gave them. The sheet list is filled in too; those rows carry the badge suggested.

Parts that come from the cabinet cannot be renamed individually: they belong to a compartment in the design. Change something in the cabinet and they follow.

Several cabinets in one project (cabinet row)

Prefer watching? The video A wall of cabinets shows how to put several cabinets in one project.

A wall unit, a kitchen run or a wardrobe of three carcasses is built as one project with several cabinets: one cut list, one cutting layout and one shopping list. At the top of the cabinet designer sits + Add cabinet. You choose what to add: A copy of cabinet B alongside (keep materials and layout) (for a regular source cabinet you enter width, height and depth, initially matching the source; adding from a corner keeps the existing width-only choice; a double door on a compartment that becomes narrower than 600 mm turns into a single door), A wall cabinet above cabinet B (see Wall cabinets below) or A cabinet from another project. At the top of the window you choose where the new cabinet goes: Left of cabinet B or Right of cabinet B of the cabinet you are editing (left of a corner, the corner with cart or a corner cabinet, the new cabinet goes at right angles along the short wall: the first becomes the neighbour of the corner, the next goes beside it, further from the corner; the neighbour cabinet is then the model, not the corner itself). If the cabinet you are editing stands at right angles along the short wall (the neighbour of a corner cabinet, or a cabinet next to it), there is no choice: the new cabinet goes along that wall next to it, further from the corner, in the same row. In the bar the cabinets along the short wall sit to the left of the corner, on the same scale as the rest. If you remove one, the cabinets behind it move up towards the corner; the first becomes the neighbour of the corner cabinet and gets the width the corner needs. With the second choice the project list opens and you click the project; if that project has several cabinets itself, tick the ones you want, or All cabinets. They arrive in their own order, wall cabinets in the upper row, and pull-outs come along with their cabinet. A corner with a trolley cannot be inserted this way, because it belongs at the start of the row. The cabinet comes in as a copy; the other project does not change. If material, thickness, depth, construction or finish differ from this row, you first see an overview of the differences and choose: Use the settings of this row, Keep the cabinet's settings or cancel.

From two cabinets on, a miniature of the row appears under the title: one block per cabinet, as wide and as tall as the cabinet in proportion, with its letter and width, and "+" next to it to add a cabinet and "−" to remove the cabinet you are editing (after a question). The title and the heading above the dimensions say which cabinet you are editing. The drawing (Front and Side) shows only that cabinet at full size; the 3D view shows the whole row, with the cabinet you are editing in colour and the neighbours dimmed. Tap a neighbour in 3D to edit it. When exploding, the neighbours move aside; the print of the 3D view shows the row too. Switching takes one tap, and undo keeps a separate history per cabinet. The three-dots button next to the miniature opens the actions for the selected cabinet: Move…, Move left, Move right, Apply settings to all cabinets (material, thickness, construction and finish of this cabinet to all others) and Remove cabinet B. With Move… you choose in a window where the cabinet goes: along the wall after another cabinet, around the corner along the short wall, or swap with another cabinet. Quicker is dragging in the miniature: with the mouse you hold a cabinet down and drag it; on a phone you hold it briefly until it comes loose; the first time a tip appears under the miniature, which Got it dismisses. A label at the dragged image says where it goes ("After cabinet C"), and the cabinet or the around-the-corner block where it lands lights up. Dragging only works within the same row, upper or lower; to the other row you go via the menu. After a move you see at the bottom which letter the cabinet has now (letters belong to the place in the row), with a button to undo it. A corner cabinet, the corner with cart and the neighbouring cabinet at right angles in front of it are fixed in the corner; there Move left and Move right are off. The miniature is your wall unfolded, to scale and with the width in every box: the long wall runs to the right from the corner, the short wall to the left. A dark line marks the corner. The corner cabinet runs across that line; its part along the short wall is slightly darker and has a small L mark. Cabinets around the corner sit to the left of it, in their real place: a cabinet that hangs above the corner also sits above the corner in the miniature. If the wall is too long for the screen, you can slide the miniature sideways. With Gap between cabinets you set how much space there is between two cabinets; 0 means the sides touch. A pull-out pantry is not a cabinet next to the others, so it is not in the miniature: under the row each cabinet lists what is in it ("In cabinet B" with a button per pull-out, for example "Pull-out pantry 1 · 2 shelves · tube rail"). See Pull-out pantry below.

If another cabinet in the row has an error, such as a compartment that is too small or a part that fits no sheet, its block shows a red circle with the number of errors at the top right (an error in a pull-out counts for the cabinet it sits in). Below the points of attention of the cabinet you are editing you then see Also an error in: with a button per cabinet; a tap takes you there. Advice, such as a thin drawer side, you only see when you open that cabinet.

If at least one cabinet in the row has Stretchers, every block in the miniature shows a small top view of its top: a solid rectangle for Solid top, an open rectangle with a rail front and back for Stretchers. That way you see at a glance which cabinets get a worktop. The same marks are on the buttons at Top. A pull-out, corner cabinet, corner with cart or sloped cabinet does not have this choice and gets no mark. In the three-dots menu, Stretchers on all low cabinets puts stretchers on every cabinet in the lower row up to 1100 mm tall that still has a solid top; taller cabinets and wall cabinets keep their top, because you look down on it. The message afterwards says which cabinets they are and undoes it in one go.

Wall cabinets: above a cabinet in the row you can hang a wall cabinet, with A wall cabinet above cabinet B in the "+" window or with Wall cabinet above in the three-dots menu. A wall cabinet is an ordinary cabinet (the kitchen wall cabinet) that hangs on cabinet hangers; Hanging then reads Cabinet hangers (a wall cabinet always hangs). The miniature gets a second strip: the upper row above the lower row, both on the same scale, so you can see whether the edges line up. Next to Gap between cabinets sits Space above: The clear space between the base cabinets and the wall cabinets, measured from the top of the highest base cabinet below. If a worktop still goes on the base cabinets, subtract its thickness; for the corner with a rolling cart its worktop is already included. Kitchen guides keep at least 50 cm above the worktop, usually 50 to 65. The value applies to the whole upper row: all wall cabinets line up at the top. Below it you see where the top of the wall cabinets ends up from the floor. If the edges of the upper and lower row do not line up, a line under the miniature says by how much; if the space is less than 500 mm or a wall cabinet hits a taller base cabinet, it shows as a warning. In the menu, Move to the upper row moves a cabinet that can hang into the upper row, and Move to the lower row brings it back. That only works if the hangers can carry it: no deeper than 400 mm and not too heavy. An ordinary 560 mm deep base cabinet therefore stays below. A corner with a rolling cart or a machine compartment cannot hang; a cabinet with pull-out pantries can, and the weight of the pull-outs with their contents then counts for the hangers; if you set Fitting to inside a cabinet on a wall cabinet, it moves to the lower row. Move left and Move right move within the same row; Apply settings to all wall cabinets only affects the wall cabinets, and Apply material and fronts to the whole row applies material and fronts to all cabinets, upper and lower. In 3D the wall cabinets hang at their height, and the build manual draws both rows with the height of the rail on the Cabinet row page.

Filler strips and open spaces: in the three-dots menu, Filler strip next to it puts a filler strip to the right of the cabinet, Open space next to it an open space (room without a cabinet, for example for a window, a cooker hood or a dishwasher), and on the first cabinet of a row Filler strip on the left against the wall puts a filler strip between the wall and that cabinet. The same choice is in the "+" window as Filler or open space next to cabinet B. You pick the type and the width; the cabinets after it move along by that much. A filler strip is a strip of the front material of the cabinet next to it, as tall as its fronts, with four blocks of carcass board behind it between the side panels; below a cabinet with a plinth a plinth piece goes underneath. It is at least 20 mm wide, and if it is wider than 150 mm the window says a cabinet or an open space fits there better. In the miniature a filler strip is a narrow block and an open space a dashed outline; below it each element has a button with its type, size and place. Tap that button (or the block) to change the type or width, or to take it out with Remove. If the upper and lower rows do not line up, the line under the miniature has a button: Add filler strip for a difference up to 150 mm, Add open space above that. It puts the element on the shorter side with exactly the difference. The filler strip and its blocks are in the cut list, in 3D and on the Cabinet row page of the build manual, with a top view and how to scribe a strip to the wall; an open space only shows with its size in the row drawing. If you remove a cabinet, whatever stood after it moves to the cabinet before.

In the cut list each cabinet sits under its own heading ("Cabinet B · 600 × 2000 · 21 parts"), collapsible with the arrow; "Open the design" jumps to that cabinet. Above the parts list, under Cut, you choose between Whole project and one or more cabinets (A, B, C): the cutting plan, the parts list and the cut list then show only the parts of those cabinets and their pull-outs, with the same numbers. A tap on a letter adds that cabinet, another tap removes it; Whole project clears the choice. This way you can, say, cut the three cabinets you build this weekend together, which often saves sheets compared with cabinet by cabinet; you can keep what is left as an offcut. Connecting shelves and fillers come along once every cabinet they are attached to is chosen. Choosing all cabinets is simply Whole project. The choice is saved with the project. If you add a part yourself while a cabinet is chosen, it belongs to that cabinet (with several chosen, the first) and appears under its heading; with Whole project it belongs to no cabinet. Such a part of your own stays when you later change a cabinet in the design. The same goes for a cabinet part you delete or give another size in the cut planner: it stays that way, also when you change the cabinet later. Below the heading of that cabinet you then see what differs, with Reset to the design. The CSV export gets a cabinet column (A, B, C), the shopping list adds up hardware per cabinet ("A 4 · B 4 · C 4") and the framing under a plinth gets the letter in its name.

A shelf from side panel to side panel, for instance above a lower TV unit between two tall cabinets, is added through the three-dots menu: Shelf between cabinets…. You pick the cabinet pair from a list that only offers what is possible ("cabinet A and cabinet C (across B)"; two cabinets standing against each other leave no room), the top of the shelf from the floor (Top of shelf from the floor), the depth and the thickness. Below the height you immediately see what it means: so much above the cabinet in between, so much below the top of the tall cabinet, the underside and the drilling height of the centre for the cam connectors; outside the range it tells you which values are allowed. The length is worked out by the tool (side panel to side panel, no clearance: the connectors pull the shelf against the panel) and cannot be set. If the shelf visibly sags at that length, the window says so, using the same rule as the stability check.

The shelf then sits under the miniature ("Shelf A–C · 600 × 600 × 19 mm · top 1400 mm") with Edit and Delete, in the cut list as Connecting shelf under its own heading, in 3D as a slab between the cabinets, and in the shopping list as cam connectors (two per side, three for a depth over 500 mm) and dowels. If a cabinet changes so that the shelf no longer fits, it is dropped with a message.

Pull-out pantry

Prefer watching? The video DIY pull-out pantry shows the pull-out and its rail system.

A pull-out pantry is a narrow, tall drawer that comes out of the cabinet as a whole and is accessible from both sides. Tap a compartment and choose + Pull-out pantry. The compartment fills with one pull-out. That also works in a compartment behind a door, for instance in a cabinet with doors or a wardrobe: the pull-out has its own front, so the door comes off that compartment. If the door covered only this compartment, it disappears; if it covered more, it keeps the rest. A message says what happened to the door, with Undo next to it. In the Pull-out pantry block at the top of the sidebar you set the number (Number of pull-outs), the slide, the mounting strip height, the clearances and the front (overlay or inset). From two pull-outs on, the app automatically puts a divider between them (with Equal; for Grid see below). Tap the compartment again later and the palette says which pull-out is in it and what it holds ("This compartment is pull-out pantry B1 (2 shelves · tube rail)"), with Edit pull-out, Pull-out settings and a button to empty the compartment: the pull-out then goes (a message says which, with Undo) and you lay out the compartment yourself, for example with a door. The front in the drawing carries the name of the pull-out (B1).

Under Distribution you choose Equal (default: all pull-outs equally wide, with a divider between them) or Grid. In the grid each pull-out is 1 to 10 slots wide. A slot is 102 mm: a 100 mm front plus a 2 mm gap. A pull-out of 2 slots therefore has a 202 mm front, one of 3 slots 304 mm; the box is 6 mm narrower than its front. The pull-outs stand side by side without a divider and the front sits inside the cabinet, with a 2 mm gap to the side panel. That way you can later swap two pull-outs of 1 slot for one of 2 slots without changing anything on the cabinet. Each pull-out has a line with its letter, the number of slots (− and +), the front size and two arrows to swap it with its neighbour; its layout moves with it. Number of pull-outs adds a pull-out of 1 slot on the right or removes the rightmost one. On the bottom there is a fixed mounting strip on every slot and one between every two slots, 51 mm apart. Every pull-out therefore hangs centred on a strip, and when swapping you only move the slides. Only the strips under a pull-out get a slide; the build guide says per strip whether a slide goes on it. In the grid there is one slide per pull-out, or 1 heavy; with 18 mm board a heavy-duty slide does not fit between the strips, and the app says so. If the slots do not fit the compartment exactly, a line under the fronts says how much is left over or missing. If the compartment spans the full width of the cabinet, the button "Cabinet … wide" sets the cabinet to the width at which the grid closes (with 6 slots and 18 mm board: 650 mm). Distribute automatically spreads the slots evenly over the pull-outs again. If a pull-out of 2 slots or more has French cleats, a line Box 48 appears with As wide as the front or Narrow. Narrow makes the box half as wide as the front: half the slots, rounded up (1 for 2 slots, 2 for 3 or 4 slots). The box moves to the side of the cleats; what hangs on them sticks out of the box on the open side, behind the rest of the front. The front stays as wide. Each slot saves a 102 mm strip from the front panel, back panel, bottom and top. The slide sits at the centre of the box's slot on the open side (so for a box of 2 slots not in its middle; what hangs on the open side balances that). If all boxes in the grid are like this, the strips between two slots are left out and they are 102 mm apart. The build guide gives such a front more screws: 4 for 1 slot up to 8 for 4 slots. In the grid 17 mm stays free behind the slide, up to the back panel. With 18 mm board a 600 mm slide therefore needs a compartment 653 mm deep: 18 mm front, 18 mm by which the strip starts behind the front wall of the pull-out, 600 mm slide and 17 mm free.

The cabinet gets a front per pull-out and a mounting strip per slide; together with the dividers they are in the cut list. Under the block the calculated size per pull-out is shown (width × height × depth). The rules: the pull-out is the sub-compartment minus twice the side clearance wide, the compartment height minus the flat top slide (12.7 mm) minus the offset high, and as deep as the longest slide (300 to 700 mm, in steps of 50) that fits the compartment. With 1 heavy at Slides this goes up to 1500 mm; above 700 mm the top also gets a heavy-duty slide (19 mm), because regular ball-bearing slides do not come longer. A note tells you when the compartment is deeper than 700 mm with regular slides, with a button to switch to heavy-duty. The mounting strip is 2 mm shorter than the slide and sits the pull-out thickness behind the front edge. The i-button at Number of pull-outs shows the section. Inside a pull-out you can also give a compartment a + Pull-out pantry, for example a narrow tall compartment for the guide rails of a plunge saw: that inner pull-out (A1.1) slides out of the open side of the pull-out and has its own line under the row ("In pull-out A1"); it does not go deeper than one pull-out inside a pull-out. The build guide builds it in the chapter of the pull-out, with its strips and slides on the loose panels, and slides it in before the pull-out itself goes into the cabinet. Under Open side you choose from which side you empty the pull-out: Right (default) or Left, for example when a corner cabinet stands to the right. The back panel or the French cleats are on the other side. With Left the pull-out turns half a turn, so you see its layout as you stand in front of it and nothing is mirrored. In a pull-out inside a pull-out, Left and Right are seen from the outer pull-out, which stands turned in the cabinet; a line under the choice says which side faces the front. The inner pull-outs always slide out of the front of the outer one, this choice only moves their back panel or cleats to the other side. Under Slides you choose auto (two slides as soon as the pull-out is wider than 400 mm), 1, 2 or 1 heavy: one heavy-duty slide at the bottom in the centre instead of two regular ones, with one regular slide at the top. This is a choice of the pull-out itself: heavy-duty for the drawers of the cabinet does not apply here. If a message says the pull-out is too wide or too tall, the proposal for One heavy-duty slide opens through Fix; inspect its effect and confirm with Apply. That saves a mounting strip per pull-out, but the slide costs more and is 19 mm thick, and the mounting strip goes up to 65 mm (and back if you then choose something else). No manufacturer gives a load rating for a single slide in the centre; the i-button says so.

Each pull-out is its own cabinet in the same project, with the cabinet letter and a number (A1, A2). Open it with Edit pull-out in the palette, with Open B under the block, or with its button under the cabinet row. At the top you then see where you are ("← Cabinet B › Pull-out pantry 1"); the arrow button takes you back to the cabinet. The drawing is a side view of the pull-out, seen from the right: the front is on the left, and the width there is the depth of the pull-out. The outer dimensions carry a lock: they follow from the compartment and update when the cabinet changes. The layout is free: shelves, dividers and drawers like in any cabinet. A drawer in a pull-out is an inner drawer: always inset, because an overlay front would run into the cabinet around it; the slides go on the front and back wall of the pull-out, and the drawer slides out to the open side. The pull-out is turned a quarter: its side panels are the front wall and the back wall, its back panel is the Side panel. There you choose Panel, French cleats or None. With Panel you choose below it, under Panel fitted, overlay, in groove or in rebate. With French cleats the open side gets strips with a 45° bevel to hang tool holders on: a straight strip at the top and below it the bevelled cleats from the top down: the top one with 55 mm of space, the next ones at the Center to center (105 mm by default). The distance from the bottom of one cleat to the bottom of the next. To tilt a holder in, it must be at least the cleat width plus some tilting room (90 mm for 50 by 18 cleats). On a tool wall it is usually between 75 and 200 mm. The cut list has one board you cut all cleats from, one 45° cut per pair; the line under the choice gives the width of that board and how much room is left on the inside for holders, and the build guide has a step for the cutting (with a guide rail or on a table saw) and one for screwing them on. Cleat width and Cleat thickness are in Advanced. A panel or French cleats only work with an overlay front, and the parts then get thinner by the panel or cleat thickness. If a message reports a side closure with an inset front, Fix opens the proposal Overlay fronts for this pull-out compartment. It changes the front choice in the original compartment: every pull-out from that same compartment gets an overlay front. Inspect this effect before Apply. Grid pull-outs always remain inset; for this message, they only offer Go to the cause. Under Shelves you choose the Rail: a tube (two rods per shelf on the shopping list, with four holders per rod), a wooden strip (two 30 mm strips per shelf in the cut list) or none. In 3D the pull-outs sit closed in their cabinet; a tap on the front or Open all slides them out, another tap closes them, a tap on its contents opens the pull-out for editing. While you edit a pull-out, it stands fully out in 3D; a pull-out inside it slides out with a tap on its front. In the parts and the cut list the pull-out sits under its cabinet, with its own heading (Pull-out pantry B), and folds away with the cabinet. The shopping list counts the ball-bearing slides per pair (bottom and top, per pull-out) and the handles of the fronts. The row menu (⋯) has Copy layout to the other pull-outs and Detach as its own project: the latter puts the pull-out as a regular cabinet in a new project, with its current dimensions.

Washer and dryer cabinet

Tap a compartment and choose + Washer. The compartment becomes an open machine compartment: no front, no door and no back panel. In the palette you switch between Washer and Dryer. The shelf directly below becomes a support deck by itself: two panels glued together, twice the panel thickness, shorter at the back so hoses and plug can pass, with a front lip that stands above the deck under a washer (under a dryer it sits flush, for the air). When the machine is at the bottom of a cabinet without a plinth, the bottom panel goes and the machine stands on the floor.

With + Pull-out shelf a low compartment becomes a shelf on ball-bearing slides, to set the laundry basket on while loading: a shelf on two side battens, a pair of slides and a front like a drawer front. The slides are in What do I need, with the glue and screws for the support deck; the build guide glues the deck and builds the pull-out shelf on the workbench, and places the machines last.

Flap

If Push to open is grey for the whole cabinet, the explanation identifies the blocking front and what to change. Go to the cause takes you to that front. The cabinet choice stays unavailable until every front following it is suitable. An unsuitable front is never silently skipped.

Gas stay is a third support for a downward opening flap. Choose braked hardware for that direction and enter kg per stay and the manufacturer. For an inset flap, Push to open uses a piano hinge, two braked flap stays or gas stays, and one screw-on magnetic push opener at the top centre. This is designed up to 600 mm high and 900 mm wide, with a solid panel above and sufficient capacity according to the entered source. A chain does not brake the fall, so push opening is unavailable; Choose braked flap stays changes the stay selection. The assembly guide covers the adapter, catch plate, adjustment and testing with the actual flap. With strong braking, pull the top edge after pressing. Overlay flaps retain the existing Pacta variant. The inset push variant has no separate magnetic catches or handle. Gas stay drawings are schematic; follow the selected hardware mounting instructions. For gas stays, the shopping list and build guide show the entered manufacturer rating per stay and its source. Follow the application and load specified by the manufacturer.

Drawers behind a flap are not supported, even after setting the interior back. Use a door or drawer front. Remove only the flap front removes only the flap and keeps the interior. You can undo this. Existing projects with drawers behind a flap are preserved and show a warning. The app calculates these combinations without a flap setback; this does not approve the construction.

Use Shelves behind it to edit the compartments behind the flap. The dotted interior remains behind the same front. Adding a shelf or divider keeps the flap and its original dimensions and bottom edge. The actions + Pull-out pantry, + Washer, + Pull-out shelf, + Flap and + Door are unavailable here because they would replace the existing front. After + Shelf or + Divider, a compartment behind the flap stays selected and Show the flap remains available at the top. As with a door, Shelves behind it hides all fronts to show the whole interior. Show the flap returns to the flap. Extending a line across a flap boundary is refused with an explanation; add the shelf or divider behind the flap.

If the new interior enters the flap hardware clearance, a message appears. The app makes no silent changes. The recovery button in the flap palette sets the interior behind the schematic hardware zone when you choose it; the panel below the flap stays in place. Also check the mounting instructions for your actual hardware. If the cabinet is too shallow, or hardware clearance is unknown (such as Pacta with an interior behind it), use Remove the interior behind the flap or choose different hardware. Undo restores the interior.

Tap a compartment and choose + Flap. A flap covers the compartment and folds down. The flap follows All fronts or its own position. Existing projects retain the previously drawn flap position when loaded. Choose All fronts again to replace that individual position. The ordinary overlay flap with lid stays turns on a piano hinge at the top front corner of the panel below: closed, it sits in front of the carcass; open, it lies flush with that panel. With the inset push variant, the closed flap sits inside the carcass. Gas stays use the manufacturer rating for the chosen application; that rating does not establish a writing surface load capacity. The manufacturer of the chosen fittings determines whether you can work or lean on the open flap. The palette shows the work height (plinth plus hinge line) and the weight of the flap, in the unit of the app (in pounds when you work in inches). With Hinge you choose Bottom or Top.

The following explanation about writing surface loads applies to the ordinary overlay flap with lid stays. Under Support, Lid stay is the default: a lid stay on each side carries the open flap. Under Load per stay enter what one stay carries as a writing surface according to the manufacturer, and under Source the brand and type. The app only compares that with the weight of the flap; what you put on it or lean on it must be stated by the manufacturer. Without a value the app shows a note, with the button To flap that opens the field. Chain is also possible: the app works out the eyes and the length, but a chain does not make the flap a surface to lean or write on, and the app says so; with that note too, To flap takes you to the choice. A flap without support is not possible: with the piano hinge in the joint, the open flap stops with its bottom edge against the panel below and hangs on the hinge alone. If you open an older project with such a flap, it gets lid stays and the app tells you once. You may type the unit after it, as it says on the pack (12 kg, or 35 lb in a project in inches). An invalid value (not a number, 0, or a unit other than the app's) stays in the field with an explanation below it; if there was already a valid value, the explanation also says the app still calculates with it. If you choose another compartment, the invalid entry is dropped. If you switch between Bottom and Top, the field shows the value that belongs to that position, because the number means something else there. Switch back and your earlier Load per stay and Source are there again.

If you choose Top, the flap opens upward on the manufacturer's hardware: a lift mechanism, a lid stay or gas struts, with the hinges the manufacturer specifies, so no piano hinge. Under For flap weight up to enter which flap weight the hardware is for at this flap height, from the manufacturer's table. From 40 cm flap width there is one mechanism or gas strut on each side; the manufacturer's hinges are listed separately. You drill their cups on the workbench, with a 35 mm Forstner bit or the manufacturer's jig; for Hettich Lift Advanced at least 90 mm from the inside of the side panel. The build guide then follows Hettich's order: first the hardware in the cabinet, then the flap on the hinges and the gap adjusted, only then the gas struts and the force.

For an inset flap, the piano hinge sits on the visible face of the flap and the front end edge of the bottom panel. The build guide shows a separate mounting detail; check the gap and free rotation with the actual hinge.