From outside dimensions to parts list and cutting plan in minutes. Pick a cabinet type, adjust sizes and layout, doors, back panel and plinth, edge banding with automatic size correction, stability check, 3D check and the shopping list. Free, no signup.
Chapters
Transcript
The spoken text of the video, per chapter.
Intro0:00
In this video we design a bookcase of 180 by 90 with the cutlistlab cabinet designer: from the outside dimensions to the layout, the construction and the stability. The cutting plan follows by itself.
Choosing a cabinet type0:15
We start on the Cabinet designer tab. You pick a cabinet type as a starting point: a bookcase, a cabinet with doors, a drawer unit or an attic cabinet with a sloped side. Nothing is fixed, you adjust everything afterwards. Your own templates appear at the bottom later.
We choose the bookcase. cutlistlab starts a new project with it right away; earlier work stays saved under Projects.
Outside dimensions0:44
At the top are the outside dimensions. We make the cabinet 35 and a half inches wide and keep it 12 deep. Look at the dimension line above the drawing: it jumps to the new width right away. At the bottom right, under Live preview, you see how many panels and sheets that makes.
Material1:03
The thickness is set to three quarters of an inch. You choose the material in this list, or with Library you take a real sheet from the hardware store, with size and price.
Layout1:14
You make the layout in the drawing itself. Tap a compartment and you get a menu: a shelf, a divider, a drawer, a door or a rail. We choose a shelf and drag it to the height we want. For an exact size, tap the shelf. The bar shows the compartment height above and below the shelf; we type 13 and three quarters and the shelf moves with it.
Doors1:38
Tap adjacent compartments and you decide where doors go in front. We choose a single door for the two lower compartments; it now shows as a front in the drawing. With Hide doors you edit the layout behind it, and then you switch them back on.
Back panel and plinth1:53
On the right is the Construction panel. The back panel can be overlay, in a groove, or left out. We put it in a groove; the shelves become slightly less deep. A plinth of 4 inches keeps the cabinet off the floor. Under Plinth construction you choose: sides running down to the floor, or the cabinet on a bottom panel. Watch the bottom of the drawing as you switch.
Edge banding2:19
Edge banding on the visible sides is on by default: the fronts all round and the front edge of the carcass. You see the band as a thin edge in the drawing. The banding has its own thickness, and the cut size is corrected for it automatically.
Fine-tuning shelves2:36
Under Fine-tune shelves is the clearance per side. Tap a shelf in the drawing. The left icon in the bar switches between on pins, so adjustable, and fixed against the sides. We fix this shelf. Adjustable shelves are made slightly narrower so they fit on shelf supports.
Stability2:57
Below the construction, cutlistlab keeps an eye on stability. Set the load to Books: shelves that span too far visibly sag. Look at the top shelf. A divider in the compartment above takes the span away: that shelf is straight again and the counter goes from four to three. You solve the rest the same way, or pick thicker material. Tip-over risk and the ladder frame under the plinth are here too, with advice on wall anchors.
3D view3:29
View the cabinet from the front, the side, or in 3D. Turn it around and pull it apart with the slider at the bottom. Every panel has a number and its size in the list below; that saves searching during assembly.
What do I need3:44
What do I need gives the shopping list: the sheets with a guide price, the edge banding by the foot and the hardware that follows from the cabinet, such as hinges and shelf supports.
Cutting plan3:56
Back to the cutting plan. Every cabinet part is now a part in the list, with size, grain direction and edge banding. See the adjustable shelves? They are slightly narrower than the fixed shelf, exactly the clearance from just now. The plan is already calculated, with the goal Least waste top left.
Changes follow along4:18
Change something in the design, for example the height, and the parts and the plan follow right away. It is the same project, not a copy; you never have to keep two lists.
Save as template4:30
If you are happy with the cabinet, save it as a template. Go to Other cabinet type and it sits at the bottom among the cabinet types. The next cabinet starts with your settings.
Tip and wrap-up4:43
A tip from practice: measure the space where the cabinet goes at three heights and take the smallest size. Walls are rarely square.
That was the basics: cabinet type, sizes and layout, construction and stability; the cutting plan follows by itself. Drawers and doors are in part 2. Open cutlistlab.com, pick Cabinet designer and type the sizes of your own cabinet.