A Q for the saw shop gurus

[Gene Davis]

Not that I am a saw shop person myself, but I might be doing eCabs work for a friend that is becoming convinced the software might aid his throughput.

He does not outsource anything. Makes almost everything faceframed, using plywood for carcases, and solid wood for everything else.

Makes his own 5-piece doors, slab drawerfronts with shaped perimeters, and dovetailed drawerboxes.

What a purist!

Can eCabs be used to produce cut lists that show him how to produce 100 percent of his blanks?

Blanks for the 5 piece doors, including allowance for tenon ends on rails?

Blanks for the 5/8 panels in the doors, including the cove inserts?

Blanks for the drawerbox sides, including the length extra for dovetail pins?

[George Davidson]

I have a saw shop I use e-Cabniet program
to build all my cabinet to the\"T\"

[Alan Odell]

Use to be there was two ways of learning. One was read the book, which I don't, the other was hard knocks. Believe me I've been knocked around. Now I have found a third way. I've learned something from this forum every week at least. Thanks to those of you who have used one of the two \"other\" ways of learing and shared.

[Gene Davis]

George Davidson: do you make dovetailed drawerboxes?

If so, what workaround in the software do you employ to ensure your d'box sides that have tails have the tail allowance considered in the blank size?

Do you just set construction parameters for the d'box as having blind dado joints, and set your dado depth equal to the pin length of the dovetails?

[Peter Walsh]

Gene,
I too, have only a saw shop but all my pieces are cut from the output of eCab to very tight tolerances since my shop won't allow me to assemble the large walls of cabinetry I build prior to delivery. I cut the entire project from the nesting info output, parts are all numbered, and then cabs assembled from a stack of wholly cut stock. The first overall wall assembly happens on-the-job. I use only face frames and build just like your friend (see website).

Couldn't live without eCabs now.

You also didn't touch on the super photo-like rendering output I can present to my customer to close the sale. That alone is more than worth the effort.
regards,

[Gene Davis]

Here are some issues I have for which I cannot envision workarounds.

The five-piece door editor only allows one material source. I want one material (boardstock) for stiles and rails, and another material (glued up panel at 5/8 thickness) for the center panels.

The program assumes the use of panel stock for slab drawerfronts, and I want to use boardstock. I think I see the answer here, and that is to create a job or batch, examine it to determine the widest width required for slab drawerfronts, then create a panel material at that width (plus edge sawcut allowance). Right?

[Will Williamson]

Do you folks that use E cab for cut list and presentations purchase items through the software?

[DanEpps]

Gene

You got the picture...anytime you want to use a board stock where eCabinets only uses sheet stock, simply create a new sheet stock in the dimensions of the board stock.

Will

Those purchases through eCabinets are what pays for software development and keeps it free.

[Kerry Fullington]

Gene,
The Door Editor has details for five piece doors including the machining allowance.

The Drawer Box Editor has all of the construction parameters that you are looking for to allow for dovetails.

I build most of my own doors and all of my dovetail drawers using eCab cutlists.

Kerry

[Jon Dieterlen]

We build our own doors, but out source dovetail boxes. I have found that I can get the correct door part sizes for square top doors if I set the tenon and panel clearaces correctly. When building arch top doors, however, I cannot get the correct sizes according to the way we build doors. I find it very useful to be able to vary the width of rail and stile sizes in the same job. I make narrow top and bottom rails on drawer fronts for example. I use the software to calculate the finished door size only. I have made a very detailed excell spreadsheet that will alow me to enter door size and type, material, quanity of midrails or stiles (for double panel doors), and it will calculate the part sizes and material for the batch of doors.

Jon
P.S. Chris Robinson, the sander is working great, Thanks!!

[Michael Yeargain]

Will,

To answer your question, Yes.

Although I haven't ordered in a while but will get back into the groove as soon as work picks up.

There is no mandate that requires you to purchase through the software, however I have learned that the expense of a secretary that produces no product is less valuable to me than a couple of extra bucks.

I had a secretary $1,600.00/month, I now spend $280.00/month outsourcing to my CPA who handles the finances. I can now afford to spend $1,320.00 on hardware and such from the software that has tracking service to boot. Plus, I still have my built in budget for the hardware that I already planned to purchase within the parameters of my proposals.

I don't think I can afford not to purchase through the software.

The distributors have a great turnaround time for their products, usually within 4-5 days. Not bad when most of the time ordering direct will get their 3-5 days. And I can't think of anyone who would say that the extra $1,320.00 isn't worth that.

Just remember Conestoga has a greater turnaround time because of production demands. I think they are about 3 weeks out. But I would call just to be sure.