Attach Hardware

[leigh mills]

Hi guys,
Is it only possible to attach hardware to doors and drawers? Can you do anything with the hole pattern edittor?

Thanks

Leigh

[DanEpps]

Hardware goes only on doors and drawers Leigh.

You can use the specs for hardware holes to create an X_T file in Contour Mode of the Part Editor and apply the geometry to any part...well, almost any part--no drawer boxes/fronts or doors. Patterns that you create using the Hardware Hole Editor can only be used by ahrdware they are associated to.

[leigh mills]

Hi again Dan,
I have just sent our hardware list off to Eric so i will see what happens with that. Back to my question and your reply; so if our hardware is listed and i attach a hole pattern to a piece of hardware for example a hanging rail, I can only use this on a drawer or door and no other part of the cabinet? How do you go about adding these items?
Thanks Dan

Leigh

[DanEpps]

That is correct.

What you have to do is get the hole specs from the hardware manufacturer (most have downloadble PDFs of their catalogs and specs) and use them to create the geometry in the Part Editor.

Take a cabinet part (or display panel/board for that matter) into Contour Mode of the Part Editor. Using the circle tool, create the geometry needed for the hardware holes. Save the geometry (click the diskette icon in Contour Mode) as a X_T file.

Leave Contour Mode but stay in Part Editor. Right-click and choose "Cut/Pocket Using Closed Contour." Select the holes and either choose "Cut Through" or set the depth for the holes.

Exit Part Editor and take the part into the Line Drawing Editor where the holes can be measures for diameter, spacing, location, etc. If this is correct, your new "hole pattern" is ready for use on any cabinet part, otherwise adjust the size/location of the holes and repeat.

The next time you need the holes on a part, take it into Contour Mode of the Part Editor and click the folder icon. Change the file type from DXF to X_T and load your hole geometry file. Leave Contour Mode and Cut/Pocket the holes as needed.

I would suggest saving the edited cabinets as seed cabinets so the process doesn't need to be repeated each time you need the holes.

[Wally Schneeberger]

Hardware goes only on doors and drawers Leigh.

You can use the specs for hardware holes to create an X_T file in Contour Mode of the Part Editor and apply the geometry to any part...well, almost any part--no drawer boxes/fronts or doors. Patterns that you create using the Hardware Hole Editor can only be used by hardware they are associated to.

I don't know if I am understanding you the wrong way Dan but a hole pattern can be created on a gable (for instance) and saved as a PARASOLID file and used over and over again. I created one for each gable R & L.

Parasolid.JPG (179.34 KiB) Viewed 5846 times

[DanEpps]

An X_T file is a Parasolid file (or vice versa)...I have just never gotten used to calling them by that name.

What I said was that hardware can only be associated to doors or drawers. Patterns created in the Hardware Hole Editor can only be associated to hardware which in turn is associated only to doors or drawers. Putting hole "patterns" on other parts requires the use of the Part Editor and either one-time geometry or X_T (parasolid) files. One thing I did neglect to say is that you can also use a DXF file for the geometry as long as it does not contain splines.

[leigh mills]

Yes OK, I know you can only associate hardware to the doors and drawers. How do you, go about attaching other parts of hardware? or do you not function in this way? This is just because I am doing the spreadsheet but it is going to be very large, as we can have different options such as one cabinet will have a hanging rail with hanging rail ends, it could also have 110 degree hinges or 170 degree or even hinges cranked. So the customer can have this option. Plus i cant use the hardware function for the doors to put the hinges on as i will have to use a back due to having to create double panel doors.

If the hardware was in the program could i set it up so that it would come on the buy list, by associating it to a cabinet some how?

Thanks Dan,

Leigh

[DanEpps]

If you are wanting to place hole patterns for machining, you will have to use the Part Editor. If you are just wanting to get the hardware into your buy list in Excel, you will have to add it manually.

What I would do is create a separate worksheet for each category of hardware. Then on the main worksheet, use dropdowns referenced to those worksheets to create your final buy list. This would keep the main worksheet from getting huge and cluttered with data for the dropdowns.

You could also create a macro that would copy your selected values from the main worksheet into a new formated worksheet with just the data and none of the dropdowns--somewhat like a form with the blanks filled in.