Blum Intivo

[Josh Rayburn]

Has anyone successfully integrated the new Blum Intivo hardware into ecabinets?
I was hoping someone who has experience with this hardware might be able to help out to get the settings right for machining the drawer box parts and translating the confusing Blum specs into "ecab settings language"!

jnr

[Nick M Singer]

Hi Josh, before I closed up shop I was using eCabs with both Metabox and Tandembox for machining on my Thermwood (Intivo is pretty much the same as Tandembox), it is pretty simple to do, what do you find a problem?

[Josh Rayburn]

It is only the fear of misinterpreting one of the new hardware spec sheets. Blum spec sheets can be confusing. I can't imagine machining an entire kitchen's parts to find that some of the hardware holes or drawer part sizes were incorrect. Unlike most machine owners, we are only a production shop, our business is with cabinetmakers who are assembling the parts and finishing them. We do not compete with our customer base, we only provide them with parts machined and edgebanded to spec.
Therefore, I was hoping that someone may have feedback from having successfully (or not) machined components designed to work based on the spec sheets - that note "specifications are subject to change without notice" is always a concern....
Of course I have a physical sample headed my way to be sure and I intend to assemble a mockup cabinet to test all the parts before machining a whole kitchen, but any feedback is still appreciated!
Thanks,
jnr

[Gerry A Brown]

Hi Josh,

Have you tried the Blum Dynaplan software? I use it & it has not given me a wrong dimension yet. Here is the out put from a 3 drawer cabinet.
I could do one for you in standard dimensions if you want they are easy to do just let me know the dimensions you want to use.

Gerry

[Josh Rayburn]

Dynaplan, huh?
SWEEEEET
I like it, how do I get that dynaplan software?
Thanks!
jnr

[Gerry A Brown]

Hi Josh,

At one time the light version of the software was included with the hardcover catalog. Your Blum rep should be able to get you a copy. The full version was under $200.00 and has constant updates for new hardware. I think it is well worth the cost as it has other features like a complete catalog etc.

I should have mentioned the software sets the bottom drawer runner on tight to the cabinet deck & I like 3 mm clearance so I input a 22mm deck but use 19 mm material. Someone said, it is software you are supposed to lie to it if you were not meant to lie to it it would be hardware

Gerry

[Josh Rayburn]

Unfortunately I just spoke to Blum and their answer was "since the hardware changes so rapidly we can't keep up with all of it therefore we have discontinued the planning software all together"
Oh well, I just have to cut the sample cabinet and take it from there........
It's so frustrating to work with the drawer box editor to try and get two pullouts of a specific height (the back piece height is imperative) evenly spaced. What a pain!
Thanks for the input though I really appreciate it!
jnr

[Gerry A Brown]

Hi Josh,

Maybe we are yet to hear that info here in Canada. The Blum rep here says it is available for $170.00 & as far as they know there is no plan to discontinue it. I will be very disappointed if they do discontinue the software as I use it to order the hardware for all my jobs. As you can see in the PDF it lists all the parts you need. If you can get you hands on a 2011 Blum catalog there is a copy of the software in the front cover that will allow you to use it for 60 days.

Gerry

[Nick M Singer]

Dynaplan is superfluous if you are using eCabs, all you do is create a drawer which only has a back back and a bottom (I used a blind dado joint for the back into the bottom) you specify the correct left and right insets for the back upstand in the drawer construction parameters. the hole pattern can be applied from the drawer front settings I normally made them about 40mm up from the bottom of the drawer front. When you add drawers all you do is specify the correct left and right inset for the runners, the drawer depth and the back upstand hight and you are done. If you want to have holes drilled in your fronts then you have to use the part editor to create them.

[Gerry A Brown]

Hi Nick,

I think in some respects Dynaplan is superfluous but other aspects of the program are very useful. The drawings depicting the hole pattern on the drawer fronts is very useful if you are setting up a pattern drill for the fronts. I use the part lists to order hardware also & that saves time & eliminates mistakes. We offer wood Tandembox & Intivo style drawers & some have 2 pairs of gallery rails some have the glass boxside for Intivo. I also use it to confirm all the carcase drilling heights. I guess it depends on how you use the Ecabinets program.

Gerry

[Kerry Fullington]

Josh,

Here is my method for placing drawer boxes for roll-outs that we spoke of earlier. I thought I would post it here in case anyone else wants to try it.

To equally space drawer boxes in the drawer box editor

For this example we will place 3, four inch high drawers in the Std Base Frameless equally spaced.


Open the Std Base Frameless in the Cabinet Editor

Click on the Shelf Partition Editor and select the opening to get its height. 28"

Return to the main editor

Open Construction Settings and click on the Add Drawer Box Settings Tab.

Here we will enter information that will remain constant for this cabinet.

Enter a Front Inset of .75 (or whatever you want your inset to be)

Enter a Left and Right Inset of .25 (or whatever clearance your slides require)

Enter a Min Depth increment of 21 (or whatever depth you want your roll-outs to be)

Click OK to Exit

Go to the Drawer Box Editor

Click Drawer Box Selection and choose a default drawer box then return to the editor


We must now calculate our boxes and spacing.

For this example we want three, four inch high boxes equally spaced in this cabinet.

We take the height of our opening determined earlier, 28" and subtract the sum of our three drawer boxes, 12" which equals 16" and then divide that by 3

which equals 5 5/16" so that we have an equal space over each drawer box.


Highlight the opening of the cabinet in the Drawer Box Editor and then click the Add Drawer Box Button

In the dialog box that opens enter a Drawer Box Quantity of 1

Select the Adjust Top Radio Button

Enter a Drawer box Height of 4 (the height we calculated)

Enter a Bottom inset of 0

We would have the Front, left and right insets that we entered in the Main Screen Construction Settings (you can manually change these if you need to)

The Min Depth Increment will make sure a 21" deep drawer is placed

Click OK and you have your first roll-out

Highlight the opening and click the Add Drawer Box Button again

In the dialog window enter a Drawer Box Quantity of 1

Make sure Adjust Top is Selected

Enter a Drawer box Height of 4 again

Enter a bottom inset of 5 5/16" ( the spacing we calculated earlier)

We still have our Front Right and left inset values entered

click OK and you will have your second roll-out.

Highlight the top opening and click the Add Drawer box Button

In the dialog Window enter a Drawer Box Quantity of 1

Select Adjust Top

Enter a Drawer Box height of 4

Enter a Bottom Inset of 5 5/16" again

Make sure the Front, right and left inset values are correct as well as your Min Depth increment and click OK to add the last roll-out.

You now have three equal roll-outs equally spaced.

If you want to place the first drawer off of the deck, say 1/4" then just subtract that 1/4" from your total opening height before performing the calculation

for the boxes.

Your calculation for this would be 28"-1/4"= 27 3/4"

then for the drawer boxes 27 3/4"- 12" for the boxes = 15 3/4" then divide that by 3 for the spacing =5 1/4"

Place the first box with a 1/4" Bottom Inset and then place the rest of the boxes using the 5 1/4" Bottom inset



You can use this method for any size opening and with any size drawer, even different height drawer boxes in the same opening.


Hope this makes sense.

Kerry

[Josh Rayburn]

Kerry - that's so simple! Thank you very much for taking the time necessary to write it all down. I knew that it was possible somehow, but I just couldn't figure out how to get it to happen....I've printed your reply out and have it stuck in my "hardware stuff" folder....
Many thanks!!
jnr

[Dennis Englert]

Similar, but slightly different for installing 3 drawer boxes (pantry style) with equal spaces above each drawer.

1. Calculate the space between each box. (Total inside height - (3 * drawer box height)) / 3 or (28-12)/3 = 5.33
2. In Construction Settings, set the Top Inset to 5.33, the Min Height Increment to 4" and the Drawer Box to Drawer Box Gap to 5.33.
3. Install 3 Drawers.

The same math works if there is a bottom inset, just subtract the bottom inset value from the Total Inside Height and continue the equation. Then set the Bottom inset in Construction Settings.


Dennis

[Kerry Fullington]

Dennis,

I can't seem to make your method work with anything but three drawers and three spaces. Is that correct or am I missing something?

[Dennis Englert]

Kerry,

I repeated the exercise with two, three, four and five drawer boxes (pantry style) and it worked for all of them. The drawer boxes are all 4 inches and the gap between drawers is all the same.

The number of drawers is the divisor rather than 3. For two 4" drawers, the Top Inset and the Gap is 9.875. For four 4" drawers the Top Inset and the Gap is 2.9375. For five 4" drawers the Top Inset and Gap is 1.55. These were all computed with 1/4" bottom inset.

If you don't set the drawer to drawer gap, then they won't come out correctly.


Dennis