April 19, 2004
eCabinet Systems, part II
eCabinet Systems is an interesting ongoing project. I've been spending all my free time working with it instead of real woodworking. As I get further into the 350+ page tutorial (!) I'm impressed by the flexibility of the system. It does still have bad problems with crash-prone-ness, but saving frequently solves most of that.
Right now the one big problem I have with it is a stupid question: what the heck do you do with all the exposed plywood edges? I'm designing all this nifty stuff with sheet goods, see. And you take something like a shelf... nice pretty shelf, cherry on both sides. But what about the part that's *facing* you? It's raw plywood! So do I edgeband, put solid wood edging on it, what? The system doesn't seem to offer a lot of high level options for this problem, or at least I haven't found them yet. I don't see them calculating linear feet of veneer I need to order, for example, or providing an option to route a tenon so I can slide some grooved solid stock over it. Still puzzled on the best way around this one...
(net-net, eCabinets is still getting a thumbs up from me, but the real proof is when I produce my first cabinet with it)
Posted by danshapiro at April 19, 2004 11:11 PM | TrackBackHi Dan,
I just ordered the software myself and am looking forward to using it. I have designed most of my pieces in AutoCad and calculated the cutlist manually....this is the main reason for requesting the software...having it calculate for me.
You mentioned in your Blog methods for concealing exposed ply edges.
When I use venered ply, I add hardwood edging to the exposed shelf. This not only covers the ply, but also imparts additional strength to the shelf and also gives it a thicker appearance as I normally make the edging wider than the shelf. Iron on edge banding is also a method I've used in the past. I was concerned by it's longevity, but I have some cabinets and an entertainment center that appear fine after six years.
C/ya
H