Help & User Manual
Cabinet drilling and slot milling for Mach3
Cabinet Wizard generates Mach3 G-code for machining cabinet side panels without requiring a separate CAD/CAM program. Enter the cabinet dimensions, select the operations required, check the machining values, and press POST CODE.
The Wizard can generate shelf holes, drawer runner holes, hinge mounting holes and rear slots. Operations may be used individually or combined in one job.
LENGTH is the cabinet side-panel length/height. WIDTH is the front-to-back depth of the side panel.
Sets the physical gap between the two cabinet side panels when both are positioned on the CNC table.
Select the unit system used for the job. Make sure the dimensions and machine setup correspond to the selected units.
Select the work coordinate system to be used in the posted G-code. The selected work offset must already be set correctly on the machine.
Use the rotate option when the panels are positioned 90 degrees from the normal layout. The Wizard adjusts the generated machining coordinates for the selected orientation.
| Setting | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Tool Diameter | Diameter of the active drilling/machining tool. |
| Hole Depth | Depth of the drilled holes. |
| Feed Rate | Machining feed rate. |
| Spindle RPM | Requested spindle speed. |
| Safe Z | Safe clearance height for non-cutting moves. |
The Shelf section creates front and rear rows of shelf-support holes on both cabinet side panels.
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Distance from Bottom | Starting position of the shelf-hole pattern measured from the bottom of the cabinet when SYMMETRIC is not selected. |
| No. of Holes | Number of shelf positions in each front/rear row. |
| Hole Distance | Center-to-center spacing between consecutive shelf holes. |
| Distance from Front | Position of the front shelf-hole row measured from the front edge of the panel. |
| Distance from Back | Position of the rear shelf-hole row measured from the back edge of the panel. |
| SYMMETRIC | Centers the vertical hole pattern symmetrically about the center of the panel length/height. |
Example: if 10 shelf positions are requested, the Wizard creates a front and rear hole at each position. This gives 20 shelf holes per panel.
Three user presets are available: SET 1, SET 2 and SET 3.
SELECT SET cycles through the three presets. When a saved preset is selected, its Shelf configuration is loaded.
SAVE SET stores the current Shelf configuration in the selected preset. Saved values include cabinet dimensions, shelf-hole pattern, tool/cutting values, units, work offset and SYMMETRIC state.
The settings are stored locally and remain available after Mach3 or the computer is restarted.
The Drawer section creates mounting-hole patterns for drawer runners on the cabinet side panels.
Up to five drawer rows may be entered. Each row position is measured from the bottom of the cabinet. A row value of 0 means that row is unused.
Hole 1 is the absolute distance from the front edge of the cabinet side.
Holes 2-5 are entered as distances from Hole 1. A value of 0 means that hole position is unused.
Use SELECT TYPE to select the supported runner family and SELECT RUNNER SIZE to select a predefined pattern. The RUNNER INFO button provides the quick reference for available 560H and 563H sizes.
If no predefined runner-size LED is selected, the pattern may be entered or modified manually as a custom pattern.
The Hinge section generates cabinet-side mounting holes for the selected hinge arrangement.
Enter the first hinge position and any additional hinge positions required. Hinge positions are measured along the cabinet length/height from the bottom. Enter the mounting-hole offset from the front and the required spacing between the mounting holes.
Select the required panel option: left, right, or both panels, as available on the Hinge screen.
The Slot section mills a slot/groove along the rear area of each selected cabinet side panel.
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Slot Width | Required finished width of the slot. |
| Distance from Back | Location of the slot relative to the rear edge. |
| Slot Depth | Machining depth of the slot. |
| Feed Rate | Feed used while milling the slot. |
| Slot Tool Diameter | Actual cutter diameter. This may be smaller than the finished slot width. |
| Slot RPM | Spindle speed used for slot milling. |
If the finished slot is wider than the cutter, Cabinet Wizard generates the required additional pass.
If NEW SLOT TOOL is selected, the posted program stops the spindle and outputs a tool-change command before slot milling. After the change, the spindle restarts using the Slot RPM setting.
The INCLUDE controls determine which operations are placed in the posted job:
Any supported combination may be selected. Cabinet Wizard performs safety checks before creating the G-code.
For example, when Drawer and Slot operations are combined, the Wizard checks that runner mounting holes do not interfere with the rear slot.
After all dimensions and machining options have been entered:
Cabinet Wizard checks the job before writing the G-code. If a problem is detected, an error message identifies the condition and posting is stopped.
The generated filename identifies the selected operations, for example Shelf, Drawer, Hinges and/or Slot.
The FREE version is fully usable for smaller jobs and evaluation. Current FREE limits are independent for each operation:
| Operation | FREE limit |
|---|---|
| Shelf | 8 actual generated shelf holes |
| Drawer | 8 actual generated drawer holes |
| Hinges | 4 actual generated hinge holes |
| Slot | Unlimited |
The FULL version removes these limits. Safety checks remain active in both versions.
Cabinet Wizard checks important dimensions before G-code is generated. Typical conditions include:
If an error appears, correct the indicated value and press POST CODE again.
Cabinet Wizard
by Branko Kopic
Help version 1.01 - September 2026