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DOCS / HOW-TO GUIDES / FURNITURE

Fit a carcass into an alcove

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An envelope is the space that the furniture goes in: an alcove, a recess or the space under a slope. A carcass fitted to an envelope takes its width, height and depth from it, less the clearances.

To see a finished example, open File ▸ Sample projects ▸ Alcove shelving.

Make the envelope#

Use one of these methods.

Type the sizes#

  1. In the Model tree, click + envelope….
  2. Click a shape: Box, Sloped, Profile or Hull.
  3. Type a Name.
  4. For Box, type the Width, Depth and Height in mm.
  5. For Sloped, type the Tall end and the Low end heights too.
  6. For Profile, set Drawn on to front, then type the Profile points and the Depth.
  7. Set Dimensions to measured, estimated or assumed.
  8. Click Create.

Draw it#

  1. Click ⬚ Envelope in the toolbar, or press E.
  2. Click the points of the outline. You can type each length.
  3. Click the first point again, or press Enter, to close the outline.
  4. Move the pointer to push it to a depth, then click. You can type the depth.

The tool card on the toolbar lists the keys for each step. A carcass fits only a Box, a Sloped envelope or a Profile drawn on the front plane. It does not fit a Hull.

Set the boundary#

The assistant's boundary is on by default. With it on, the assistant must keep what it builds inside the envelope. If you move a part outside, the status bar shows a warning, but KerfCraft does not stop you.

To change it, select the envelope and use the Boundary box in the Properties panel. You can also right-click the envelope and click Use as the assistant's boundary.

Fit the carcass#

  1. Select the carcass. To make one, see Build a cabinet, bookcase or wardrobe.
  2. In the Properties panel, at Envelope, click Fit to envelope….
  3. At Envelope, select the envelope.
  4. If necessary, change Clearances › Left, Right, Top and Back.
  5. Click Fit.
  6. Read the warning in the form, then click Close.

The form shows a warning about the envelope. If the envelope is measured, it tells you to check the diagonals. If it is estimated or assumed, it tells you to measure the space. The status bar also shows the warning.

The defaults are 10 mm at the left, the right and the top, and 0 mm at the back. The front of the carcass is flush with the open front of the envelope. The carcass remembers its envelope, and the button changes to Fit again….

If the button is not available, draw an envelope first.

In a Sloped envelope, or a Profile with a sloped top, the top of the carcass follows the slope. The profile top must be one straight line across the carcass. If the slope changes inside it, KerfCraft does not fit it, and tells you where to split it into two carcasses.

The assistant can also fit a carcass, for example "fit a bookcase with five fixed shelves into the Alcove".

Add scribe fillers#

Walls are rarely straight. A scribe filler is a panel between the carcass and the wall, cut oversize and scribed to the wall on site.

  1. Select the carcass, and click Fit to envelope… or Fit again….
  2. Type the filler width in Fillers › Left or Fillers › Right, for example 50.
  3. If necessary, change Scribe allowance.
  4. Click Fit.

A filler takes the place of the clearance on its side. Scribe allowance is the extra width on each filler blank. The default is 15 mm.

On a fitted carcass, you can also type the width in the fillerLeft or fillerRight parameter and press Enter. KerfCraft fits the carcass again with the filler, in one undo step.

Scribe a part that you drew#

  1. Right-click the panel and click Scribe to wall….
  2. In the Properties panel, at Scribe, select each edge that meets the wall.
  3. Type the Allowance in mm.

The model stays at the finished size. The cut list orders the blank oversize, and the Properties panel shows the blank size.

Refit after the space changes#

If you resize or move the envelope, the carcass does not follow at once.

  1. Select the carcass.
  2. In the Properties panel, at Envelope, click Refit.

The status bar shows the same warning about the envelope.

Before you cut#

Walls are rarely square. If the envelope dimensions are estimated or assumed, measure the space first. Check the diagonals, and add a scribe allowance if necessary. Measure the width at several heights and depths. Then check every dimension against your own measurements before cutting.