Print Sheet Settings

[nat_wheatley]

In the part list below the nest diagram, is there a way to print the cabinet name, rather than the cabinet number?

Once I'm done entering a job, the cabinet numbers rarely match the actual order/position of the cabinets in the room. I've resorted to using the cabinet name field to number the cabinets, but would like to be able to tie it in with the sheet print outs.

[Gary Campbell]

Nat I have fought/played with the numbering, naming and labeling trying to get a desired output. Its tough to get what we want. And of course we all want something different. Cabinets are numbered in the order they are placed in a batch.

I usually end up placing cabinets in a folder that is named the same as the job. Then name them 1-base 24 2door, where "1" is the cabinet layout number from the floorplan. I then place them in a batch using that numbering order.

I use one of the 3D Home Design programs (Chief Architect back version redistributed) for the layout. For under $100 they give much faster, easier to maintain drawings, allow us to place on pre made layout pages and dont suck the life breath out of my computer like eCabs does. We can also change rendered materials for the whole job in s couple clicks. Takes less time than the recalc required to add a piece of edgeband in eCabs. 2D dimensioned elevations are also a couple clicks. Works great for submittals.

I was also looking into customizing my label output. That was until I checked on the price of Crystal Reports and asked about the learning curve.

Keep us informed of your work around. It is becoming very obvious that only a small percentage of eCabs designers are outputting to a CNC machine. Since the programmers mainly deal with requests or bugs from users that primarily use the "virtual cabinet" renderings and cutlist output, the product has a few minor drawbacks when all of our output is intended for machine cutting. I suggest you post "over there" if you havent already.
Gary

[nat_wheatley]

Thanks, Gary.

I took your suggestion and posted on the Ecabs forum. I wasn't sure if the way the sheets print out was unique to the SB Link, but I would guess that it isn't.

Nat

[kerry_fullington]

Nat,

The nest in eCabinets does print out the cabinet name. Is it different in the link?


661

The way eCabinets numbers the cabinets and the fact that we have no control over it has always been a bit of a problem.

Kerry

[Gary Campbell]

Kerry...
The output we get at the Link is slightly different that what we get from eCabs. The nest is usually different also, so sheets and labels must be printed after the Link nests to be accurate.

Using your sheet print as an example, we only have the cabinet number avalable on our sheets, but names do show up on a part label. I have spoken to Larry Eplin briefly about reformatting labels. That would take a user that was profficient with Crystal reports and would be a fairly straight forward process.

After seeing the capabilities of both eCabs and the SB Link for some 6 months now, you guys that dont send to CNC are missing out on some fantastic stuff!
Gary

[kerry_fullington]

Gary,

I would think that they can adjust the link sheet printout to show the cabinet name just as the eCabinets software does and this would give Nat his reference to match sheet printouts to labels.
I would like to be able to re number cabinets in the software when a job is done. Then all the printouts would make sense.
As for sending out to CNC, that was the whole point of the eCabinet Systems Program. Supported machine users would get a great software at no cost and because the software is available for free to cabinet shops the idea was that thousands of users would outsource their parts to these shops that have supported machines. That is why you would want shops to use eCabinets Systems software instead of Chief to design their jobs.

Kerry

[Gary Campbell]

Kerry...
I agree in total. If past history is an indication, the only reason we dont have numeration to match is that we have not asked for it.

We have been doing a lot of "wholesale" cutting for other shops and a couple local designers. The majority of these are 2020 users and we dont wish to change that. All have been offered the opportunity to design their own, and have declined. We have agreed on their preffered contruction parameters, built a seed library to match, and enter batches based on sizes output from thier software. So far, so good.

About half of these jobs are shipped labeled, edgebanded and flat-packed, the others are assembled. We are working on a 30 sheet job for export at present. Our 1st eCabs kitchen, my 4th in 3 decades. I am trying to get my head around a faceframe version for a local shop, but keep running into "catch 22's" in the dado parameters. An eCabs forum post returned no response, so I assume this is a rare, if ever, used option.

The ability to do this is a result of the eCabs/SB Link combo. It would have been very difficult to accomplish the machining of varying styles of cabinet construction without the flexibility included with the package. Thermwood seems very responsive to enduser input especially as it pertains to machine output.

I was a ChiefArch beta tester in the 90's, running the early versions on the 1st Pentium. I can no longer justify cost of full version, but the rebranded back versions are inexpensive and due to years of experience, easier for me to use than eCabs. As I learn eCabs better, I will swap more tasks to it.

Our need to produce a rendered drawing to acquire a job has not surfaced yet. Our need to provide joinery and fastening details along with elevations is 3-4 times per year. Therefore using an existing app is quicker than the learning curve for eCabs.

I have done a couple CL jobs for complicated entertainment centers. My inexperience in this area of the program, leaves me with great thanks that I can cut with it much better than design.

Hopefully I can pick up some pointers during the training days at our shop in Feb.
Gary

[kerry_fullington]

Gary,

You are correct, the squeaky wheel gets the grease. when more people ask for a feature it gets more attention and it moves up the list.

You are probably correct about your face frame problem. Not many people are using that feature and therefore the demand is low for improvement. Several versions back there were a lot of complaints about not being able to do mortise and tenon joints on face frames. The feature was added but I would bet there aren't 10 shops that ever used it. I use it for furniture pieces.

I was using Chief for layouts when I came across eCabinets in 2001. Chief was quick but it only gave my customers a facsimile of what their cabinets were going to look like and didn't give me any of the information I needed to build so I decided I was better off to get competent using eCabinets because with it I can show the customer exactly what their job will look like and I don't have to draw it a second time to get manufacturing info. I live in a different world. My designs are what get me most of my jobs..

Kerry