Calculating Door Sizes -
An Explanation
Door Sizes on Cabinets
Below is an explanation on how KCD determines the sizes of doors on Cabinets. The method that is used to figure out the door size is different depending on which library you used to draw your cabinets. Cabinets drawn from the Frame library calculate Door Sizes differently than the Closet, Frameless and Overlay. Below is an explanation of those differences.
Closets, Frameless and Overlay Frame Libraries
These 3 libraries figure door sizes the same way. If you were to look at the questions for a 3 Drawer base unit, you will see questions that ask about reveals and gaps. If you keep scrolling you will then see questions about drawer front heights and after that drawer opening heights. Many customers immediately scroll down to the drawer opening heights. This won’t work. You should never change the drawer opening heights. If you want to change the opening heights, you should first change the drawer FRONT heights. From there, KCD will calculate the opening height automatically. How does it do this? KCD factors in the Reveals and Gaps you have set as well as the Drawer Front Height.
What are Reveals and Gaps?
Looking at the questions for the 3 Drawer Base you will see a Top Reveal, Bottom Reveal, Left and Right Side Reveal, Gap 1st and 2nd Drawer and Gap Lower Drawers. These questions refer to how much of the front of the cabinet you can see when the drawer fronts are on it. Or in other words how much of the cabinet the drawer front isn’t covering.
So let’s say your top piece (or top spanner, or top rail) is 3/4″ wide. Let’s say the top reveal is 1/8″. That means the drawer front is covering 5/8″ of that top piece (sub tract 1/8″ from 3/4″). Next lets say the Middle Piece (or Mid Spanner or Middle Rail) between the 1st and 2nd drawers (starting from the top) is 3/4″ wide. Also lets say that the gap between 1st and 2nd drawer is 1/8″. So that means that drawers are covering 5/8″ of that middle spanner. However the gap is centered on this middle spanner, that means that half of the 5/8″ (5/16″) will be covered by the bottom of the top drawer front and the other half will be covered by the top of the 2nd drawer front.
So how is the opening calculated?
Let’s say you want a drawer front that is 5 1/2″ tall on the top of your 3 drawer base. KCD will figure the opening size this way. Starting with 5 1/2″ it will subtract the amount the top drawer is covering the top pice, in this case 5/8″. Then it will subtract the amount the bottom of this drawer is covering the middle spanner, in this case 5/16″. In other words and using decimal numbers 5.5 – .625 – .3125 = 4.5625 or 4 9/16″ The reason KCD figures openings this way is to prevent drawer fronts from overlapping one another. If we stick to the front sizes and the gaps and reveals, this can never happen.
How come I can’t change the bottom drawer front?
KCD reserves the bottom drawer front or door as the “whatever is left over”. In other words, Your unit will have its reveals and gaps set (these can be set in the shop standards as well as on the individual cabinet). It will have the top and 2nd drawer front heights set, then KCD will calculate whatever space is left over to determine the bottom drawer front height. If that size isn’t correct, adjust the 1st or 2nd front height or the reveals and gaps until the bottom front is the proper size. This is another way KCD doesn’t let drawer fronts and doors overlap.
What about the Side Reveals?
The left and right side reveals can change the width of the door or drawer front. Just like with the top and bottom reveals and the gaps, you are telling KCD how much of the left or right side (or left and right stile) will be visible. There are some interesting things you can do, if you need to with the side reveals. Lets say you wanted part of your drawer front to cover an open unit next to your drawer base. You could put in a negative reveal. A reveal of -1/2′ will not only cover the entire side of your drawer base, but also cover a 1/2″ of the adjacent unit.
If you make the reveal bigger than the side, you will get an inset effect. For example, your left side is set to be 3/4″ but your left side reveal is 1″ This will make the drawer front 1/4″ less than the opening as it reveal not only the whole 3/4″ side but also another 1/4″.
Frame Libraries
The frame library figures door sizes completely differently than the Frameless, Closets and Overlay Frame. Where you would never change the opening height in a Frameless, Closet or Overlay Frame unit. You have to change opening heights in a frame unit. The door size is then calculated by something called Door Lip. The Door Lip tells KCD how much of the face frame you want to cover with your Door or Drawer Front. The coverage is equal all the way around the opening, left, right, top and bottom.
For an inset effect, you can set your door lip to a negative number. This will make your door or drawer front smaller than the opening. As with the other libraries the bottom opening is the “whatever is left over” opening. Changing the openings above or your rail widths will change the height of your bottom opening.