For a groove to land in the right place, besides width and type, three more things are set: on which side of the part the groove is cut, to what depth and where exactly it runs. This is handled by the «Operation side», «Depth», «Distance to the start of the groove» and «Offset from the side» fields.
Operation side
A groove can be cut on the face (front or back) or on one of the four edges (top, bottom, left, right). The set of available sides depends on the company settings and the material:
- if the company has disabled edge grooving, only the front and back faces remain;
- on thin parts (thinner than the minimum for edge machining) the edges are also unavailable — grooving only on the face.
Depth
The «Depth» field sets how deep the groove is cut. The value is entered as a number or a formula. The depth does not depend on the type or width — it is an independent size of the channel.
Distance to the start of the groove
The «Distance to the start of the groove» field indicates from which side of the part the groove position is measured. The options depend on where the groove is cut:
- on the face — one of the four edges of the part is chosen (top, bottom, left or right); the offset is measured from this edge, and the groove runs along it;
- on the edge — it is chosen whether the groove position across the part thickness is measured from the front or the back (for example, «from below (from the front)» or «from above (from the back)»).
Offset from the side
The «Offset from the side» field sets the distance from the side chosen in «Distance to the start of the groove» to the groove itself. Together they define where exactly the channel will lie: for example, a groove for a back panel is an offset from the back edge, and a groove in the edge for a drawer bottom is an offset from the front.
Formulas
The depth and offsets can be set not as a number but as a formula — from the part dimensions, thickness and other values (the formula icon next to the field). This is handy for parametric parts: the groove recalculates itself when the size changes.
Together
The side, depth, distance to the start and offset, together with the width (see «Groove width and saw thickness») and the type (see «Groove type: open and closed»), fully describe the groove. After that it can be added to the part or saved as a template.