Holes
32 mm is the cabinet standard, with the first hole 37 mm from the front edge. Keep the setback the same on both sides so the shelf sits level.
The guide
Printed holes come out small. 0.2 mm lets the drill turn without wobble.
- Length
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- Width
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- Height
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- Guide
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- Fence
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Local onlyThe jig is built and checked by JavaScript in this tab, and the STL is made on your computer. Your settings are remembered in this browser's local storage, and nothing is uploaded.
Adjustable shelves hold the right height only if the holes on the left side of the cabinet match the holes on the right, and the pins sit in a straight column. This page draws a strip you print, hook over the front edge of the panel, and drill through. Every hole comes off the fence, so the setback and the spacing repeat the same on both sides.
What each setting does
Pin hole diameter. 5 mm is the common shelf pin, so that is the default. 1/4 in is used on some North American hardware. The number you set is the finished hole; the tool adds a little clearance so a printed hole still passes the drill cleanly.
Spacing. 32 mm is the spacing cabinet shelf hardware is made for, the European System 32. Set it to 1 inch for older North American work. If you enter anything else, the page tells you, because a spacing that does not match your pins leaves the shelf rocking.
Setback from the edge. How far the holes sit in from the front edge of the panel. 37 mm is the System 32 standard, and most people run a second row the same distance from the back edge so the shelf is carried at both front and back. The one rule that matters: keep the setback the same on the left and right side of the cabinet, or the shelf sits crooked.
Fence depth and panel thickness. The fence is the lip that hangs over the front edge and sets the setback every time. Make it at least as deep as the panel is thick so it hooks the whole edge. Enter the panel thickness and the preview shows the strip sitting on a panel that size; the tool warns you if the fence is too shallow to hook it.
Guide thickness. This is the length of hole that keeps the drill straight. Aim for at least one and a half times the drill: 8 mm or so for a 5 mm bit. Thicker guides the bit better but takes longer to print.
Drilling a tall cabinet side
You rarely want a strip as long as the cabinet. Print one you can hold, drill its holes, then slide it along so its first hole sits over the last hole you drilled, and carry on. Because the spacing and the setback are built into the strip, the whole run stays even however many times you move it. A strip of eight holes on 32 mm is about 256 mm, which walks up a tall side in a few moves.
Printing it
The STL comes out flat on the drilling face with the fence pointing up, so nothing needs supports. Use PLA+ or PETG, 100% infill or at least 4 walls so the plastic around each hole is solid all the way through, and 0.2 mm layers. If you are going to drill more than a project's worth of holes, choose the bushing option and press a steel bushing into each printed hole, because a drill turning in bare plastic slowly wears the hole oversize.
Before you download
The file is read back before the button turns on: every edge has to be shared by exactly two triangles, every face has to point outward, and the solid has to have a positive volume. When a setting cannot make a sound jig, such as holes that overlap or a hole that would cut into the fence, the page says why instead of handing you a broken file.
More MakerKiln tools
- drill guideDowel Jig GeneratorIt makes a drilling guide for your board and dowel, with the holes on the center of the edge.→
- sheet planCut List OptimizerIt figures out how much plywood to buy and shows you the layout to cut from.→
- job cost3D Print Cost CalculatorThe real cost of one print: material, electricity, machine wear and the failed-print buffer.→
- price itHandmade Pricing CalculatorMaterials, your time, running costs and sales fees - the price that leaves a real profit.→