PRIME MOTIONJoinery
Machinable Joint turns two overlapping boards into a joint a router can cut. Model the boards so they overlap where they meet — the overlap is the material the joint divides between them — and the tool cuts both halves at once, with the inside corners relieved so a round cutter can make them.
Cut a joint
- Model the two boards so they overlap at the joint.
- Long-press Joinery in the Assemble group and choose Machinable Joint.
- Under Bodies, tap the boards. Choose which are the Driving bodies, and for a joint with a tab, the Tab body.
- Choose the Type and set its values.
- Set Cutter to the bit you will cut the corners with, and choose the corner Relief.
- Tap Create Joint. It reads Cutting… while it works.
If the boards do not overlap the drawer refuses: That body doesn't overlap the others. The overlap zone is where the joinery happens — push one into the other first.
Types
| Type | What it cuts |
|---|---|
| Box joint (default) | Interlocking fingers, set by Count |
| Blind box joint | Fingers that do not show on one face |
| Rabbet | A step along the edge of one board that the other sits in |
| Tongue & Groove | A tongue on one board into a groove in the other |
| Half lap | Each board cut to half its thickness where they cross |
| Stair step | A stepped joint; Steps is set by the bit and shown read-only |
Corners and the cutter
A round cutter cannot cut a sharp inside corner, so the joint's inside corners are relieved to fit the Cutter (1/8in or 1/4in, default 1/4in):
| Relief | Shape |
|---|---|
| Sniglet (default) | The dogbone's circle, blended smoothly into both walls so the cutter never stops |
| Dogbone | A circle through the corner, centred on its diagonal; it reaches a little way along both walls |
| T-Bone | A half-circle cut into one wall only; the other face stays clean, so it hides where a dogbone shows |
Choose the cutter you will actually use for the joint's toolpaths: the relief is sized for it.
Change a joint
Double-tap the joint in the timeline, or use its Edit, to reopen the drawer as Edit Joint; Update Joint applies the change.
Explode
Explode (in the same Joinery family) pulls jointed bodies apart to look at the cut faces. Tap at least two jointed bodies, set the Viewing gap (25 mm), and tap Explode; Restore puts them back. A body that is not part of a joint is refused: That body isn't part of a joint. Explode pulls a joint apart — cut one first.