Using LR 32 system on unbalanced panels

[ReneS]

At this point, my understanding is that I would need a balanced panel mostly to easily place the cup hinge holes on a door (and the mounting plates on the box) so they are symmetrical, meaning the distance from the top of the door to the top of the top hinge is the same as the distance from the bottom of the door to the bottom of the bottom hinge, etc.

If I am drilling holes for drawer glides and I reference the bottom of an unbalanced panel for both sets, I think the holes on the front and back will line up in terms of height. The only drawback I can see is that the center hole of each column will not be in the center (top to bottom) of the panel. If I am attaching overlay drawer fronts to the drawer boxes, I think this shouldn't be an issue in terms of the size, placement, and spacing of the drawer fronts.

But being new to this, I am wondering whether I am missing something, almost feel a little paranoid.

Can anyone let me know if I am missing anything here?

Thanks

 

[bobtskutter]

I've used the LR32 system on unbalanced panels. To be honest, every "box" i've used the LR32 on has been unbalanced very slightly.

You need to remember which is your reference edge and make sure you pull the block of the guide rail against that edge. I use the adjustable set back stops to set the hole location relative to the front face, eg 37mm back from the FRONT edge, Then use the reference block to set the offset from the BOTTOM edge of the panel. If you turn the holly rail round to get a 37mm set back from the BACK edge make sure you check you've got the reference block against the BOTTOM edge of the panel. It's very easy to reference off the top edge!

Best of luck!!

Bob

 

[ReneS]

Thanks Bob.

 

[onocoffee]

Sorry guys, I'm not versed in cabinet building. But what does it mean when you say "unbalanced panels"?

 

[bobtskutter]

The Festool LR32 system is based on 32mm spacing. A balanced panel is a multiple of 32mm, eg 32mm x 23 spacings = 736mm. That's a balanced panel. It means the distance from the bottom to the first hole is 32mm and the distance from the top to the last hole is also 32mm. It's then easy to mount two stop blocks to the LR32 rail and the panel is then trapped between them.

An unbalanced panel is not a multiple of 32mm, it's what us mortal woodworkers get when trying to be accurate
If you reference off the bottom edge, the bottom edge to the first hole is 32mm but the top edge to the last hole is not 32mm. That means you can't use two stop blocks on the LR32 rail to trap the panel. So long as you remember which is your reference edge and make sure you've pulled the rail stop block tight against that edge you'll be OK. This is frequently what happens to me.

There is a vast amount of info at this website

32mm Cabinetmaking

Regards
Bob

 

[ReneS]

I would add that unbalanced panels make things like symmetrical hinge placement a little trickier.

If your cabinet side is balanced, then three holes from the top, as an example, is the same distance from the top as three holes from the bottom is from the bottom.

Edit: Now that I think about it a little more, a very small deviation, such as a panel that is .5mm short of being balanced, would require you to use the same reference edge but would have little if any effect on how symmetrical the placement of hinges would look.

 

[bobtskutter]

@ReneS that 0.5mm difference in a panel being balanced and referencing off the "wrong edge" can mean your shelf pin holes don't line up. I've not used the LR32 as many times as some people, but I've had much better results when I reference the guide rail off the same edge for holes at the front of a panel and for holes at the back of a panel.

Regards
Bob

 

[usernumber1]

i don't know how you can make a balanced panel without a CNC. even 0.5 mm will be too much as mentioned

i just reference off bottom - measure, count holes, etc

I would also add unless you're a production shop cranking out cabinets, don't take this lr32 too seriously. if you're building ad-hoc projects and cabinets, just add any extra holes for your rails or doors manually