Have you ever asked yourself, what tool you value the most?
Have you ever asked yourself, what tool you value most?
What is your most valuable tool? What tool do you use the most? Which tool saves you the most time? Or which one your life would not be complete unless you had this special tool? Are you a tool collector?
I must admit I am a bit of a nerd when it comes to tools and I suppose being a carpenter gives me the perfect excuse to buy all manner of tools. Some for odd specific tasks and some I may have bought for one special job but never used again.
Blum has some specific jigs and templates, and all have a purpose when it comes to installation. Whilst these can make your life so much better, I would like to take a step back into the planning stage of and explore what tools we have there and which tools we need to purchase.
Who amongst us has bought hardware because we could not remember if we still have any of that item, only to discover, oh there is a whole box in the back of the van?
Wouldn’t it be better at the planning stage to get exactly what you need and have a clear idea of what is to be expected, even to the point of knowing what tools you need?
Let me introduce you to a couple of Blum planning tools: Product Configurator and Cabinet Configurator.
You may be familiar with some of the older carcass planning tools such as DYNAPLAN and this was a great tool, but in these ever-changing times we need a more flexible planning system.
So, what is Product configurator? This is a program within the Blum E-SERVICES suite that allows you to plan a single item like a drawer and it will break it down into a list of all the hardware items needed. You can do this multiple times over and compile a full list. Then if you have an account with a Blum distributor you could forward this onto them and they will prepare the order, and you can relax safe in the knowledge nothing has been forgotten.
So, what then is Cabinet Configurator? Well, I suppose this is the next step from Product Configurator for full cabinet design. Stepping away from the 2D of the past, into the world of CAD, 3D planning and exploding cabinets. It's simply a far better way to design and visualise your cabinet requirements, plus you can put your hardware into the cabinet as well. As complicated as it may sound, it really is quite easy to drag and drop exactly what hardware you need into the cabinet you designed. It will produce working diagrams with drilling positions, produce a parts and cuttings list, as well as give you CAD files.
So, whilst we could discuss at length what the most important tool in your toolbox is, I would opine that the planning stage is more important. Whether you can class them as tools is subjective, but the best part of this tool is it has no cost, and in today’s world that is a win in anyone’s book, or you could look at it as money saved for other important tools.
Check it out on www.blum.com, and if you have any questions feel free to get in touch with the technical team here at Blum UK.
Email: technical.uk@blum.com
Phone Number: 0800 230 0898
Written by Peter Sharratt - Blum Technical Team
Matthew Glanfield
Author