Nothing New to Learn Here

Every skill this milestone needs already exists from Weeks 3–4: toolpath types, offset, pocket/step-over, step-down, tabs, sequencing, and your own pre-cut checklist.

The difference is scale — your real cabinet has several panels, not one small test coupon. Each one needs its own job, programmed with the same discipline Session 9 and Session 12 already established.

Bungee cords aren't part of this project — but every CNC safety protocol from Session 4 still applies to every panel you program and every test cut you run.

Build

Step 1: List Every Panel That Needs a CAM Job

Go through your Milestone 2 assembly and list every distinct flat panel that will be CNC-cut. Note which toolpath types (profile, pocket, drill) each one actually needs — not every panel needs all three.

Step 2: Program Each Panel's Job

For each panel, set up a CAM Studio job: pocket and drill operations first, profile cut last, with tabs. Use Outside offset for panels being cut free, Inside for any interior holes cut to exact size.

Step 3: Simulate Every Job

Run the simulation for each panel individually. Confirm sequencing, offsets, and step-over/step-down choices before moving to the next panel.

Step 4: Run Your Pre-Cut Checklist, Per Panel

Apply your Session 10 checklist to each panel's job individually — a checklist run once for the whole project isn't the same as checking each actual job.

Checkpoint

Before Milestone 4 begins, confirm for every panel:

• Toolpath order is pocket/drill, then profile
• Offset choice is justified for that specific panel
• Tabs are included wherever a profile cut fully separates the part
• Your pre-cut checklist has been run against that panel's actual job

Reflection

Answer the following questions before submitting your work.

1. Which panel took the most CAM setup decisions, and why — geometry, number of features, or something else?
2. Did programming multiple real panels change how you think about the pre-cut checklist, compared to applying it to just Sessions 12–13's single practice piece?
3. Milestone 4 is the actual fabrication and build phase. Which panel are you most looking forward to seeing cut for real?

Submit

Submit your CAM Studio files for every panel, your per-panel checklist run-throughs, and your reflection.

Milestone Complete