STEP 01
Establish the first pattern from a finished datum
Clamp the jig according to its own instructions and align the selected starting center with the project’s bottom-based mark. Verify the front or rear row reference before drilling. Use the actual jig’s pitch in the planner, and do not switch between an exact metric value and an approximate inch description. Record which bushing corresponds to the first project center. A jig body can extend beyond that center, so placing the body at the bottom edge is not automatically equivalent to the grid start entered in the model.
STEP 02
Follow the jig-specific continuation method
A jig may continue through an indexing pin, a connected extension or a separately registered setup. Use the maker’s method for the actual model and inspect how the pin or reference seats. Avoid assuming that a guide from a different generation connects or indexes the same way. Before drilling a continued segment, compare a proposed center to an absolute height from the original bottom datum. Check more than one point if the setup can rotate. Repeated local alignment can preserve a small initial offset, so the original reference remains the useful independent check.
STEP 03
Read grid indices as permanent identities
The level register uses the original grid index even when keep-outs remove intermediate positions. Index zero is the entered start, not necessarily the first visible or usable hole. If low rim clearance filters out that index, the first accepted level can have a higher number. That numbering lets the CSV, map and worksheet refer to the same center without renumbering after each exclusion. For a 64 mm start, index 12 always means 448 mm at 32 mm pitch. A skipped index remains skipped when the next jig segment is set up.
STEP 04
Inspect SVG size before trusting a print
The export declares physical millimeter dimensions for two complete side panels and includes horizontal and vertical 100 mm check marks. Its page can be much larger than ordinary paper. A browser or printer may shrink it, clip it or tile it in a way that changes the working reference. Choose a printing workflow that can preserve the physical size, inspect its settings, then measure both scale marks on the actual output. If either axis differs, use the labeled dimensions and CSV for layout rather than tracing the print. This tool does not provide automatic tiled pages.
STEP 05
Keep a legible reference beside the work
A screen-sized print is still useful as an overview when it is clearly marked as scaled. Keep the project name, revision, panel handedness and coordinate convention visible. If a true-size map is assembled from separate sheets, independently verify the joins and several distant hole centers from the original datum. Do not put a paper sheet under a tool as a substitute for suitable guidance, clamping or workholding. Export a fresh map after any geometry change and remove the previous revision so two visually similar patterns do not remain in circulation.
Does Export SVG produce a ready-to-run CNC file?
No. It is a labeled physical-size reference drawing. Machine origins, tools, workholding, drilling cycles and operator review are separate.
References and model boundary
The manufacturer references describe their own jig systems. Project dimensions, grid phase, keep-out envelopes and remaining-skin requirements belong to your measured setup. The planner tests its stated geometry; use the actual hardware instructions and a physical test pair before drilling production panels.