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Dress-up: Holding Tabs

In one sentence: Leave small bridges of uncut material in a profile path to keep the part from shifting or flying free during the final cut.

Overview

Workbench: CAM
Menu: CAM → Dress-up → Tag
Command: CAM_DressupTag
Shortcut: none

Adds holding tabs — small bridges of uncut material — at selected points along a Profile path. The tabs keep the part attached to the stock during the final pass. After machining, the tabs are cut through manually with a chisel, saw, or hand tool.

Intuition

When profiling a part all the way through the stock, the final plunge cuts the last connection and the part is suddenly free. On a router or high-speed machine this can cause the part to move, gouge the surface, or become a projectile. Holding tabs prevent this: the cutter rises at each tab location, leaving a thin bridge.

When to use it

  • Full-depth profile cuts that separate a part from the stock sheet.
  • Any profile operation where the part could shift during the final pass.
  • Woodworking, sign-making, or sheet material routing.

When NOT to use it

  • Blind pockets that don't cut all the way through.
  • Operations where manual tab removal would damage a precision surface.

Adding tabs

  1. Apply the Tag dress-up to a Profile operation.
  2. In the task panel, click locations on the path preview where you want tabs.
  3. Set tab Width, Height, and Angle.
  4. Click OK.

Key parameters

Parameter Description
Width Tab width along the path direction
Height Tab height — how much material is left uncut
Angle Tab face angle (90° = vertical wall, <90° = chamfered face)

Common mistakes and pitfalls

Too few tabs — part shifts

Place tabs every 100–200 mm or at least 3 tabs per part. On asymmetric parts, place tabs to balance the holding force.

Tab height too small — tabs break during machining

Set tab height to at least 1–2 mm (or 10–20% of stock thickness for thin sheet material).

See also