Phill Anton Consulting builds Lamello Tenso floating shelves (and fillers) in Mozaik as a native cabinet, not a custom product, because the Tenso fasteners only fire when Mozaik can run collision detection between native parts. The Tenso joinery comes from a joint fastener group (there is no native tool path for it), applied to a cabinet's top and bottom, with shelf positions set by partitions. It is a niche, proof-of-concept build.
What is a Tenso floating shelf in Mozaik?
A floating shelf (or filler) joined with Lamello Tenso connectors, modeled in Mozaik as an ordinary frameless cabinet rather than a custom product. Phill says the idea came from Dean Rodo at Platinum Woodworking. The trick is that the Tenso fasteners need Mozaik's collision detection between native parts to activate, so a native cabinet works where a custom product would not. The fastener carves the Tenso half-moon pockets into both mating pieces.
How do you get the Tenso tool path and fastener into Mozaik?
- Download the data: Tools → Import Updated Data → Hardware, and under joints grab the Lamello Clamex P14 CNC tool path. Phill notes there is no native tool path in Mozaik for this, so you drive it with a fastener group instead.
- Find the fastener: Libraries → Hardware → Fasteners → Joint Templates → Lamello → Lamello CNC tool path. That joint is what does the work.
- Edit it: open the Lamello tool path editor to tweak the settings. The main adjustment worth knowing is making it cut a little deeper, and making sure your material thickness is correct.
How do you set it up without breaking your defaults?
Always copy the joint template first and prefix the copy with a company acronym (for example _PAC) so you tweak your own copy, never the stock one.
How do you apply the Tenso joint to a cabinet?
- Start from a frameless cabinet (Phill used Frameless V12, classic single door custom).
- Apply the fastener to the top and bottom only. In the fastener's row list, keep the top and bottom rows and delete the others so nothing else interferes, then copy the blank joint to everything except partitions, and uncheck top and bottom.
- Parts to build: clear everything except the top and bottom. The left and right sides are not part of this build.
How do you place each shelf?
- Add a partition wherever you want a Tenso shelf. The partition (a native part) is what gives Mozaik the collision detection to keep the joints in line.
- Click the opening in the Interior tab, then turn on zero width for that opening.
- On the Shape tab you can set the partition to nothing. Be careful that partitions do not add dowels to parts they sit next to.
- Make it deeper and Mozaik will add another partition automatically, so depth controls how many Tenso positions you get.
How do you push the partitions to the back?
A couple of parameters move the shelves fully to the back:
- Turn your nailers off (set to zero).
- Set the backs to None (adjust the unfinished back recess, then set backs to None).
- Turn on high detail to see it. The arc of the Tenso pocket will not render, but it is there.
How do you keep the partitions out of the CNC output?
This is the part Phill calls janky, and the fix he lands on:
- The partitions otherwise try to go to the CNC and nest. They cannot simply be deleted or zero-quantitied cleanly (Mozaik will not let you delete them in the cabinet).
- Solution: create a material that is not checked for nesting, named a no-cut-list partition, with thickness approximately 75 (width and length do not matter).
- Then in the cabinet, edit → partition → change the partition (for this product only) to the no-cut-list partition. It stays in the model for collision detection but never goes to the CNC, so only the top and bottom cut.
- Without that, you would have to remember to delete the partitions in the Order tab every time, which defeats the keep-it-simple goal.
Notes and limits Phill calls out
- It is a native cabinet made of native parts, not custom parts, so you cannot retrofit the dowel fillers with this (those are custom parts).
- The cutter is the Lamello P-System cutter. You must buy it (approximately $300) and add it to your tool set; it is available via Tools → Import Updated Data. Verify your material thickness so the depth is right.
- Advanced (mentioned, not fully built): you can put a quantity formula on a partition (for example quantity always equals 1) and a hide conditional formula keyed off the product width to hide or show partitions, all on a native cabinet, no custom parts.
- This was an explicit one-shot experiment; Phill considers it niche and did not ship it as a product.
Get it done-for-you
You can set this up by hand (above). If you build these regularly, the PAC Mozaik Closet Library from PAC has it ready in Mozaik. → phillanton.com
Full disclosure: Phill Anton Consulting makes this product.
FAQ
Can you make Lamello Tenso floating shelves in Mozaik?
Yes. Phill builds them as a native cabinet (not a custom product) so Mozaik's collision detection keeps the Tenso joints aligned; the joinery comes from a joint fastener group, since there is no native tool path for it.
Why a native cabinet instead of a custom product?
The Tenso fasteners only activate when Mozaik does collision detection between native parts; a custom product's parts do not trigger it, so he uses a frameless cabinet with a partition per shelf.
How do you keep the partitions off the CNC?
Make a material that is not checked for nesting (a no-cut-list partition, thickness approximately 75) and change the partition for that product to it. It stays for collision detection but does not cut; only top and bottom go to the CNC.