Mozaik won't natively cut a true V-groove into PAC Shiplap panels, so Phill Anton Consulting uses a trick: shrink the panel's groove width to a tiny value (0.1) that no normal tool matches, then copy a 60-degree V-bit, set its diameter to exactly that groove width, and choose it as a dado tool. Mozaik then runs the V-bit down each groove line, cutting real V-grooves on the shiplap panels even though the panel view still shows only thin grooves. It's an intermediate technique.
What is the V-groove hack on PAC Shiplap panels?
It's a workaround for cutting true V-grooves into the PAC Shiplap panels in Mozaik. Mozaik only ever displays a groove, never the V, but the G-code drives a 60-degree V-bit down the groove centerline so the physical part gets a V-cut. It's an intermediate-to-advanced technique — grab training if you get lost.
What do you set on the panel first?
Open the shiplap panel and go to its parameters. Turn the relevant panel parameters off first, then set the width of groove to a small value — Phill uses 0.1. This width is critical, because the dado tool you create next must match it exactly. The narrow groove can look odd on screen; you can leave it wider for looks, but the matching is what makes the trick work.
How do you build the 60-degree V-bit as a dado tool?
In Libraries → CNC tooling:
- A true 60-degree V-bit is a sharp-corner tool — Mozaik won't let it place itself in a dado, and you should not copy that tool directly.
- Instead, take any tool that matches the diameter you need (a half-inch tool in the demo), then Tool Properties → Copy Tool.
- Name the copy something like "half inch 60V" with a note like "shiplap only" so it's only ever used here.
- Set it so it is not a sharp-corner tool — it's chosen as a dado tool.
- Set its diameter to 0.1 so it matches the groove width exactly.
- Use a conservative (slower) feed for the 60-degree cut.
How do you add the tool without breaking other jobs?
Add the new tool back into your library in the same slot the original 60-degree tool occupied. Then copy your tool set and name it a shiplap tool set, so any job not using the correct tool set throws an error — a guardrail so you don't accidentally machine normal parts with this V-bit.
How do you confirm the V-groove actually cuts?
Send the parts to the CNC and optimize. The panel still shows only a tiny groove — expected, since the system is being tricked. Open the G-code and inspect the toolpath: the 60-degree tool shows up looking like the half-inch down-shear it was copied from, but it's really the 60-degree, and it takes two passes right on the groove centerline — that centered two-pass cut is how it produces the V-groove.
Get it done-for-you
You can set this up by hand (above). If you build shiplap regularly, the PAC Shiplap Panel Library from PAC has the panels ready in Mozaik.
Full disclosure: Phill Anton Consulting makes this product.
FAQ
Why doesn't the V-groove show up in the Mozaik panel preview?
It won't — the panel always displays as a thin groove. The V-cut lives in the G-code/toolpath because you're using a narrow groove plus a V-bit copied as a dado tool.
How do you stop Mozaik from throwing a tool error on a tiny groove?
Mozaik picks the largest dado tool that fits the groove width; a 0.1 groove matches none, so it errors. Copy a tool whose diameter you set to exactly the groove width (0.1) and select it as a dado tool.
Can you pick the 60-degree V-bit as a dado tool directly?
No — the true 60-degree is a sharp-corner tool that won't place itself in the dado. Copy a diameter-matching tool, name it for shiplap only, and set it as a dado tool.