The PAC Doweled Countertop is a Phill Anton Consulting product for Mozaik (v14+) that builds a doweled countertop with integrated buildups, your choice of nosing or banding, optional stretchers, and a back scribe. You download it from the PAC site, copy the file into a Mozaik library's products folder, then import it into a sub-assembly. From there every feature — finished sides, buildup width, dowel diameter/depth/spacing, scribe, and materials — is driven by parameters, so you can fit it to almost any job.
How do I import the PAC Doweled Countertop into Mozaik?
First download the file from the PAC site (the variant shown is “dowel countertop none” — the finish-none default). Then:
- Right-click the downloaded file and Copy.
- Open your Mozaik folder, go into the target library (Phill uses
frameless v12) and into its products folder, then right-click and Paste into any blank space. - Back in Mozaik, go to Libraries → Products and open that library (frameless V12).
- Right-click Sub assemblies → Add product → Import.
- Select the dowel countertop file, Open, then OK.
Phill recommends placing it under Sub assemblies. It imports defaulting to 3/4 nosing. You must have Mozaik version 14 or later for this product to import.
How do I drop it into a job?
Go to your library (frameless V12) → Sub assemblies → the PAC dowel countertop entry, and drop it into the room. By default it comes in as finish-none on both sides.
How do the finished-side options work?
The product reacts to which sides are finished:
- Finish none (default) — no integrated buildup shown.
- Finish left — the buildup is integrated, so you don't have to add that little piece separately. (Mid buildup is still available as an option.) Finish-left also activates the back scribe feature.
- Finish both — in the Parameters tab, the finished all four control appears; clicking it finishes all four sides at once. That control is only active when you're on finish-both.
If you want a finish-both version saved out of the gate, set finish both before making any other overrides, then Save to library. It saves to the bottom of the frameless V12 library as a finish-both entry.
How do I switch from nosing to banding?
Nosing is the default; banding is an easy swap. The override lives in the material templates:
- Go to the Info tab.
- Override the cabinet material (the pencil icon).
- Find the nosing part type and change it to 1 mm (or whatever banding you use).
That automatically changes everything over to banding.
What do the buildup and overhang parameters do?
- Nosing overhang/overlap — there's a small overhang you can flush-trim off the bottom; 1/8″ is typical (1/16″ also fine). Setting it wider only makes the nosing wider on your cut list. Phill sets it to 0 in the demo.
- Buildup width — adjust the front buildup or the rear buildup independently, smaller or bigger. Setting the rear buildup to, say, 2″ applies it as an offset.
How do stretchers work?
You can set 1, 2, or 3 stretchers. With 3 stretchers they aren't perfectly distance-spaced and that's intentional — there are no dowels in the stretchers, so your crew can place them wherever a longer countertop needs them.
How does the back scribe work?
Add e.g. 1″ of scribe and it shoots off the back end. Important: the scribe shoots out past the red bounding box — if that red box is 12″, the scribe goes an inch past it. The side scribe activates when finish left is on. There's also a scribe tab depth parameter (Phill sets it to approximately 1″, and notes 1-1/2″ is fine): it's the ledge your router bearing sits on to flush-trim the nosing, and it tells the crew where the nosing stops. Don't make it too small or the machine can snap it off.
What dowel parameters can I change?
- Dowel diameter — editable; reset to approximately 8 mm. 8 mm fluted is the standard; 5 mm exists if you prefer.
- Dowel depth — sets hole depth. For 30 mm dowels set it to about 15–16 (roughly half the dowel length).
- Dowel hole setback — pushes the hole back.
- Distance from edge — position of the first dowel from the edge.
- Spacing — distance between dowels (the demo keeps 12; can change to e.g. 8).
Can I remove the nosing or buildup entirely?
Yes — these are bonus parameters:
- Remove nosing — use for a pre-mill countertop where you'll band it and don't care about seeing the nosing lines.
- Remove buildup — also possible, though there's rarely a reason to.
How is material assigned, and how do I change it?
- Nosing uses the nosing part type.
- Tops and buildups all use the top part type. Phill keeps the buildup as top (not stretcher) on purpose: the overhang can be a couple inches and you'll usually want that same veneer grade as the top, and you may as well use it on the back too. To save material, change the buildup to stretcher type or change the part material directly.
To change materials:
- In the Parts tab you can reassign part types (e.g., top → countertop, buildup → stretcher) and it works fine.
- In Materials, changing the cabinet top material (e.g., to 3/4 plywood) updates the parts driven by it — but the nosing stays on its own setting (3/4 white melamine in the demo) because nosing pulls from the settings tab. To change nosing, click the pencil, go to the nosing, and set it; or override with a cabinet material template and attach the material there.
Dowels are placed in the stretcher and the top when finished, and the product can be sent to the CNC.
Get it done-for-you
You can set this up by hand (above). If you build these regularly, the PAC Doweled Countertop from PAC has it ready in Mozaik. → phillanton.com
Full disclosure: Phill Anton Consulting makes this product.
FAQ
What Mozaik version does the PAC Doweled Countertop need?
Mozaik version 14 or later — it won't import into earlier versions.
Can I use banding instead of nosing?
Yes. In the Info tab, override the cabinet material (pencil), find the nosing part type, and change it to 1 mm (or your banding). That switches the whole product to banding automatically.
What dowel diameter should I use?
8 mm fluted is the standard Phill uses (5 mm also exists). Diameter, depth, hole setback, edge distance, and spacing are all editable parameters.
Why don't the stretchers have dowels?
By design — the stretchers carry no dowels so your crew can position them anywhere a longer countertop needs support.