Recessed Pull Visualizer

Also called Griffmulden visualizer — a Griffmulde is the German term for a routed-in recessed pull on a drawer front. The pocket has a stepped profile: a smaller front opening visible from outside and a larger back cavity hidden behind it.

The key insight for routing it accurately: one MFS template, clamped once on the back face, makes both cuts. You never move the template and never flip the workpiece — you only swap the copy ring (and change the bit depth) between the two passes. That's what keeps the two openings perfectly concentric.

Two dimensions fall out of this:

The web (German: Steg) — the thin strip of material left between the back-cavity floor and the visible front face. Typical 6 mm on 15 mm plywood.
The bezel (German: Rand, cabinetry: reveal) — the visible frame around the front opening. Because one template makes both cuts, the bezel is the same on all four sides and is fixed entirely by the two rings: bezel = (front-opening ring − back-cavity ring) / 2. To change the bezel you change rings.

The geometry is the same idea as the Hettich Touch-in-Griff metal inserts, routed directly into the drawer front instead of installed as hardware. For the single-pocket case and the underlying offset math, use the router bushing & template calculator.

Front-opening-drivenTemplate-driven

Front opening W (mm)

Front opening H (mm)

MFS template W (mm)

MFS template H (mm)

Front-opening-driven: you type the visible opening you want, the tool gives the template to clamp. Template-driven: you type the template you've set, the tool gives both resulting cuts.

Material, bit & copy rings

Material thickness (mm)

Web (Steg) (mm)

Bit diameter (mm)

Back-cavity ring OD (mm, smaller)

Front-opening ring OD (mm, larger)

The front opening is the smaller cut, so it needs the larger ring (more offset). The bit sets the corner radius. Material thickness and web set the two cut depths.

Bezel & ring suggestion

The bezel is whatever your two rings give you. Enter a bezel you'd like and the tool suggests ring pairs (from common Festool KR-D sizes) that land closest.

Desired bezel (mm)

Pass 1 — back cavityPass 2 — front opening

First pass — the larger back cavity. Fit the back-cavity ring (the smaller ring) and rout from the back face to depth material − web. This leaves a web-thick floor toward the front.

Second pass — the smaller front opening. The template stays clamped and you stay on the back face; swap to the front-opening ring (the larger ring) and plunge through the full material thickness. The smaller opening breaks through to the front face.

Section through widthSection through height

The side view is cut through the pocket width; the front view is oriented to match.

The side view is cut through the pocket height; the front view is oriented to match.

Plan viewSide viewBoth

Plan view — template and both openings, looking onto the pocket — drag to move the router

Side view (cross-section) — drag to move the router · mouse wheel sets cut depth

Plan view — template and both openings

Side view (cross-section through the pocket)

Router position & depth

Router X —

Router Y —

Cut depth Z 9 mm

Drag on a diagram or use the sliders. X / Y position the bushing inside the template; Z is the cut depth into the workpiece on the active pass. Over the side-view bit, the mouse wheel also changes Z.

About the two pocket dimensions

Web (Steg) — the thin strip of material left between the back-cavity floor and the visible front face. Typical 6 mm on 15 mm plywood: enough strength to keep the recessed pull stable, while leaving the back cavity deep enough for fingers.
Bezel (Rand, English: reveal) — the visible frame around the front opening. Because one MFS template makes both cuts, the bezel is identical on all four sides and is fixed entirely by the rings: bezel = (front-opening ring − back-cavity ring) / 2. To change the bezel, change rings — never the template.
Routing direction — outer edge first on every depth pass, clockwise (Gegenlauf, the conventional cut for an inside opening). Use a sacrificial board under the front face for the Pass 2 through-cut.

How the two passes work

Both passes are routed from the back face with the MFS template clamped once and never moved — that single fixed reference is what keeps the two openings exactly concentric.

Back cavity — fit the back-cavity ring (the smaller ring) and rout to depth material − web (e.g. 15 − 6 = 9 mm). This leaves a web-thick floor toward the front face.
Front opening — without moving the template or flipping the workpiece, swap to the front-opening ring (the larger ring) and plunge through the full material thickness. The smaller opening breaks through to the front face, centred inside the back cavity.

Because one template makes both cuts, the bezel (1) is identical on all four sides and is set purely by the rings: bezel = (front-opening ring − back-cavity ring) / 2. To change the bezel you change rings — re-clamping a template to chase a bezel can't hold the cuts concentric. Use a sacrificial board under the front face for the through-cut.

Bezel (English, common in product/industrial design), reveal (cabinetry-specific), Rand (German). The visible strip of material between the inner cut and the outer rectangle of a recessed feature.

Feed direction — route the edge first, in Gegenlauf

The routing animation routes the outer edge first on each pass, then clears the interior. Taking the edge first lifts the material along the template wall in one clean pass, so the inner sweeps never leave a thin uncut strip against the edge.

The edge pass runs in Gegenlauf (conventional cut). Both cuts here are inside cuts — a pocket and an opening — so Gegenlauf means feeding the router clockwise. Gleichlauf (climb cut) pulls the router along and is hard to control freehand.