Clean Drill Towers – How to Enter Correct Values in OLO
When using the Clean Drill Tower option in our Online Ordering (OLO) platform, a few simple calculations are required to ensure you achieve the intended shelf layout. This article walks you through the process using two common examples:
- A tower with evenly spaced Clean Drill shelves above drawers
- A tower with an open section above drawers, with Clean Drill shelves only in the upper portion
Understanding the Clean Drill Option
Selecting the Clean Drill (CD) option means the tower will be drilled only for the shelves you specify — no additional system holes. Because of this, OLO requires accurate Top Down and Bottom Up drilling values, which determine where the clean-drill pattern begins and ends within the gable.
These calculations are based on the height of the tower, the size of the drawer bank, and any additional openings or shelf sections.
Example 1: Five Evenly Spaced Clean Drill Shelves Above Four Medium Drawers
Tower Requirements
You want:
- 5 evenly spaced shelves (Clean Drill)
- Above 4 medium drawers
- In a standard 86.417″ (2195 mm) tower
- Medium kick
Component Heights
- Tower height: 86.417″ (2195 mm)
- 4 × Medium drawers: 8.701″ (221 mm each)
- 1 × Medium toe kick: 3.780″ (96 mm)
- Clean Drill shelving: 5 shelves
Step 1: Calculate the Bottom Up drilling height
This includes the toe kick plus the four medium drawers.
You may refer to the KB article “Calculating Gable, Drawer, & Door Heights” if you need a refresher on determining the drawer stack height.
In this example, the Bottom Up (drawer bank) height is already known:
Bottom Up drilling = 39.803″ (1011 mm)
Step 2: Subtract Bottom Up from the total tower height
86.417" – 39.803" = 46.614"Step 3: Round up to the nearest 32 mm gable length
Using the Gable Length Chart (see Design Helps artical), round 46.614″ up to the nearest available gable length:
Rounded value = 47.362″
Step 4: Enter values in OLO
For an 86.417″ gable, enter:
- Top Down Drilling: 47.362″
- Bottom Up Drilling: 39.803″
- Under CD Pattern → Tower, select: 5 SH (for 5 shelves)
- Enter Drawer Bank Height: 39.803″
This will drill four medium drawers in the bottom portion and evenly spaced Clean Drill shelves above.
Example 2: Two Clean Drill Shelves Above an Opening, Above Four Medium Drawers
Tower Requirements
You want:
- 2 Clean Drill shelves at the top
- An open section below the shelves
- A drawer bank (4 medium drawers + toe kick) at the bottom
- Tower height: 86.417″
Component Heights
- Tower height: 86.417″
- Drawer bank height (medium kick + 4 medium drawers): 39.803″
- Desired open section height (no drilling): approximately 14″
Closest gable length on the chart: 14.606″
Step 1: Subtract drawer bank and opening from tower height
86.417" – 39.803" – 14.606" = 32.008"Step 2: Round up to the nearest 32 mm gable length
Using the Gable Length Chart:
Rounded value = 32.244″
Step 3: Enter values in OLO
For an 86.417″ gable, enter:
- Top Down Drilling: 32.244″
- Bottom Up Drilling: 39.803″
- Under CD Pattern → Tower, select: 2 SH (for 2 shelves)
- Enter Drawer Bank Height: 39.803″
This drills four medium drawers at the bottom, leaves the open section undrilled, and adds two Clean Drill shelves at the top.
Final Notes
- Always round up to the nearest value on the Gable Length Chart.
- Drawer Bank Height must always be entered when using Clean Drill, so the drawer slide holes are correctly positioned.
- Clean Drill patterns drill only the specified shelf locations — no system holes will be added above or below.
