Yes, it appears the deck dado shifted during cutting on the CNC.

This typically happens because the deck is being held by the gripper clamp on the banded face. When only one or two clamps are holding the part, the CNC must cut the dado in three to four passes to achieve the full width. During this process, the panel can shift slightly in the clamp—especially on narrower decks that have fewer hold-down points.

In this case, the deck likely shifted while the horizontal holes were being drilled, which caused the dado to move out of alignment.

Normally, a slight shift is not an issue and the back panel will still seat correctly by lightly tapping it into the groove. A small amount of force is usually all that is needed.

If that does not work, we can remake the deck panel(s). Our CNC technician will closely monitor clamp placement to ensure the part is secured more firmly so no shifting occurs.

Please contact customer service and send a photo of the labels on the affected decks. These parts take only a few days to produce and ship, so this should be a quick fix.

Info@citycabinets.com

I had the same exact problem with my order this week. No amount of tapping or shifting helped, I ended up having to use a multi-tool to cut the groove correctly. This was the case for at least half a dozen of my cabinets.

Yes, we received a few reports of this issue, and it appears to have affected only a small number of batches. We’ve monitored current production and have not seen the issue repeat.

Apologies for the oversight on the existing project in the field, we usually catch issues like this pre departure. We can certainly offer deck remakes for anyone unable to make these work on site. Remakes are treated as a top priority and are typically rushed through the system within a few days. Thanks.

I just received my cabinets Friday and assembled them this weekend. I had the same issue with all of them. Very frustrating and not the quality I was expecting. I had to rip new dados on my table saw in order to get the backs to slide in.

Could you post a picture of the deck dado against the cabinet side showing the alignment?

It appears there may be a wobble as the CNC blade enters the part. The front portion of the dado looks straight while the rear appears enlarged.

What I’m getting at is that if the dado is slightly wider at the edge, it would not affect acceptance of the cabinet back and would only be visible during assembly, since it is hidden behind the back panel.

Please note this is a City Cabinets project, so the plywood is the denser imported material with the thinner face veneer.