Cut a Hole Through a Solid in FreeCAD Using Pocket

This guide explains how to use the Pocket tool in FreeCAD's Part Design workbench to cut a hole through an existing solid body. By creating a 2D sketch on the surface of your model and configuring the Pocket parameters, you can quickly create blind holes, counterbores, or complete through-holes.

Step 1: Open the Part Design Workbench

  1. Open your project containing the 3D solid model.
  2. Ensure you are working in the Part Design workbench by selecting it from the workbench drop-down menu at the top of the interface.
  3. In the Model tree, ensure the active Body containing your solid is highlighted. If not, double-click the Body to activate it.

Step 2: Select a Face and Create a Sketch

  1. Click on the flat planar face of your solid where you want the hole to start. The selected face will highlight.
  2. Click the Create sketch button (the icon depicting a shape with a red rectangle) from the toolbar or the Tasks panel.
  3. FreeCAD will orient the 3D view to look directly at the selected face.

Step 3: Draw and Constrain the Hole Profile

  1. Select the Create circle tool from the Sketcher toolbar to make a round hole (or choose a polygon/rectangle tool for non-circular cuts).
  2. Click on the sketch plane to set the center point, then move the cursor and click again to define the radius.
  3. Use the sketch constraint tools to position and size the hole accurately:
    • Apply a Radius constraint or Diameter constraint to define the exact size.
    • Apply Horizontal and Vertical distance constraints relative to the origin or model geometry to position the hole precisely.
  4. Once the sketch is fully constrained (the geometry lines will typically turn green), click Close in the Tasks panel to exit the sketch editor.

Step 4: Apply the Pocket Tool

  1. With your newly created sketch still selected in the tree view, click the Pocket tool (icon showing a blue cube with an indented pocket) in the Part Design toolbar.
  2. A preview of the cut will appear in the 3D viewport, and the Pocket parameters will display in the Tasks panel on the left.

Step 5: Configure Pocket Parameters

  1. Under the Type drop-down menu in the Pocket parameters panel, choose your cut depth:
    • Through all: Cuts completely through the entire solid, regardless of future model thickness changes.
    • Dimension: Allows you to enter a specific depth in millimeters for a blind hole.
    • To first: Cuts through the solid until it reaches the next interior or exterior boundary.
  2. If the cut is extending in the wrong direction, check the Reversed checkbox to invert the cutting vector.
  3. Click OK to apply the operation.

The hole is now cut through your solid, and the operation will appear as a Pocket feature nested under your Body in the tree hierarchy.