SolidWorks: Hole Tables

When creating a drawing in SolidWorks, it is generally a good practice to keep the drawing neat and easy to read. When working with a part that has a lot of holes, dimensioning to each hole can clutter up the drawing. This is where Hole Tables come in. Hole Tables dimension each hole from a defined origin.

The Hole Table tool is found in the Tables dropdown menu in the Annotation section, as shown below in Figure 1.

Figure 1: Hole Tables Location

Once Hole Table is selected, the menu will appear as shown below in Figure 2.

Figure 2: Hole Table Menu

The first option is Table Template, which determines the fonts and set up for the Hole Table. The next option, Table Position, allows the table to be anchored to a point on the drawing sheet, usually a corner.

The next option, Tag Order, determines the order in which the holes will be named. The options are XY, which creates the tags based on the distance from the origin, Reduced Tool Path, which tags the holes based on the shortest single path for a drill to take, and Radial, which is used for turned or lathed parts.

Tag Type should be selected next, which can be set to A, B, C, or 1, 2, 3, or a custom set of symbols. The starting character can be chosen as well. For example, the letter can start at C instead of A. One thing to note, is that when using letters, the tag will also include a number, like A1 or B2. The letter is used to specify the different types of holes, while the number is used to show which hole the table is referring to.

The next three options, Border, Layer, and Text Format are all regarding the table itself. These can be configured to the users liking.

Now, the datum and holes can be selected. When selecting the datum, it can either be a point or two edges that create an X and Y-axis. To use a point, click the origin box, and then click on a point. It will look like Figure 3 below.

Figure 3: Using a Point as a Datum

If edges are to be used as X and Y axes, click on the X or Y axis box, then select the desired edge.

Next, to select the holes, select the edge or face that contains the holes. The selected face will now be highlighted, as shown below in Figure 4.

Figure 4: Hole Selection

Once this is complete, click the green checkmark and move the mouse over to the drawing view. The Hole Table will appear and will move with the mouse. Left-click the mouse to select the desired location of the table, and it will lock in place. The drawing view will now have tags on each hole location. The drawing sheet with both the Hole Table and the Tags on the drawing view is shown below in Figure 5.

Figure 5: Completed Hole Table

Hole Tables can help keep drawing sheets clean and easy to read, especially when there are a lot of holes in a drawing view.

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