I was looking around my workshop very early this morning trying to figure out what I was going to do… and hit myself over the head many times for keeping all sorts of small pieces of wood. I decided I would go back through the things I favorited, and see if there was something that will help to use the wood.
As I started to draw out what I needed to do on paper, I remembered that I wanted to learn sketchup. So, I downloaded google's free program, listed to a few of the tutorials, and proceeded to sketch out the project.
First thing I did was make the size of a tea bag. Then I tried to make the surrounding shell… you really need to listen to all the tutorials if you want to do things with less pain. I spent probably 2 hours today trying to figure out why a plane would not act like a plane. There are many views to consult - and each different view can help you fix a different problem.
I working on this from about 9AM to 2PM. I learned a lot about sketchup, but still not enough. The resulting plans are below which need to be tested…. and I did not yet map out how I will be doing the finger joints.
If anyone really wants the in progress .skb file I will certainly be happy to .zip it up and send it along. Those of you who are experts… if you see anything off the bat that I can correct - I would certainly appreciate the comments!
Sketchup is very powerful and easy…. it is so easy that I gave up on it. I think I work at making it more complicated than it is. Like, I am not use to having the software do so much work for me. I grew up using computers and software but since I retired they have passed me by.
I like the tea boxes… hadn't seen those. I'd make some, but my wife the tea drinker wouldn't want her tea bags that organized. Kind of like Sketchup… she'd rather have them heaped in one container and she's content to do the grab bad thing and see what surfaces.
Keep playing with Sketchup-I'm sure you'll master it… plenty of help out there. I'm just not one of them!
Pine may simply not be the right material to test small designs + jig frustrations
I started to test my design that I sketched up. I am thinking I may have done better to make the mock-up in plywood. I probably don't have a very gentle touch… the pine cracked when I tried to make my first finger joint. Now I have to wait another day as I glue it back together.
I made a couple of modifications already. I realized the box was 11cm by 9.9cm. Why 9.9? Because I did not pay attention in the sketch. I fixed it to 10. No need to have to be precise to a millimeter!
Also, the top was way too thin. It's now 1.5cm thick so that the bottom rabbet is 0.5cm deep.
I also learned I should figure out the thickness of wood available to me and design around it if I am making small stuff that I cannot pass through the planer. It would make my life easier.
I tried to make a finger box joint jig for the tablesaw on sunday based on Taunton's jigs and fixtures book. But I don't like it. I find it too wiggly and the results are not consistent. Maybe it's my miter guide, which I complain does not give me 90 degrees when I want. I think I need to build a sled type jig - something sturdier. The only one I saw so far was made by Scrappy - so I will try to copy it.
I have only one day this weekend to work in my shop. Looks like I will be making a jig and testing it before I go any further! I suppose it's not unusual to spend a whole day doing that - especially if you are a beginner?
Dave's suggestions from my very first post on this gave me great ideas - and simply trying to replicate what he did was a fantastic learning experience. You can click on the image to get the whole thing.
I was able to play with sketchup on my commute to work back and forth yesterday, and woke up early this AM to fix some errors I made. The key to success was making groups which I wasn't doing before. I was very pleased when all the pieces finally fit together.
My commute is later this morning, which gives me some time before the work rush starts at home…
The one thing I have not figured out (whether it's a problem of mine or a feature of sketchup) is to color in the face under the arc. I have the horizontal lines connecting, but maybe there are other connector points that need to be joined so it knows it's a face?
Great work! I'm learning Sketchup too…so I'll be watching ….I've got to make an armoire :O
I made a finger joint jig last year than got side-tracked and have't used it much(4 young kids)..it uses the table saw and a moving holder with threaded rod and golfball as a crank..every time I rotate the the rod it moves the holder 1/16" . 4 rotations = 1/4" there a little bit to index..but very accurate.
You cut both sides at the same time…you don't have to change the the table saw blade(1/8")
The ulterior motive for learning sketchup - aka what some women really want
So, naturally I did not start playing with sketchup simply to make a small tea box. I started playing with it to be sure I could make use of it… and use it to work out the design to something much larger that would hold the tea boxes. That would be a bigger kitchen
This is really helping me to work out tons of design issues well before starting the cutting. I have done it in a previous life by cutting out scale model pieces in graph paper (remember those days???) but this is far superior.
I have a small galley kitchen, with a small room next door that is being knocked out to enlarge it and make it a decent sized room. Due to certain factors (as usual) there are design limitations. One of the first problems is to figure out how I want to build a wall of cabinets and use as much of the space as possible.
I am not finished the sketch, of course, but this is the basic layout. I will put frosted glass in the midsection. I have not finished the sketching of the corner pieces yet.
Due to the fact that I have large hairy dogs I wanted the corner cabinet that will be closest to them to be closed - but I can't match it on the right hand side due to the small space available. Does it look wierd? The hidden object in the front is my mocked in piece for the island. I figure you won't really be looking at the cabinets dead-on anyway.
The window placement is really where it is in the pic - so I have to figure out something "creative" to do with the window casings that I can carry over to the other windows you don't see when I knock out the wall.
Comments, opinions and suggestions are very welcome.
Finally, I have an approved design to proceed. The ghost image in the foreground is where my island will be after I knock out the walls between the galley kitchen and the room next to it. The big gray thing on the right is my fridge (it will stay there). The square on the right hand wall is a window that I cannot move without LARGE expenses - so it's going to stay.
I added translucent glass to see what the arrangement will look like. The interior shelving is sized to hold my dishes, glassware, etc. We don't want pot lights inside - we try to be as green as possible and it feels like it would be a waste of electricity even if it looks fantastic. We would probably install them but never turn them on.
My next decisions have to be around the style of the doors. I am very keen on arts and crafts, and I hope I am up to it. I am also gaga for anything William Morris and anyone he hung around with at the time but I would take only elements and not go whole hog because it would simply be way too elaborate for me. I know already that arts & crafts will be a challenge because there is less room for error when the design must remain simple yet precise. I keep trolling this site and the web for illustrations to find good examples to follow.
I've been looking through Lee Valley Tools for hardware. I know definitely I want brushed nickel or pewter (I don't like the look of brass or gold) and it needs to be clean lines to remain classic.
I have a feeling that this is going to take me a few years (!) but it's the process of doing it that is most rewarding. There are so many prerequisites for this project. The first is shop expansion downstairs so I can get a router table set up which meant moving a closet (done!) and knocking down walls (almost done), moving the bathroom door (almost done) and moving electrical outlets all over the place (in planning). The great part about this is I have an excuse to steal more room for the shop
In a previous post I stated what women want is a new kitchen. I am double checking my real motives. I think it was more shop space!
Ths sure is nice.
If it were mine I would try to get more glass and less frame in the center section, even to the extent of having all glass on glass hanger hinges.
I would also look into LED lighting for inside the cabinets. Almost no heat generated and about 5 times the light emission meaning lower power used. ( roughly 80% less)
Bob
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