Computer software to make project plans material and cut list at a affordable price.

A free program is Google’s Sketchup. However, it does have a learning curve. If you are interested in trying it, I have a bunch of links to tutorials.

Lew

-- Lew- Time traveler. Purveyor of the world's finest custom rolling pins!

Ed, I will second Lew’s suggestion on using Sketchup for design purposes. But it will not produce a materials list. I use Cutlist (Silver edition) to generate materials and cut lists. It is primarily designed for sheet goods but it will also handle rough/dimensioned lumber as well.

With a plugin you can take a project designed in Sketchup and produce a materials and cut list in Cutlist.

-- Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful- Joshua Marine

I tried Sketch-it but it seemed to be more floor plans and landsccaping lay out. If you have those links to Google’s Sketchup tutorials I would like to look at them before I try to download program I still have phone lines and you known how slow that is. Thankyou.

-- Ed Pa.

Ed, Here is a link for an eight part series that Chiefwoodworker produced. It is well worth viewing. Basically it is nearly an eight hour series that Joe takes the viewer through the commands and processes necessary to design a shaker table. I am not sure how it will work with dial up though.

Good luck.

-- Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful- Joshua Marine

All CAD software has a learning curve, some steeper than others. But with the right tutorials it gets a lot easier.

I thought SketchUp was for everyone but woodworker’s until I stumbled upon http://sketchupforwoodworkers.com/. There are some great tutorials tied to a bookcase project that allow you to see the cool things sketchup can do. There are many more out there, including FWW’s Design. Click. Build. Blog. These should give you a good idea of the capabilities of SketchUp.

Another LJ, daltxguy, has created a CutList plugin and is providing it for free at http://lumberjocks.com/daltxguy/blog/5143.

These may not be everything you need for designing new projects, but they’re a good start. And how can you beat the price?!

-- Tim from MA -- "Well done is better than well said." - Benjamin Franlin

I hear SketchUp seems to be a good software.

-- CJIII Future cabinetmaker

I want to thank everybody for all the information and I’m going to check it all out.

-- Ed Pa.

Ed – Sketchup + Cutlist ( my plugin) will give you everything you probably need.
If you need to get fancier layout and advanced features, then Sketchup + Cutlist(my plugin) + CutListPlus is a good combination. Sketchup to produce the design. Cutlist plugin to produce a cutlist or basic layout . Cutlist plugin will also generate a CutListPlus compatible file which can then be imported into CutListPlus for more advanced layout. There is a basic version of CutListPlus which is free. CutListPlus is not mine but was is written by Todd Peterson and has been around for over 10 years.

-- If you can't joint it, bead it!