SketchUp

SketchUp is the best! I have been using it for years in my architectural practice, but it adapts perfectly to designing woodwork projects. Make each piece of your project into a component as you develop the design. then you can isolate each of these in a separate scene (view>animate>scene), hiding the other parts of the model. It helps to put your dimensions on separate layers for each component so you can hide the ones that don’t apply. I use Sketchup Pro (the version you have to pay for), so some of these features may not be available in the free version, but you get the idea.

-- Bob

Sketchup is the bomb! I used to use AutoCAD 2D and my wife could never visualize the piece as it would be in real life. When I started using Sketchup, that all changed. She loves it because we can visualize things better. I like it because I can model things that I need to get into the piece I am building and make sure that it will fit once everything is in place.

Number one in my book.

-- -- Rob Hix, King George, VA

Does anyone know how do do chamfered or coved corners in sketchup?

-- There are three kinds of people... those who can count, and those who can't

Betsy did a super tutorial on Sketchup. You can read it here:

The entire blog can be downloaded here:

Lew

It’s well worth taking a look at www.sketchucation.com for their forums. You will notice a few odd people there, unlike at any woodworking forum site…. ;-)

And the tutorials provided on the FWW site (by amongst others, DaveR) are generally excellently helpful.

I try and post my Sketchup schtuff on their 3d warehouse – Chase this link for the plans for a Morris Chair, blanket box, etc…I think we need to share projects – You can’t teach experience,... but I try and take it from all of you.

http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=4042b266de36de5d5b6907dace61dcba

-- The Gnarly Wood Shoppe

Those are nice, Schroeder… Having the cutlist plug in comes in extremely handy with such a detailed model. How does stile sanding jig work?

My sketchup stuff is nowhere near as nice. I would do well to learn how to put my files together nice like yours. How did you explode your models? The hard way?

-- There are three kinds of people... those who can count, and those who can't

Thanks Slacker – yes, I explode them the hard way… The sanding jig has a small dowel that locks the arms and pinches the stile when you squeeze it together. This is the best method I’ve found for holding/sanding small repetative parts.

Schroeder

-- The Gnarly Wood Shoppe

Schroeder, nice model. Would you mind a couple of suggestions?

Dave

-- Quantum materiae materietur marmota monax si marmota monax materiam possit materiari?

Dave – I would love suggestions! I have no ego – am all aqbout learning something new/better!
Schroeder

-- The Gnarly Wood Shoppe

Schroeder, here you go. Take a look at this.

-- Quantum materiae materietur marmota monax si marmota monax materiam possit materiari?