General design question

Todd, Sketchup has been an invaluable aide for me in designing projects. I have found that building a piece virtually helps me work out problems easier than trying to design them on paper.

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

A lot of people like sketchup, mainly because it’s free. I could never really get the hang of it. I use AutoCAD mainly to put my ideas on “paper”. I also use it to print out 1:1 patterns to apply to my lumber.

I usually get a thought of what I want. Use AutoCAD to refine the scale and work out some details. Then when I actually build it and if I make too big a mistake to fix I will either make that part over or most likely incorporate the mistake into the design. I have never checked anything with the golden ratio.

-- Gary - Never pass up the opportunity to make a mistake look like you planned it that way - Tyler, TX

On the jobsite as a pro I use plans designed in CAD. In my hobby shop I wing it, Unless i’m building something in specific. When it’s hobby time you go with what you feel. Sometimes a monday you might want a Ogee pattern around that box top, Thursday you might have put a 1/4 round. It depends on the project itself.

If your building to a certain style you follow it.

My train of thought is this,
Structural then Style. I dont want to build a flimsy, fancy, freak, I want my stuff to last for ages to come. Everyone has there own ways though. And every shop produces it’s own Feel.

-- Live by what you believe, not what they want you to believe.

Unless I’m replacating a customers project I design on the fly

-- W James Brokenbourgh Custom furniture maker http://artisticwoodstudio.com/

I get the general design done with sketchup and then just go with flow when it comes to build time and cut to fit. I mean it doesn’t matter if you cut part c to the precise dimensions your plan asks for if part b ended up a tad too small.

-- I am always doing that which I can not do, in order that I may learn how to do it. - Pablo Picasso

Todd, I’m like you as far as borrowing design elements from things I’ve seen and adding some of my own. I don’t build from plans because it takes too much of the creative aspect out of it. But like Skarp, I’m pretty good at thinking in 3D, so I rarely put anything on paper.

-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"

I use as little as a simple sketch on paper or detailed drawings using Solidworks depending on the project. My current home office project is in CAD since there are many different parts. This also allows my wife to see the plan before I cut wood. CAD also comes in handy if you need to make changes along the way. Parts are always fine tuned during construction.

-- Jeff, Dayton, OH

I design on paper with everything from rough sketches to clean finished drawings. Much of that depends on budget because I get paid for that.

I also use models and these cost too.

I cover my design process in my website. Just go to my site and click on “Design.” It was written for potential clients and woodworkers alike.

Hope that helps.

-- Todd A. Clippinger, Montana, http://americancraftsmanworkshop.com

I always had a nagging feeling that I had to have a full complete plan before steping into the shop (probably comes from my past job experiance). It is good to hear that most have a rough sketch then build to fit which is what my current practice is. I assume the more I build the less and less that will go on paper. As with all things practice makes perfect.