# Sketchup As A Woodworking Design Tool



## Brad_Nailor (Jul 26, 2007)

*Making Cabinet Doors With The Follow Me Tool*

Hello everyone! Since I discovered Sketchup several years ago (I have been Skecthing since release 3..pre Google) I have spent a great deal of time watching tutorials and prowling through the forums trying to learn as much about this great software as I can! Since I have been a member here I have seen some great blogs by other members about Sketchup and how to use it, so I thought I would throw my hat in the ring! I see allot of people saying I wish I could use Sketchup better, or I gotta learn Sketchup. I personally think it is one of the best tools you can use for designing woodworking and furniture projects. So I want to write this blog to try and get some of you interested in learning how to use this great tool, and to share some of the tricks and knowledge I have picked up along the way to make everyone love this software as much as I do! To me this is as important as any tool I have in my shop!

I found this little trick in the SU forum I wish I could remember who posted the original idea..I even went back and searched for it so I could give the guy credit, but I couldn't find the thread…so let me say that I DID NOT THINK OF THIS..although I wish I had 'cause it's pretty neat!. But anyways this is the coolest way to make cabinet doors I have seen yet. Oh sure, you could draw all your parts and put them together but that could be time consuming and not as much fun as this method! So here goes..I wish the pics could be larger, but we are limited to 640×480, but I think you can get the idea of what I am trying to do here. Lets start off with a simple flat panel door

First. draw a rectangle the dimensions being that of the cabinet door you would like to make. This door is 12"x30" 


Next, draw the profile of the door parts 2D as if cut in half. This door has 2" wide stiles and rails 1" thick, and a 1/4" flat panel center thats 8" wide. Don't bother with detailing the groves or joinery it wont be seen. But if you want any profiles or fancy edges on the rails and styles you would want to have that included.

Ok, next select all the geometry associated with the door profile (an easy way to select all touching geometry is to triple click) then you want to rotate your door profile so its standing perfectly vertical. You do this with the rotate tool 


Ok, now here comes the fun part..while all the geometry is still selected grab the bottom corner of the profile with the move tool and move it to the center of the left hand vertical line in your size rectangle.

Now, select the follow me tool, and click on the face of your door profile. Then, you start to move it around the door size outline following the edges. Sometimes the tool wigs out a little and you will get a weird looking result…don't worry just click undo and try again. It takes a little practice to get used to the follow me tool. 


Finish by clicking back where you started and if you did it correctly, you should have something that looks like this…

Then get out your trusty eraser, and erase the uneeded lines and you should have this..

I know some of you guys are saying "wheres the rail and stile ends"...I hear ya man..just get out the line tool and draw them in and presto..instant flat panel cabinet door!

You could copy that one door as many times as you needed and then use the scale tool to resize it for the other cabinets, but I find if your not careful with the scale tool it changes other dimensions that you dont want changed. I think it would be just as easy to use this method to create one of each door size then copy them as needded.

So now your saying "works ok for a plain flat panel but what about a raised panel" Well lets try one..
Same size rectangle as the one we used before…

The door profile is the same only I have a 2" bevel from the center of half the panel in to the frame

Move that onto your size rectangle, snapping the lower corner to the center mark..

Then, use the follow me tool just like the last door..


If all the planets were in alignment (and your follow me tool was also) you should have a result that looks like this..

Once again we turn to Mr. eraser, carefully remove the uneeded lines (not your bevels), and draw in you rail and stile ends and just like that, before the cat has a chance to choke up a hairball you have a raised panel cabinet door!

Pretty neat huh? I thought it was when I read the original thread. You can get as fancy or as plain as you want with rail and stile edges ( coves, beads, round overs), and raised panel design just draw it in the door profile. If you rotate the door around you will notice there is no bottom on it, but most of the time if your doing a cabinet or kitchen model your only going to see the front anyways. Now go crank up your copy of Sketchup and make some doors!


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## Lboy (Mar 24, 2007)

Brad_Nailor said:


> *Making Cabinet Doors With The Follow Me Tool*
> 
> Hello everyone! Since I discovered Sketchup several years ago (I have been Skecthing since release 3..pre Google) I have spent a great deal of time watching tutorials and prowling through the forums trying to learn as much about this great software as I can! Since I have been a member here I have seen some great blogs by other members about Sketchup and how to use it, so I thought I would throw my hat in the ring! I see allot of people saying I wish I could use Sketchup better, or I gotta learn Sketchup. I personally think it is one of the best tools you can use for designing woodworking and furniture projects. So I want to write this blog to try and get some of you interested in learning how to use this great tool, and to share some of the tricks and knowledge I have picked up along the way to make everyone love this software as much as I do! To me this is as important as any tool I have in my shop!
> 
> ...


Thanks for the tip. I have been trying to learn sketchup, however, I'm faster with paper and pencil and the frustration level is way low with the pencil.


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## coloradoclimber (Apr 7, 2007)

Brad_Nailor said:


> *Making Cabinet Doors With The Follow Me Tool*
> 
> Hello everyone! Since I discovered Sketchup several years ago (I have been Skecthing since release 3..pre Google) I have spent a great deal of time watching tutorials and prowling through the forums trying to learn as much about this great software as I can! Since I have been a member here I have seen some great blogs by other members about Sketchup and how to use it, so I thought I would throw my hat in the ring! I see allot of people saying I wish I could use Sketchup better, or I gotta learn Sketchup. I personally think it is one of the best tools you can use for designing woodworking and furniture projects. So I want to write this blog to try and get some of you interested in learning how to use this great tool, and to share some of the tricks and knowledge I have picked up along the way to make everyone love this software as much as I do! To me this is as important as any tool I have in my shop!
> 
> ...


That is pretty cool, thanks for that tip.

I know there are smarter / more productive ways to use sketchup. Mostly I've been using it the draw it a line at a time method, kind of like 2d drafting in 3d. I like seeing these tips, it helps break me out of old mindsets.


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## miles125 (Jun 8, 2007)

Brad_Nailor said:


> *Making Cabinet Doors With The Follow Me Tool*
> 
> Hello everyone! Since I discovered Sketchup several years ago (I have been Skecthing since release 3..pre Google) I have spent a great deal of time watching tutorials and prowling through the forums trying to learn as much about this great software as I can! Since I have been a member here I have seen some great blogs by other members about Sketchup and how to use it, so I thought I would throw my hat in the ring! I see allot of people saying I wish I could use Sketchup better, or I gotta learn Sketchup. I personally think it is one of the best tools you can use for designing woodworking and furniture projects. So I want to write this blog to try and get some of you interested in learning how to use this great tool, and to share some of the tricks and knowledge I have picked up along the way to make everyone love this software as much as I do! To me this is as important as any tool I have in my shop!
> 
> ...


I'm concerned software like sketchup will do to peoples sketching skills what the pocket calculator did to peoples math skills.


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## SPalm (Oct 9, 2007)

Brad_Nailor said:


> *Making Cabinet Doors With The Follow Me Tool*
> 
> Hello everyone! Since I discovered Sketchup several years ago (I have been Skecthing since release 3..pre Google) I have spent a great deal of time watching tutorials and prowling through the forums trying to learn as much about this great software as I can! Since I have been a member here I have seen some great blogs by other members about Sketchup and how to use it, so I thought I would throw my hat in the ring! I see allot of people saying I wish I could use Sketchup better, or I gotta learn Sketchup. I personally think it is one of the best tools you can use for designing woodworking and furniture projects. So I want to write this blog to try and get some of you interested in learning how to use this great tool, and to share some of the tricks and knowledge I have picked up along the way to make everyone love this software as much as I do! To me this is as important as any tool I have in my shop!
> 
> ...


Thanks for the tips, and in a friendly teaching environment. I have used a lot of other CAD tools and SU is a bit unique. I got to learn to think their way. Keep it coming.

Thanks again,
Steve


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## Tangle (Jul 21, 2007)

Brad_Nailor said:


> *Making Cabinet Doors With The Follow Me Tool*
> 
> Hello everyone! Since I discovered Sketchup several years ago (I have been Skecthing since release 3..pre Google) I have spent a great deal of time watching tutorials and prowling through the forums trying to learn as much about this great software as I can! Since I have been a member here I have seen some great blogs by other members about Sketchup and how to use it, so I thought I would throw my hat in the ring! I see allot of people saying I wish I could use Sketchup better, or I gotta learn Sketchup. I personally think it is one of the best tools you can use for designing woodworking and furniture projects. So I want to write this blog to try and get some of you interested in learning how to use this great tool, and to share some of the tricks and knowledge I have picked up along the way to make everyone love this software as much as I do! To me this is as important as any tool I have in my shop!
> 
> ...


This some great stuff. At present i am using it to do 2D drawings and saving myself some time. I keep using it and adding to my knowledge but not fast enough. David, why don't yhou staqrt a once per week tutorial blog with Bob Babcock and get the rest of us up to speed. Many of us would appreciate it.


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## North40 (Oct 17, 2007)

Brad_Nailor said:


> *Making Cabinet Doors With The Follow Me Tool*
> 
> Hello everyone! Since I discovered Sketchup several years ago (I have been Skecthing since release 3..pre Google) I have spent a great deal of time watching tutorials and prowling through the forums trying to learn as much about this great software as I can! Since I have been a member here I have seen some great blogs by other members about Sketchup and how to use it, so I thought I would throw my hat in the ring! I see allot of people saying I wish I could use Sketchup better, or I gotta learn Sketchup. I personally think it is one of the best tools you can use for designing woodworking and furniture projects. So I want to write this blog to try and get some of you interested in learning how to use this great tool, and to share some of the tricks and knowledge I have picked up along the way to make everyone love this software as much as I do! To me this is as important as any tool I have in my shop!
> 
> ...


Miles, you haven't seen my sketching skills before SketchUp! Personally, I'm more concerned about what TV has done to people's reading and writing and creative thinking skills.

To get a different width of the same profile door, copy the original, then select one stile, the adjacent rail ends, and the nearest edge of the panel profile and move them to the new width. The rest of the door will stretch to match. To resize height, follow the same steps, but select a rail instead of a stile.


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## Brad_Nailor (Jul 26, 2007)

Brad_Nailor said:


> *Making Cabinet Doors With The Follow Me Tool*
> 
> Hello everyone! Since I discovered Sketchup several years ago (I have been Skecthing since release 3..pre Google) I have spent a great deal of time watching tutorials and prowling through the forums trying to learn as much about this great software as I can! Since I have been a member here I have seen some great blogs by other members about Sketchup and how to use it, so I thought I would throw my hat in the ring! I see allot of people saying I wish I could use Sketchup better, or I gotta learn Sketchup. I personally think it is one of the best tools you can use for designing woodworking and furniture projects. So I want to write this blog to try and get some of you interested in learning how to use this great tool, and to share some of the tricks and knowledge I have picked up along the way to make everyone love this software as much as I do! To me this is as important as any tool I have in my shop!
> 
> ...


Thanks for all the comments guys!
@Miles..I can't sketch at all…thats what prompted me to get into drafting in the first place…god bless the T-square!
@Peter..Thanks for chiming in with that tip… thats a much better way to re size the doors than using the scale tool.


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## Tangle (Jul 21, 2007)

Brad_Nailor said:


> *Making Cabinet Doors With The Follow Me Tool*
> 
> Hello everyone! Since I discovered Sketchup several years ago (I have been Skecthing since release 3..pre Google) I have spent a great deal of time watching tutorials and prowling through the forums trying to learn as much about this great software as I can! Since I have been a member here I have seen some great blogs by other members about Sketchup and how to use it, so I thought I would throw my hat in the ring! I see allot of people saying I wish I could use Sketchup better, or I gotta learn Sketchup. I personally think it is one of the best tools you can use for designing woodworking and furniture projects. So I want to write this blog to try and get some of you interested in learning how to use this great tool, and to share some of the tricks and knowledge I have picked up along the way to make everyone love this software as much as I do! To me this is as important as any tool I have in my shop!
> 
> ...


I better go up to Emmitt for a day or two.


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## North40 (Oct 17, 2007)

Brad_Nailor said:


> *Making Cabinet Doors With The Follow Me Tool*
> 
> Hello everyone! Since I discovered Sketchup several years ago (I have been Skecthing since release 3..pre Google) I have spent a great deal of time watching tutorials and prowling through the forums trying to learn as much about this great software as I can! Since I have been a member here I have seen some great blogs by other members about Sketchup and how to use it, so I thought I would throw my hat in the ring! I see allot of people saying I wish I could use Sketchup better, or I gotta learn Sketchup. I personally think it is one of the best tools you can use for designing woodworking and furniture projects. So I want to write this blog to try and get some of you interested in learning how to use this great tool, and to share some of the tricks and knowledge I have picked up along the way to make everyone love this software as much as I do! To me this is as important as any tool I have in my shop!
> 
> ...


Ha! Sure, Tom - I'll send you my rate card for software training!


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## johngoes (Dec 22, 2008)

Brad_Nailor said:


> *Making Cabinet Doors With The Follow Me Tool*
> 
> Hello everyone! Since I discovered Sketchup several years ago (I have been Skecthing since release 3..pre Google) I have spent a great deal of time watching tutorials and prowling through the forums trying to learn as much about this great software as I can! Since I have been a member here I have seen some great blogs by other members about Sketchup and how to use it, so I thought I would throw my hat in the ring! I see allot of people saying I wish I could use Sketchup better, or I gotta learn Sketchup. I personally think it is one of the best tools you can use for designing woodworking and furniture projects. So I want to write this blog to try and get some of you interested in learning how to use this great tool, and to share some of the tricks and knowledge I have picked up along the way to make everyone love this software as much as I do! To me this is as important as any tool I have in my shop!
> 
> ...


This may be stale but I learned that if you preselect the border you want follow me to follow it will automatically fill out the shape without having to manually follow the lines.


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## thelt (Feb 23, 2009)

Brad_Nailor said:


> *Making Cabinet Doors With The Follow Me Tool*
> 
> Hello everyone! Since I discovered Sketchup several years ago (I have been Skecthing since release 3..pre Google) I have spent a great deal of time watching tutorials and prowling through the forums trying to learn as much about this great software as I can! Since I have been a member here I have seen some great blogs by other members about Sketchup and how to use it, so I thought I would throw my hat in the ring! I see allot of people saying I wish I could use Sketchup better, or I gotta learn Sketchup. I personally think it is one of the best tools you can use for designing woodworking and furniture projects. So I want to write this blog to try and get some of you interested in learning how to use this great tool, and to share some of the tricks and knowledge I have picked up along the way to make everyone love this software as much as I do! To me this is as important as any tool I have in my shop!
> 
> ...


Next, draw the profile of the door parts 2D as if cut in half. This door has 2" wide stiles and rails 1" thick, and a 1/4" flat panel center thats 8" wide. Don't bother with detailing the groves or joinery it wont be seen. But if you want any profiles or fancy edges on the rails and styles you would want to have that included.

That's the part I really don't understand. I tried drawing it with lines and rectangles and it still don't work.


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## Brad_Nailor (Jul 26, 2007)

Brad_Nailor said:


> *Making Cabinet Doors With The Follow Me Tool*
> 
> Hello everyone! Since I discovered Sketchup several years ago (I have been Skecthing since release 3..pre Google) I have spent a great deal of time watching tutorials and prowling through the forums trying to learn as much about this great software as I can! Since I have been a member here I have seen some great blogs by other members about Sketchup and how to use it, so I thought I would throw my hat in the ring! I see allot of people saying I wish I could use Sketchup better, or I gotta learn Sketchup. I personally think it is one of the best tools you can use for designing woodworking and furniture projects. So I want to write this blog to try and get some of you interested in learning how to use this great tool, and to share some of the tricks and knowledge I have picked up along the way to make everyone love this software as much as I do! To me this is as important as any tool I have in my shop!
> 
> ...


Thelt..
You want to draw a profile of the door as if you sliced it in half and was looking squarely at the section. Draw it flat on the ground in the red/green axis and then when you get it worked out the way you want it then rotate it (stand it up) and place it on your guidelines for the door dimensions as I indicated in the drawing.


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## Brad_Nailor (Jul 26, 2007)

*The Virtual Woodshop*

Hey everybody! I was just reading and responding to someones forum topic about shop design, and I remembered that a while ago I downloaded a Sketchup component library that contained models of most of the power equipment you would find in a wood shop. I got it from the downloads/components page of the old Sketchup (pre Google). I don't remember who did the modeling but they graciously put it up there for anyone to download and use. Here is a couple of screen shots of the stuff thats in it….





Each item is a component group. They are a little low poly, but the detail is pretty good on most of the items. You could easily use any of the models as a starting point to super detail an individual piece of equipment.. The great thing is you could just create a basic room representing your shop and then just drag and drop whatever pieces you have, then move them around, re arrange to your hearts content. You could make a couple of cubes and position them to represent the in-feed/out-feed clearances of certain machines..just paint them with an transparent material like colored glass. Then as you move things around you could instantly see if you are going to have the room for a good work flow. If you wanted to be super precise, you could take rough measurements of your equipment, then re scale the model to be the perfect size. The possibility's are endless!

So I went to the Sketchup downloads/components page to copy the link to the file to post for everyone, but they don't have it up there anymore! Bummer! I was going to just ask people to email me if they wanted a copy of the file, but I had a feeling that allot of people might want the file. So I put it up on my personal web space here is the link http://members.cox.net/fella/Woodworking%20Tools.skp The first time you open it with SU ver 6 you will get a message about it being in and older file format..don't worry just save it when your done playing, and you shouldn't see it again.

Well everyone download the file and start working on your shop layouts! This is a good way to play around with Sketchup without having to do allot of modeling first. Post some screen shots of your virtual shops!


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## cajunpen (Apr 9, 2007)

Brad_Nailor said:


> *The Virtual Woodshop*
> 
> Hey everybody! I was just reading and responding to someones forum topic about shop design, and I remembered that a while ago I downloaded a Sketchup component library that contained models of most of the power equipment you would find in a wood shop. I got it from the downloads/components page of the old Sketchup (pre Google). I don't remember who did the modeling but they graciously put it up there for anyone to download and use. Here is a couple of screen shots of the stuff thats in it….
> 
> ...


Thanks Brad. I just went to the site, but it only gave me the top set of tools (the one with the workbench). Are the bottom set of tools somewhere else? I do appreciate the effort - great tool, as I am getting ready to rearrange my shop in the next week or two.


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## MNedman (Dec 1, 2007)

Brad_Nailor said:


> *The Virtual Woodshop*
> 
> Hey everybody! I was just reading and responding to someones forum topic about shop design, and I remembered that a while ago I downloaded a Sketchup component library that contained models of most of the power equipment you would find in a wood shop. I got it from the downloads/components page of the old Sketchup (pre Google). I don't remember who did the modeling but they graciously put it up there for anyone to download and use. Here is a couple of screen shots of the stuff thats in it….
> 
> ...


Thanks Brad, that will be very helpful as I get my shop re-organized! Right now it's a disaster area as I am finishing the basement and my shop has become the temporary storage area for all of the basement contents.

Bill, when you open the file in sketchup, click on Window in the menu, then select Components from the drop down box and you will see that there are about 30 different tool components available in this model. If you left click on the little icon beside the "In Model" box, you will get another menu which allows you to "Save library as". Click on this menu item and browse to the Google Sketchup 6 program directory, and save it to the Components sub directory, and this component library of tools will be available to you in all future models.


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## Brad_Nailor (Jul 26, 2007)

Brad_Nailor said:


> *The Virtual Woodshop*
> 
> Hey everybody! I was just reading and responding to someones forum topic about shop design, and I remembered that a while ago I downloaded a Sketchup component library that contained models of most of the power equipment you would find in a wood shop. I got it from the downloads/components page of the old Sketchup (pre Google). I don't remember who did the modeling but they graciously put it up there for anyone to download and use. Here is a couple of screen shots of the stuff thats in it….
> 
> ...


Bill…. That is the same bunch of tools..i just took a screen shot from the opposite side so people could see from both angles. Mathew is correct….that is how you save all the components into your component browser so the models will be available to you in any future drawings without having to drag and drop them from two windows.

Just click on the link above and save it to your computer!


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## mrtrim (Oct 11, 2007)

Brad_Nailor said:


> *The Virtual Woodshop*
> 
> Hey everybody! I was just reading and responding to someones forum topic about shop design, and I remembered that a while ago I downloaded a Sketchup component library that contained models of most of the power equipment you would find in a wood shop. I got it from the downloads/components page of the old Sketchup (pre Google). I don't remember who did the modeling but they graciously put it up there for anyone to download and use. Here is a couple of screen shots of the stuff thats in it….
> 
> ...


thanks for posting that david . i havent had time to work with su enough to get the hang of it yet but i hope to have time to work with it some this month . thanks again


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## cheller (Feb 24, 2007)

Brad_Nailor said:


> *The Virtual Woodshop*
> 
> Hey everybody! I was just reading and responding to someones forum topic about shop design, and I remembered that a while ago I downloaded a Sketchup component library that contained models of most of the power equipment you would find in a wood shop. I got it from the downloads/components page of the old Sketchup (pre Google). I don't remember who did the modeling but they graciously put it up there for anyone to download and use. Here is a couple of screen shots of the stuff thats in it….
> 
> ...


Excellent. I've been meaning to get to work on layout for my shop - desperately needed in anticipation of our impending house renovation which will include renovating the shop.


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## Slacker (Apr 7, 2008)

Brad_Nailor said:


> *The Virtual Woodshop*
> 
> Hey everybody! I was just reading and responding to someones forum topic about shop design, and I remembered that a while ago I downloaded a Sketchup component library that contained models of most of the power equipment you would find in a wood shop. I got it from the downloads/components page of the old Sketchup (pre Google). I don't remember who did the modeling but they graciously put it up there for anyone to download and use. Here is a couple of screen shots of the stuff thats in it….
> 
> ...


Hi Brad Nailor… I am new to this blog, just tooling around, and saw this post. I tried to connect with the link and got the 404 error. Is there any way I can get the library?

I just got back into woodworking as my next career after many years away from it. I have spent many years in environmental laboratories, and I would rather retire back home and open a little woodshop. So little by little I have been buying tools, and now I got a huge mess in my garage. So these components would be very welcome indeed.

Thanks.


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## GaryK (Jun 25, 2007)

Brad_Nailor said:


> *The Virtual Woodshop*
> 
> Hey everybody! I was just reading and responding to someones forum topic about shop design, and I remembered that a while ago I downloaded a Sketchup component library that contained models of most of the power equipment you would find in a wood shop. I got it from the downloads/components page of the old Sketchup (pre Google). I don't remember who did the modeling but they graciously put it up there for anyone to download and use. Here is a couple of screen shots of the stuff thats in it….
> 
> ...


That would be John Yurko who created the drawings.

http://yda-online.com/shopmodels.htm


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## Blake (Oct 17, 2007)

Brad_Nailor said:


> *The Virtual Woodshop*
> 
> Hey everybody! I was just reading and responding to someones forum topic about shop design, and I remembered that a while ago I downloaded a Sketchup component library that contained models of most of the power equipment you would find in a wood shop. I got it from the downloads/components page of the old Sketchup (pre Google). I don't remember who did the modeling but they graciously put it up there for anyone to download and use. Here is a couple of screen shots of the stuff thats in it….
> 
> ...


I don't know who has the time to do this, but it's pretty cool that we can benefit from it. My hat is off to whoever created these.

I've seen these before and used them for planning out my shop. It's such a great resource. It's just like the "cut and paste" version that come in magazines only it is 3D and you can fly though it to experience the space.

I'm glad you posted this, it will be useful to a lot of folks who haven't seen it before.

My tip to anyone who isn't familiar with this: Download Google Sketchup (free) and play around with it for a while until you get comfortable with how to use it. Then go to Google's Sketchup library and search for just about anything, from woodworking machines, to individual bolts, to airplane engine parts… you will probably find a 3D virtual model of it. Then you can download those models and use them in Sketchup.


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## Blake (Oct 17, 2007)

Brad_Nailor said:


> *The Virtual Woodshop*
> 
> Hey everybody! I was just reading and responding to someones forum topic about shop design, and I remembered that a while ago I downloaded a Sketchup component library that contained models of most of the power equipment you would find in a wood shop. I got it from the downloads/components page of the old Sketchup (pre Google). I don't remember who did the modeling but they graciously put it up there for anyone to download and use. Here is a couple of screen shots of the stuff thats in it….
> 
> ...


GaryK: that guy should be invited to Lumberjocks!


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## ChicoWoodnut (Dec 15, 2007)

Brad_Nailor said:


> *The Virtual Woodshop*
> 
> Hey everybody! I was just reading and responding to someones forum topic about shop design, and I remembered that a while ago I downloaded a Sketchup component library that contained models of most of the power equipment you would find in a wood shop. I got it from the downloads/components page of the old Sketchup (pre Google). I don't remember who did the modeling but they graciously put it up there for anyone to download and use. Here is a couple of screen shots of the stuff thats in it….
> 
> ...


This rocks! I have been collecting a set but here they all are in one place. Sweeet!


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## Brad_Nailor (Jul 26, 2007)

Brad_Nailor said:


> *The Virtual Woodshop*
> 
> Hey everybody! I was just reading and responding to someones forum topic about shop design, and I remembered that a while ago I downloaded a Sketchup component library that contained models of most of the power equipment you would find in a wood shop. I got it from the downloads/components page of the old Sketchup (pre Google). I don't remember who did the modeling but they graciously put it up there for anyone to download and use. Here is a couple of screen shots of the stuff thats in it….
> 
> ...


Thanks for posting that link Gary. I took the file down off my web space. Nobody had downloaded it in a long time and I needed the room. The models are not the greatest detail wise, but they are good enough to do a nice 3D shop plan.


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## jey (Jun 11, 2008)

Brad_Nailor said:


> *The Virtual Woodshop*
> 
> Hey everybody! I was just reading and responding to someones forum topic about shop design, and I remembered that a while ago I downloaded a Sketchup component library that contained models of most of the power equipment you would find in a wood shop. I got it from the downloads/components page of the old Sketchup (pre Google). I don't remember who did the modeling but they graciously put it up there for anyone to download and use. Here is a couple of screen shots of the stuff thats in it….
> 
> ...


Hey, nice website- I'm the guy who made all those equipment models. You can still download them from my firm's website-

http://yda-online.com/shopmodels.htm

I just started construction on a new shop, and thought I'd start a blog about the design & construction process, eventually getting to the shop layout using the models. Check it out if you're interested.

http://thefamilyshop.blogspot.com

JEY


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## GaryK (Jun 25, 2007)

Brad_Nailor said:


> *The Virtual Woodshop*
> 
> Hey everybody! I was just reading and responding to someones forum topic about shop design, and I remembered that a while ago I downloaded a Sketchup component library that contained models of most of the power equipment you would find in a wood shop. I got it from the downloads/components page of the old Sketchup (pre Google). I don't remember who did the modeling but they graciously put it up there for anyone to download and use. Here is a couple of screen shots of the stuff thats in it….
> 
> ...


Jey - Looking forward to your construction blog!


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## Brad_Nailor (Jul 26, 2007)

Brad_Nailor said:


> *The Virtual Woodshop*
> 
> Hey everybody! I was just reading and responding to someones forum topic about shop design, and I remembered that a while ago I downloaded a Sketchup component library that contained models of most of the power equipment you would find in a wood shop. I got it from the downloads/components page of the old Sketchup (pre Google). I don't remember who did the modeling but they graciously put it up there for anyone to download and use. Here is a couple of screen shots of the stuff thats in it….
> 
> ...


John
Great website! Thats some shop your building. I love the design..great Sketchup work! Looking forward to watching the entire building project.


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## boboswin (May 23, 2007)

Brad_Nailor said:


> *The Virtual Woodshop*
> 
> Hey everybody! I was just reading and responding to someones forum topic about shop design, and I remembered that a while ago I downloaded a Sketchup component library that contained models of most of the power equipment you would find in a wood shop. I got it from the downloads/components page of the old Sketchup (pre Google). I don't remember who did the modeling but they graciously put it up there for anyone to download and use. Here is a couple of screen shots of the stuff thats in it….
> 
> ...


Hi Brad:
I too found these very handy in mocking up the electrical layout for my new shop. Mr Yurko has done an excellent job and I did find another set that were quite good as well.


I am indebted to fellows like you and several others here for the time you spend spoonfeeding us these technical gems.

Bob


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## justahunter (Dec 21, 2008)

Brad_Nailor said:


> *The Virtual Woodshop*
> 
> Hey everybody! I was just reading and responding to someones forum topic about shop design, and I remembered that a while ago I downloaded a Sketchup component library that contained models of most of the power equipment you would find in a wood shop. I got it from the downloads/components page of the old Sketchup (pre Google). I don't remember who did the modeling but they graciously put it up there for anyone to download and use. Here is a couple of screen shots of the stuff thats in it….
> 
> ...


This is outstanding. My thanks to you "brad" and JEY. Gotta love this site!


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## PuttPuttPaul (Mar 16, 2007)

Brad_Nailor said:


> *The Virtual Woodshop*
> 
> Hey everybody! I was just reading and responding to someones forum topic about shop design, and I remembered that a while ago I downloaded a Sketchup component library that contained models of most of the power equipment you would find in a wood shop. I got it from the downloads/components page of the old Sketchup (pre Google). I don't remember who did the modeling but they graciously put it up there for anyone to download and use. Here is a couple of screen shots of the stuff thats in it….
> 
> ...


Does anybody still have the Sketuchp template(s) used to create the models on this page? All the links appear dead. I'd like to use Sketchup to design my new shop. We moved to a new town, and now I have to (get to) build a new shop. I used to have a whole basement to myself, but in this new house I'm going to be relegated to the third bay of the garage (I plan to use the rest of the garage on an as-needed basis).

Thanks! 
Paul.


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## Brad_Nailor (Jul 26, 2007)

*How to make floor plans in Sketchup*

This is a quick little tutorial in response to Blake's question on how to draw floor plans in 3D in Sketchup

This is the quick and dirty method
First make an outline of the inside dimensions of the room


Then select all the lines by clicking on them with the shift key held down


Then use the offset tool and click on one of the selected lines, and offset it 4 or 6" whatever you want..


Then you should have a separate area where the walls are


Then grab the push pull tool and start extruding your walls..


I just type in 8' in the VCB (the box in the lower right corner) then hit enter, and voilà! 8' high walls…


Then if you want to start getting fancy you can add some interior walls..
Just draw a rectangle the same width as your other walls where you want the partition to be, grab the push/pull tool and extrude away! 




Thats kind of the quick and dirty way to do it. It works well if its a small space and not allot of walls. If you wanted to do a more detailed or complex floor plan with allot of walls I would take the time to draw it out in 2D with your wall thickness and then use the push/pull tool to extrude the whole thing.





Allot of times I have the luxury of having an Auto CAD 2D drawing of a floor plan. I import it into Sketchup and if the drafter did a good job I could just clean it up a little and then extrude the walls. Most of the time I end up drawing from scratch. I hope this helps you and anyone else out there to understand and use Sketchup! Feel free to post any questions….i will do my best to answer them!


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## sbryan55 (Dec 8, 2007)

Brad_Nailor said:


> *How to make floor plans in Sketchup*
> 
> This is a quick little tutorial in response to Blake's question on how to draw floor plans in 3D in Sketchup
> 
> ...


Thanks David. I am sure that this tutorial will benefit of lot of us on the steep side of the Sketchup learning curve.


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## rikkor (Oct 17, 2007)

Brad_Nailor said:


> *How to make floor plans in Sketchup*
> 
> This is a quick little tutorial in response to Blake's question on how to draw floor plans in 3D in Sketchup
> 
> ...


Nicely done. It is clear and easy to follow. Thank you.


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## CorporalWilly (Jan 7, 2008)

Brad_Nailor said:


> *How to make floor plans in Sketchup*
> 
> This is a quick little tutorial in response to Blake's question on how to draw floor plans in 3D in Sketchup
> 
> ...


Hi Dave,
Nicely done my friend. Great screen shots of your work in progress. I also use SketchUp and several other CAD programs. SketchUp is the world's premier conceptualization program. It is easily learned and it can be downloaded for free from Google who now owns the company. The Pro. version costs about $500. but for most of us the standard free version does everything I want to do with it. You did a very nice presentation there and I am sure you have enticed a lot of others who would like to try their hands at using it. Take care and keep on drawing. Bye.


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## GaryK (Jun 25, 2007)

Brad_Nailor said:


> *How to make floor plans in Sketchup*
> 
> This is a quick little tutorial in response to Blake's question on how to draw floor plans in 3D in Sketchup
> 
> ...


Very nice job explaining it!


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## gizmodyne (Mar 15, 2007)

Brad_Nailor said:


> *How to make floor plans in Sketchup*
> 
> This is a quick little tutorial in response to Blake's question on how to draw floor plans in 3D in Sketchup
> 
> ...


Great tips. I have struggled with this. Never thought about the offset tool.


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## Blake (Oct 17, 2007)

Brad_Nailor said:


> *How to make floor plans in Sketchup*
> 
> This is a quick little tutorial in response to Blake's question on how to draw floor plans in 3D in Sketchup
> 
> ...


This is exactly what I needed! Thanks so much!!! I am going to try this… Favorited.


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## fredf (Mar 29, 2008)

Brad_Nailor said:


> *How to make floor plans in Sketchup*
> 
> This is a quick little tutorial in response to Blake's question on how to draw floor plans in 3D in Sketchup
> 
> ...


You enticed me to download and try sketchup. It does look to be a very handy tool. as soon as I get over the worst of the learning curve.

I have a cottage that we are getting ready to add a new larger kitchen to, and I am curious about roof lines. I finally got one side of a roof on. boy think its easier in real life! su doens't want to draw planes at odd angles does it!

thanks


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## Brad_Nailor (Jul 26, 2007)

Brad_Nailor said:


> *How to make floor plans in Sketchup*
> 
> This is a quick little tutorial in response to Blake's question on how to draw floor plans in 3D in Sketchup
> 
> ...


Thanks for the comments guys! Blake, I'm glad i could help. I figured it would be easier to show how to do it rather than try to explain it….and it was so many screen shots it turned into it's own blog! The offset tool is pretty handy..I use it allot…that and "follow me".

fredf…SU does angles pretty well. You have to master the protractor tool (allows you to set guide lines at specific angles) and the rotate tool ( allows you to rotate already created geometry). What are you having trouble with? Usually its the eaves/overhangs that throw people curves…


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