Design. Click. Build
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Clock Numbers, Again
3 commentsAs Chuck Miller over at Fine HomeBuilding is wont to say, "There's a better way." In SketchUp there's nearly always more than one way to do something and sometimes one way is better than the...
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Monticello's Universal Table
5 commentsIn the recent Williamsburg Conference - Working Wood in the 18th Century - Mack Headley gave an interesting talk on various furniture examples from Monticello. One of the pieces he described and...
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Numbers on a Clock Face -- Preparing 3D Text for Use
4 commentsRecently I've been doodling out a mission style hall clock based on one shown in an old book titled "Mission Furniture: How To Make It. After hunting around for a suitable clock face image, I decided...
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Adding Materials to Your Model
14 commentsA few weeks ago I demonstrated my process for drawing a piece of furniture using this fern stand based on a drawing in a book called Mission furniture: How To Make It. Now I'd like to show you how I...
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Thomas Jefferson's Campeche Chair
15 commentsThis past week I attended the "Working Wood in the 18th Century" conference in Williamsburg, VA, as I have done for the past five years. Each year the conference has a special theme, and this year it...
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Would You Like a Front, Side, and Top View?
2 commentsIt seems a paradox, while producing a complete detailed 3D model, there still is a benefit to having the old standby top, end, and front orthographic view. In the beginning with SketchUp, I abandoned...
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Modifying a Model
3 commentsSo after you've drawn up your model and shown it to your client, they come back and ask if you could change the dimensions. "Sure," you say, "I'll just start from scratch and make a new...
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Moldings By Follow Me
8 commentsRecently there have been some questions regarding the use of Follow Me to add a molding around a cabinet. I did a quick little video demo that will hopefully clarify and perhaps even expand your...
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"Components" in SketchUp
6 commentsA reader recently sent a note saying: I started learning Sketchup today for a bookcase I am going to build. I created the box of the bookcase, used the push/pull toolnbsp...
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Replicating a Maloof Design from Pictures
4 commentsOften I'm faced with replicating an existing piece of furniture, but without detailed information or access to the original piece. In fact, the only information available, may be a couple pictures...
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A Fern Stand: Demonstrating My Drawing Process
29 commentsThere are a lot of ways to draw things in SketchUp. Some folks like to draw the parts for a project in...
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Shaping a High Arched Foot
1 commentLast week I showed the procedure I used to make the breadboard on a Shaker Table. Using that same table, I will demonstrate a method for making and shaping the high-arched foot. The making of the...
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SketchUp and the Lathe
2 commentsOne of our readers asked me about the possibility of using SketchUp to design turned vessels. Tim and I have both shown examples of turned legs for tables and other furniture but there's no reason...
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Building a Table Top Breadboard
7 commentsThere are many designs for breadboards. In this case I've chosen one that uses a continuous tongue length and wood screws. Of course, the breadboard connection must accommodate top...
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Save Components For Future Use
After you've gone to the effort to draw things that you might use again such as molding profiles, hardware, frame and panel doors, save those components to make them easy to retrieve later. Here are...
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Drawing Curved Slats for a Chair
A friend of mine asked me about drawing some curved back slats for a chair. The slats I was thinking about are something like you might see on a Maloof-inspired rocking chair. I thought this would...
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Personalizing Your SketchUp Settings
2 commentsI have been requested to update my blog entry Personalizing Your SketchUp Settings, dated November 2007, and still accessible in the archive. Since that date, there have been new versions of...
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How to Use SketchUp to Get the Most from a Digital Woodworking Plan
7 commentsHave you purchased a Digital Plan from FineWoodworking.com? Here's how can you take advantage of the digital file to zoom in, print, x-ray, and review every detail and measurement in SketchUp
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Replicating Drawers in a Highboy
I'm continually building drawers and never are two the same. In starting a new piece of furniture I will "rob" one of my drawer designs in a previous piece. But then they need to be adapted to the...
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Wrapping Beadboard Around a Curved Surface
2 commentsMy friend Dermot emailed me today with a little puzzle. He's working on an island design for a kitchen and he'll end up rendering this image to show the client. His client wants to see bead board on...
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About Design. Click. Build.
Learn the art and science of designing furniture in SketchUp with Fine Woodworking's design blog. Moderated by a devoted community of woodworkers, we feature step-by-step tutorials for designing components in Sketchup, downloads of pre-built 3D models of furniture parts, and news and information about the evolving world of digital furniture design.
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Digital Project Plans
Download and modify SketchUp files for select projects from Fine Woodworking. View all. Top Sellers: Matt's Moster Workbench New England Pine Cupboard Garden Bench
Meet the Authors
DaveRichardsI am a Biomedical Equipment Technician. I maintain anesthesia and respiratory equipment for the largest medical facility in southeast Minnesota. I...
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Tim KillenI am retired from Bechtel Corporation after 36 years in Engineering and IT management. I grew up among woodworking machinery in...
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