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Open the Door
Sometimes it's good to show the inside of the cabinet. A viewer may want to know the number of shelves, or what it looks like inside. So often I'm preparing a separate scene with a view inside...
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Evolving a Design in SketchUp
6 commentsWhen beginning a new design, I plan on saving several SketchUp versions as the project develops. I will start with a "1" after the filename, and continue with "2, 3, 4, 5…. etc." when changing...
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Flutes on the Pilasters
4 commentsI'm developing a model of a famous American Corner Cupboard. I built this piece years ago but did not have the advantage of a SketchUp model. Here's the current status of the model (finished except...
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Dower Chest with Solid Tools
3 commentsI'm working on a reproduction of a Pennsylvania Dower Chest and have enjoyed experimenting with the new Solid Tools that are a part of Pro version 8. The same results can be achieved with the...
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The Curule Construction - and Ancient X-frame Chair Design
4 commentsWhile developing the Jefferson Campeche Chair (first in SketchUp, then in the shop), I ran across an interesting 20-page document titled, "The Campeche Chair in The Metropolitan Museum of Art". This...
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Placing a Leather Sling on the Campeche Chair
3 commentsI'm progressing with the construction of the Campeche Chair. All of the components are dry-fitted, so glue-up, shaping, finishing, and finally leather fastening are yet to do. I found a large piece...
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The Campeche Chair Upholstery Rail
2 commentsIt was early in 2010 that I first reported on the Campeche Chair shown in the Williamsburg conference "Working Wood in the 18th Century". I modeled-up the chair but never completed the design...
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Making a Bevel-edged Panel
Last week I showed my method of modeling the frame for a small cupboard paneled door. The frame consisted of the stiles and rails fastened with through mortise and tenon joints. It is a classic...
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Printing to Scale
3 commentsA reader asked me to show how to print a scaled drawing of components in SketchUp on a paper size of 8 1/2 x 11. Except for full-size templates, I must admit not printing scaled drawings. For shop...
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Monticello's Universal Table
7 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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Thomas Jefferson's Campeche Chair
22 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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Adding the Stretching Rails to the Breakfast Table
There is a nicely shaped stretching rail connecting the lower part of the legs in the Thomas Elfe breakfast table. One complication in making this stretching assembly is the fact that the table is...
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Making the Wooden Hinged Table Leaf Support
4 commentsSo far in this series on the Breakfast Table, we've done the rule joint, legs, and pierced carved skirt. In this post, I will show how to make the wooden hinge for the leaf support. The final wooden...
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Creating the Legs for the Breakfast Table
As mentioned before, I will do a series on the Thomas Elfe Breakfast Table including the legs, pierced skirts, stretching rails, and wooden hinged leaf supports. I'll be doing this series in a...
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A Rule Joint on a Thomas Elfe Table
I started out thinking a tutorial on making a rule joint would be quite straightforward. My mistake was underestimating what it would take to do on a fancy Thomas Elfe Breakfast Table. I'm interested...
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Making a Windsor Settee Arm/Crest Rail
3 commentsI'm continuing my repertoire of Windsor chairs by adding a two-seat, low-back Settee. This one from Connecticut, circa 1820. As usual I start with the design in SketchUp and found a unique situation...
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Some Turnings are Just More Difficult
I was working with an 18th Century Mahogany Bookcase that includes this complex cornice. There are a number of components in this cornice assembly including the small turned pendants. The pendants...
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Making a Recorder Instrument
2 commentsAfter hearing news recently of the discovery of world's oldest musical instrument - a 35,000 year old flute made from a wing bone - I wondered how it would be to create a "modern" recorder. Using...
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Roy Underhill's Scribed Window Sash
Roy Underhill was a recent guest speaker at Mt. Diablo Woodworker's in Pleasant Hill, CA. It was a fantastic and entertaining day of demonstrations and discussion. One of Roy's subjects during the...
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Bending a Continuous Bow
2 commentsWhile struggling to steam bend fresh ash lumber in the shop, I'm also striving for better and easier methods of bending on the computer in SketchUp. For "real" bends, I'm learning to appreciate key...
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About Design. Click. Build.
Learn the art and science of designing furniture in SketchUp with Fine Woodworking's official blog. Moderated by a devoted community of woodworkers, we feature step-by-step SketchUp tutorials on designing components, downloads of pre-built 3D models of furniture parts, and news and information about the evolving world of digital furniture design.
Basic SketchUp Tutorials
Learn the basics of building furniture in SketchUp with these classic posts from the Design. Click. Build. blog.
Creating a Project Plan in SketchUp
How I Draw in SketchUp
Axes in SketchUp
The SketchUp Move Tool
The SketchUp Rotate Tool
The SketchUp Scale Tool
Materials, Colors, and Textures
Applying Wood Grain Skins in SketchUp
Easy Dovetail Joints in SketchUp
Digital Project Plans
Download and modify SketchUp files for select projects from Fine Woodworking. View all. Top Sellers: Matt's Monster Workbench New England Pine Cupboard Garden BenchMeet 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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