Artist or Engineer

Are most woodworkers artists or engineers, or neither, or both? For the sake of narrowing the field, feel free to assume the population of this forum.

More than ever, I keep getting inclinations that I should be drawing and drafting. I think I can draw better than people who can't. ; ) My dad was a civil engineer who made copious plans for "everything". His buddy was a civil engineer who made projects (mostly "rustic stuff") by the seat of this pants!

I may try SketchUp (motivated by the recent "How To Design Furniture" publication by Taunton Press). I didn't think the 4-page introduction to the software was detailed enough--but it was nice to learn about the (free) software. I may give it a try it in a few minutes...just to see whether it may be worthwhile for me. I can hardly wait ! ; )

Bill

Reply to
Bill
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Bill if you would like to see what you can do with Sketchup I can send you a file of the bedroom furniture towers that I designed and posted pictures of on a.p.b.w.

I have had formal drafting instruction when drawings were only done on a drawing board. I never perused that profession but kept an interest in it to help with my building projects. I have been using a CAD program of some type since 1986. Up until last year I had used AutoCAD LT since 1997.

Sketchup is it for me now and I will probably never go back to the more expensive CAD programs.

The investment to learn Sketchup is well worth your time and that time will be less if you have any drafting back ground. Suddenly with Sketchup you can draw in perspective 3D with very little effort with or with out CAD experience.

One thing that is critical to remember is that you want to draw all of your

3D parts separately and then convert them into components. If you simply draw lines and connect them they are very difficult to separate. If the part you draw is a component you can easily move it and assemble your project much like an erector set.

There are a few of us here that will be glad to help you with any questions that you may have about Sketchup.

Basically for wood working this is going to be the easiest and most competent program to design your projects.

Reply to
Leon

Way cool program.

I posted my first result with SketchUp at alt.binaries.pictures.woodworking, as Subject: First SketchUp (pdf file), in case anyone wants to see what you can do with it in an hour or so...

I have a LOT to learn, but the potential is evident...

Bill

Reply to
Bill

If you make things that work - and don't worry about what it looks like - you're probably an engineer.

If you make things that look pleasing to the eye or hand - but it doesn't actually "do" anything

- you're probably and artist.

If you THINK you make things that work and THINK you make things that are pleasing to the eye neither of which may actually be true

- you're probably an architect.

Fortunately, somewhere, there's a craftsman who can add or fix what each of the others overlooked - or ignored.

Reply to
charlieb

We need a like button on the wreck, just like in Facebook.

Luigi

Reply to
Luigi Zanasi

--------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------ Reminds me of the difference between engineers, salesmen and purchasing agents. ============================== ENGINEERS SALESMAN PURCHASING AGENTS

An engineer is a person who knows a great deal about very little, learning more and more about less and less until they finally know practically everything about nothing.

A salesman, on the other hand, is a person who knows very little about many things, and keeps learning less and less about more and more until they know practically nothing about everything.

A purchasing agent starts out knowing everything about everything, but ends up knowing nothing about anything due to his association with engineers and salesman. ==========================

Lew

Reply to
Lew Hodgett

I think there is a mix. Numerous like the "doing" and planning, others groove on the result. I like the result. _____________

A. Something simple = no plans

B. Something more complex = "plans" 1. Get a mental picture of desired result. 2. Get yellow legal pad 3. Doodle the parts, not to scale, and dimension same 4. Doodle as necessary how the parts will attach to each other 5. Cut parts 6. Join parts

Reply to
dadiOH

I am neither, my method of building is to work out a design mentally and when I think I have all the major points worked out in my head, I start cutting and assembling. The details just seem to work their self out as I go along.

I usually pick one or two functions of the piece at hand and work out the sizing and proportions from there, this works great for free standing furniture.

I tend to lean toward the utilitarian side and the designs aren't overly complex to begin with.

My method of working has it downside of course, it will fail miserably with kitchen cabinets, DAMHIKT. There are places where planning and drawing it out is essential to success.

Even on small run production items I will build one to the point of dry assembly, knock it down and then make my patterns and jigs. I dislike repetitive work, after about ten of something it quits being fun and becomes labor and I avoid this kind of work unless I'm trying to make a few quick $.

I have a love hate relationship with sketchup(damn does anyone know how to turn off the snap to midpoint), but the hate part is lessening the more I learn about SU, Goodluck.

basilisk

Reply to
basilisk

Neither artist nor engineer. Ham-fisted amateur would be close to the truth.

My growing up years were spent on a farm, - we were taught to use whatever we had available to construct something we needed, whether it be from wood or steel. Function took precedence over form. Still does for me. I think those early years helped me to attain the ability to visualise a number of ways to construct things with regard to what I have at hand, - ultimately selecting one and building it. I have never drawn up plans for anything. Doubtless there are those who would say that the appearance of my work makes that quite apparent : )

Reply to
litteratuer

You wouldn't by chance be a Red Green fan, would you? :-)

Reply to
Steve Turner

Bill: I was a trained draftsman in a previous life so I tend to plan most projects to a certain extent. When I say "draftsman" I was trained at a drafting table using drafting instruments of the day. I did get some CAD training in later years but moved into some writing and management jobs before I got a chance to use the CAD tools much.

Planning includes some sort of graphic representation of the project and a list of materials. I currently keep some of my old drafting tools near a small drafting table in the basement; and some of the tools are in my workshop. Smaller projects are planned on a clipboard in the shop. As projects become more complex, I resort to the drafting equipment. Instead of vellum or mylar drawings I usually do a scaled and fairly detailed layout or "shop sketch" on a sheet of 24" or 30" poster board which is cheap and durable when I hang it on the wall of the shop. I am artistic by nature but art and drafting are two different disciplines. I sometimes say I do a half-a**'ed job at both. When a board drawn shop sketch gets to the shop I refer to it often, and modify it as needed. Sometimes the modifications reflect my artistic side; sometimes I'm fixing screw-ups.

Had I come along a few years later, I would probably be using Sketch Up or a CAD tool of some kind. While I consider CAD pretty interesting, I would rather be using my time building, not learning software. Contrary to some people's belief, a trained board draftsman can put lines on paper (and move them) pretty fast. In my earlier life we made a lot of design changes on a change order pad while working with an aircraft technician in the hangar. Also, I would say that about 50-70% of my projects get planned on the clipboard.

To summarize: planning to some level is essential to successful projects. But don't let the planning methods override your woodworking creativity. Visualize, think, sketch, make sawdust

RonB

Reply to
RonB

You just nailed it, bubba!!! :)

Reply to
Swingman

He didn't mention duct tape...

- Doug

Reply to
Doug Winterburn

Too high tech for me ; )

(Had to look it up ...... I'm on the other side of the globe)

Reply to
litteratuer

Bill wrote: > pdf attached

Excellent first effort ... take to heart what Leon said on the wRec about making component parts ... the secret to using SU effectively for woodworking projects.

With regard to whether your proclivity is "artist" or "engineer", oftentimes you have no choice.

Attached is a pdf of the SketchUp file I did last year during the planning stages of the South wall of a kitchen, and a photo of that recently finished South wall, 8 months later.

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good illustration of what you can do with the free program, particularly when you have a client involved in the design and they actually end up getting what they saw during the planning stage.

Makes for a happy client, and good referrals ....

Reply to
Swingman

You meat me to it Swingman! LOL

Reply to
Leon

That is darn impressive. Thank you for sharing it. I saved a copy to show my wife so she can see that I'm not just screwing around! ; )

Bill

Reply to
Bill

"Bill" wrote

Let us know if that works. :)

Reply to
Lee Michaels

Hell, if you want, I'll send you the entire kitchen SketchUp file ... it is about 4.4MB, a heavy lift for many mail servers.

I also posted links in the past to some "dynamic component", kitchen wall and base cabinets that you can change the dimensions of ... real handy when fitting cabinets into a pre-existing space. I'll cehck my server to see if they're still on line.

Reply to
Swingman

But how does Kelly Johnson fit into all of this? The SR-71 works fine as a piece of abstract art and half a century later is still the fastest airplane in the world, so it clearly works.

Reply to
J. Clarke

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