What???? More wood working???

[dadiOH]

I would urge you to try again. For amateur woodworkers, it is an incredibly useful tool; it is the same for pros but would also be money in the bank.

It may be that you were trying to bite off too much at once. If you haven't alteady done so, watch the four "getting started" videos...

Basically, one can draw anything with straight and curved lines. In woodworking, the straight ones are the more dominant and Sketchup has two tools for that: the "line tool" and the "rectangle tool". One suggestion I have for you involves scale: forget about it; it is important if you are drawing by hand but with Sketchup it has no bearing; what IS important is dimensions which are displayed in the lower right and which are pertinent to the current operation.

For example, suppose you want to draw a line that is 16 7/8" long; as you move the cursor, the length drawn will be displayed at the lower right. When I first started using Sketchup I saw the dimension box and tried to click on it so I could enter what I wanted. Doesn't work...one just starts to draw, then types the length desired (without clicking on the box) and the line auromatically shoots out. Same with rectangles except one enters the length and width with a comma inbetween (16 7/8,22 1/4 eg, fractions or decimals, either or both). Same with many other operations.

For depth/height, use the push/pull tool on a two dimensional object

Leon has mentioned the necessity of components. He is 100% right. I had many frustrations before I capitulated to his advice. After selecting an object (spacebar = select) the letter "G" will open a make component box. Why do you want components? 1. As Leon said, they don't stick to other things 2. You can use it again without redrawing (in same or different drawing) 3. #2 Saves memory and speeds operation. For example, if you were drawing a face frame, you could draw one stile and one rail then copy them for the rest of the FF.

You could do the same for a ladder...one stringer, one rung, copy. You could also draw one stringer, one rung, copy stringer then copy the one rung making ALL all rungs at any interval in one shot (linear array).

Many of the program's features won't be readily apparent, takes using it to discover them One can also Google for a "how to"; eg, "sketchup how to do linear array".

Try it again, Mike...watch the videos, play with it, Google questions or ask here.

[Swingman]

Yep, a very important basic concept that needs to be grasped.

And taking that concept a step further, and one that should be even more intuitive to the woodworker:

I like to think of SU as dealing with "faces and edges"... just as you think of the faces and edges of a tubafour, or any board.

... or a table leg, or a brick, or a tile, or a dowel.

[Leon]

I'll add that by left clicking and dragging a box around what you want to select you kill a bunch of birds with one stone. And reverse dragging selects only those lines that are fully contained with in the drag box.

[krw]

I often/usually do the opposite. I'll draw a rectangle on a board, then "grow" (pull, actually) an intersecting board from that one. A little adjustment, and I have a dado for the joint. This way, I don't have to size the second object. It gets two dimensions from the first object. Then, as I'm "growing" it, just type in its length, and it's all done!

Yes, one has to watch how one copies things. I used to start with a

2x4 and copy it all over, "cutting" it as necessary. The problem was that all of my parts kept changing size. Oops!

I do it both ways.

[Bill]

Those are exactly the sort of things that are easier to learn from a book than a video. With a video, you miss it.

[Leon]

Yes, once you become more accustomed to drawing with Sketchup and how things interact, inferences, with each other.

Yeah, if you want to make a copy of a component unique, right click it and make it unique. You can go with the automatically assigned new but similar name or give it a new name.

And don't fot get flipping to get a mirror image when you copy components, if that needs to be done. I know you probably know that.

If I need to work withing a specific foot print I will often draw a box to those dimensions, make that a component, and erase the surfaces.

Then I begin drawing inside the outline of that box. Once my over all model size is established and I am ready to draw in details I will delete that foot print box or move it out of the way.

[Leon]

It all depends on the learner. Some people do better learning from video, ME, some do not, YOU. ;~)

I am much more visual.

[krw]

I learned to do it that way before I learned that you could type in the dimensions of a rectangle. It just made sense that I was building a model.

Sure, but how many 2x4x21_left_upper_widget names can you keep track of? ;-)

Hmm, I've never done that but it's a good idea.

...or just hide it. The outline can be used to line up this widget with the one occupying the space next to it.

[Leon]

Something I discovered, if I drag a rectangle between two points I can let the computer assume that length and then I can put in the other dimension.

For instance I start the rectangle inferred to two points in the drawing and then simply enter a comma and a distance then enter or the first distance and a comma and enter.

Good Point, and it is best to rename immediately. I keep the Intity Info window open for that purpose. I give every thing a name but I also do not have to keep up with a lot of that. I use CutList 4.0 to select and import the named components into CutList Plus, the optimization program.

[Swingman]

Cool in 2016 now, in that you can put the Entity info in the default tray and anchor the tray off to the side.

Wasn't sure how I was going to like to presume moving my cheese like that ... but I like!

[Jack]

....snip Good post DadiOh, well said and captured a lot of start up issues people have with SU.

A few things nobody seemed to mention for new users is to set the program up correctly for woodworkers. There is a built in template for for woodwork.

Also, before you start to draw, you want to have the correct "view" opened. Views are iso, top, bottom, front, left, and right,. These choices should be in your tool bar. You can put them there by right clicking on tool bar and checking "view". When you start drawing, say a table top, you want to start in the top view. If you are drawing a face frame, you want the front view. All views look the same on a blank screen, but in 3d, they are not. This makes it easy to get back to a view you want. ISO shows an isometric (3D) view, don't draw in this view at first, its easy to get things going in the wrong direction (view). For example a ceiling drawn in the front view will be a wall:-) Even if you are familiar with drawing from an iso view, it is a good idea to check by clicking one of the views to insure correct orientation.

Here's a good video to get you started, but there are a ton of them.

I like Jay Bates, he has a few good videos, even for hard core guys. Another thing, you must always make components, so learn that, but just recently I've figured out I generally don't need to give them cute names. The app names them component 1, 2 etc and I used to waste time renaming them. If you are not making a cut list, I found no need for giving them cute names.

Here is another Bates video that is pretty good.

He goes a little fast, but this one covers making a standard cabinet all cabinet makers make. I suggest watching through once, then again with SU opened and do each step, stopping the video at each step and completing it yourself. This is how you need to watch all tutorials for SU, there really are no shortcuts, shortcuts are how you get into trouble and give up. I know, it took me a number of tries to get going.

Here is another good one, and it shows making a simple table and a layout for cutting the parts.

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