Next Thursday, June 20, 2024 at 8pm EDT I will be hosting a demonstration/discussion for the Society of American Period Furniture Makers about the value of using SketchUp for design and planning of furniture projects. This is part of a … Continue reading
Woodworker’s Guide to SketchUp, 3rd Edition This comprehensive course provides simple and efficient techniques and shortcuts to design and create detailed 3D models of any type of furniture, cabinet or woodworking project. ▶ SketchUp is a versatile design and engineering … Continue reading
Yesterday the hard proofs for Woodworker’s Guide to SketchUp, 3rd Edition arrived from the printer. As I went through it I took out the camera and took some photos of the inside pages. When I’m thinking about buying I book … Continue reading
History of a good idea In 2010 I went out on a limb and self-published the first iteration of Woodworker’s Guide to SketchUp. It was intended to show woodworkers how to use this 3D modeling software to design, plan and … Continue reading
I will be returning to the campus of the Sam Beauford Woodworking Institute the weekend of April 27-28, 2024 to teach a two-day class on 3D Modeling with SketchUp. This is a great facility with wonderful folks and if learning … Continue reading
There are still a few seats available for my live, weekend SketchUp class to be held November 18-19, 2023 at the Sam Beauford Woodworking Institute in Adrian, Michigan. More details are available on this earlier post, or from the school. … Continue reading
The weekend of November 18 & 19, 2023 I will be returning to the Sam Beauford Woodworking Institute in Adrian, Michigan to teach a “SketchUp for Woodworkers” class. If you’ve been wanting to learn how to make 3D models of … Continue reading
There are still a few seats available for my live, weekend SketchUp class to be held March 18-19, 2023 at the Sam Beauford Woodworking Institute in Adrian, Michigan. More details are available on this earlier post, or from the school. … Continue reading
The most important skill in woodworking isn’t what you might think it is. It isn’t the ability to master a specific tool or technique. The things that look impossible become approachable, and picking up new tools and methods isn’t a … Continue reading
The weekend of March 18 & 19 I will be returning to the Sam Beauford Woodworking Institute in Adrian, Michigan to teach a “SketchUp for Woodworkers” class. If you’ve been wanting to learn how to make 3D models of your … Continue reading
This time next week I’ll be heading to Adrian, Michigan to teach a weekend SketchUp class at the Sam Beauford Woodworking Institute. As I write this there are a few spots still available, so sign up now! CLICK HERE TO … Continue reading
Learning how to make 3D models with SketchUp is well worth the effort, and there is a lot of information here on my website. As with most online information the good stuff tends to sink to the bottom of the … Continue reading
SketchUp Class November 5-6, 2022 at Sam Beauford Woodworking Institute, Adrian, Michigan Like everyone else I’ve made some adjustments to what I do in the last few years. One of the things I’ve missed is teaching SketchUp, but that is … Continue reading
When I first started 3D modeling with SketchUp, the software company that developed it, @Last had been recently acquired by Google. When my book “Woodworker’s Guide to SketchUp” was first published in 2010, Google was included in the name. I … Continue reading
After a good deal of trial and tribulation, an updated version of “Woodworker’s Guide to SketchUp” is now available with links to online videos. In the earlier versions of this work, the 51 videos embedded in the text played nicely … Continue reading
UPDATE MAY 11, 2022: EDITS ARE NOW COMPLETE; THIS BOOK NOW CONTAINS ACTIVE LINKS TO THE ONLINE VIDEO CONTENT. IF YOU PURCHASED THIS BOOK PREVIOUSLY I WILL BE HAPPY TO SEND YOU A LINK TO DOWNLOAD THE LATEST VERSION. TO … Continue reading
UPDATE: MAY 11, 2022: ONLINE VIDEOS ARE NOW LINKED IN THE PDF FILE. IF YOU PURCHASED THIS BOOK PREVIOUSLY, WE’RE HAPPY TO SEND YOU A LINK TO DOWNLOAD THE LATEST VERSION FOR FREE. VISIT THIS PAGE FOR DETAILS. There are … Continue reading
UPDATE MAY 11, 2022: VIDEOS WITHIN THE PDF OF THIS BOOK ARE NOW LINKED TO ONLINE VIDEOS. IF YOU PURCHASED THIS PREVIOUSLY, VISIT THIS PAGE FOR A FREE UPGRADE TO THE UPDATED BOOK. Sometimes I think I’m the only one … Continue reading
This August 10 & 11 I will be returning to the Marc Adams School of Woodworking to teach a class called “Supercharge SketchUp”. Unlike most of my SketchUp classes this is intended for folks who already have some experience in … Continue reading
Software updates and changes to business models by software companies are something we should all be used to, but for a lot of us (including me) news of something different fills us with dread. I depend on software to create … Continue reading
I’ve had several emails lately asking about upcoming SketchUp classes. I will be teaching a weekend advanced class at Marc Adams School of Woodworking August 10 & 11, 2019. Click here to visit MASW website for details. For the past … Continue reading
On October 13-14, 2018 I will be conducting a two-day SketchUp class, in Pittsburgh, PA thanks to the Western Pennsylvania Woodworkers club. I will also be giving a presentation of my work to the club (guests are welcome) on Friday … Continue reading
Way back when I was in design school (board drafting with T-square and pencil) one of my teachers mentioned that people who work with sheet metal duct work know more about practical geometry than anyone in the world. I was … Continue reading
When I first started using (and teaching and writing about) 3D modeling with SketchUp, the differences between the free and paid versions of the software were simple to understand (this 2015 post goes into detail about the differences between “SketchUp … Continue reading
If learning how to make 3D models in SketchUp is on your “to-do” list, and you want to shorten the learning curve, there are still a few slots available in my upcoming class, April 26-27 in the Cincinnati, Ohio area. … Continue reading
Several people have contacted me lately, wondering when I will host a SketchUp class here in the Cincinnati area. I’m thinking this March or April will work, if I can round up enough students. If you’re thinking that now is … Continue reading
I don’t mind answering questions from readers, because good questions often become useful blog posts. In this instance, the question wasn’t quite clear so I’m showing two solutions. One way to solve problems in SketchUp is to consider how it … Continue reading
There are still seats available in my upcoming SketchUp class at the Philadelphia Furniture Workshop, November 11 & 12, 2017. This is the last live class I have scheduled for this year, and a rare appearance for me in the … Continue reading
I’ve been making stuff from wood for more than 40 years and I do better work now than I used to. (If you’re curious about my woodworking, you can find photos going way back at this link.) I’m not one … Continue reading
I’m delighted to announce a SketchUp Class to be held the weekend of November 11-12, 2017 at the Philadelphia Furniture Workshop in Philadelphia, PA. You can get detailed information and register for this class at the PFW website. While this … Continue reading
Last night I spent a pleasant hour chatting with Lance Granum and Dave Damsen of the “This Old Workshop” Podcast. We talked about how SketchUp makes woodworking better (and why I’m convinced every woodworker should learn it), the 21st Century … Continue reading
Space Available MASW July 22-23 SketchUp Class There are still a few seats available in the two-day SketchUp class I will be teaching on the weekend of July 22-23, 2017 at the Marc Adams School of Woodworking in Franklin, Indiana. … Continue reading
One of my favorite weekends of the year is teaching SketchUp at the Marc Adams School of Woodworking in Indiana. There are still a few spots available in this years class on the weekend of July 22 & 23. Complete … Continue reading
Teaching yourself how to use computer software is possible, (that’s how I learned to use SketchUp) but the drawback is you suffer for a while with an ignorant teacher (I know I did). The problem is you don’t know what … Continue reading
The good folks at SketchUp recently tweaked the features of the 3D Warehouse and it is now possible to “borrow” materials or components from a warehouse model without downloading the entire model. In this example I have a model of a … Continue reading
In the almost 10 years that I’ve been teaching people how to 3D model with SketchUp, I’ve learned a lot about the many ways different people learn. Each of us is a little different in the way our brains absorb … Continue reading
It’s now official! The class scheduled for May 6 & 7 in Pittsburgh, PA is set to go. There are still a limited number of spaces available, so if you’re ready to learn how to make 3D models with SketchUp, … Continue reading
How far do you go with details in a SketchUp model? That’s a common question and the answer depends on what you’re making the model for versus how much time it will take to add the details. In my work, … Continue reading
SCROLL DOWN FOR LIST OF AVAILABLE CLASSES Who needs to learn SketchUp? In my way of thinking everybody, or at least everybody who is involved with making things. I was trained to produce detailed drawings on a drafting board, then … Continue reading
Designers face two big challenges; the first is getting a client to visualize what is being proposed, and the second is achieving that without spending too much time working for free. SketchUp is the ideal solution to both of these … Continue reading