Question from a reader: I’m trying to do a simple paneled door; 2 rails, 2 stiles, and a panel in a groove all the way around. I made stiles no problem, the rails have a groove and a little tenon, … Continue reading
Category Archives: SketchUp
I spent a little time this morning making a SketchUp model of one of the pieces from Gustav Stickley’s “The Craftsman” magazine. This table has always intrigued me, it was designed by Ernest Gimson in the early 1900s. This was … Continue reading
I think my books are pretty good; they mix text and video in a digital format (PDF). These different methods reinforce each other so no matter what your learning style is you “get it” faster than you would with just … Continue reading
Knowing a traditional way of doing something is certainly valuable, but it’s easy to get trapped in thinking that the traditional way is the only way, or the best way to achieve a goal. Technical drawings and project plans are … Continue reading
The biggest advantage of SketchUp (or any other CAD software) isn’t in making an initial plan. That takes a while no matter what method you use. But if you want to change something, or make new design that is similar … Continue reading
What do middle school students and amateur carpenters have in common? Neither group realizes how tricky and troublesome compound angles can be. Carpenters will have fits trying to run crown molding and one group of middle schoolers recently hit a … Continue reading
One of the most popular posts on this blog is my “SketchUp Shortcuts Cheat Sheet”, a handy list of the shortcuts I use all the time. Those are all standard shortcuts that exist when you install SketchUp. A few years … Continue reading
For efficient work in SketchUp, you should use keyboard shortcuts instead of clicking on the icons in the toolbars, at least for the most often used commands. One of the quirks of SketchUp is that the obvious way of doing … Continue reading
Twitchy Index Fingers & the Move Tool When I teach SketchUp in person I get reminded of the basic issues that confront many people. If you can get past these hurdles you’ll be well on your way to mastering the … Continue reading
Since the first post on this site in August, 2011 I’ve written about woodworking, the American Arts & Crafts period and SketchUp. My interest in SketchUp began with my own use and that led to teaching other woodworkers how to … Continue reading
One of the most flattering things that can happen to an author is an inquiry asking “Can I use your book as a resource for my class?” It makes me feel a little proud and it also makes me want … Continue reading
SketchUp is a program that tries to make things easy. There are inferences at the ends and midpoints of every line. When you get close to one with the mouse cursor a colored dot appears along with a yellow tag. … Continue reading
Last week I spent a most interesting day in the tech lab at a Michigan middle school, showing a group of five (a middle school technology teacher, an 8th grade science teacher, a high school technology teacher, a high school … Continue reading
The weekend of January 30-31 I will be conducting a two-day SketchUp class in Denver, Colorado at the Rockler Woodworking & Hardware store. COMPLETE DETAILS ABOUT THE CLASS ARE HERE If you would like to participate, you are not too … Continue reading
At the Alabama Woodworkers Guild – April 8-10, 2016 In a few months I will be traveling to Maylene (just south of Birmingham), Alabama to present not one, but two workshops for the Alabama Woodworkers Guild. The main event will … Continue reading
A few people have asked about the SketchUp class scheduled for January 30-31 at the Rockler Woodworking & Hardware Store in Denver, Colorado. This class will be held as scheduled. If you’d like to join me for this class, there … Continue reading
The new issue (January/February 2016) of Woodworker West Magazine includes an excerpt from my book “Woodworker’s Guide to SketchUp”. My thanks to Ron Goldman for reaching out and including this. As a small, independent publisher it is an uphill battle … Continue reading
One of the features of SketchUp that isn’t immediately obvious is the value of storing and retrieving complex objects. A case in point is a project I worked on this morning, building and organizing a library of moldings for a … Continue reading
SketchUp 2016 was released a few weeks ago, with a few new features and under the hood improvements. You can find the full list of features (and download the latest version of SketchUp) at this link. If you use SketchUp … Continue reading
I only have a few classes scheduled (at the moment) for the coming year. Space is limited and my classes often fill early. Here are dates, places and information about signing up: SketchUp Weekend at Rockler Denver, January 30-31, 2016 … Continue reading
SketchUp is a wonderful tool for a multitude of purposes. When you harness the power of 3-D modeling you can accurately plan, engineer, design and problem solve. From the same model that gives you all the technical information you need … Continue reading
UPDATE – JANUARY 12, 2016 – CLASS IS DEFINITELY ON! A FEW SEATS ARE STILL AVAILABLE! I will be teaching a two-day SketchUp class on January 30 & 31, 2016, and the Rockler Woodworking & Hardware store in Denver, Colorado. … Continue reading
It’s just starting to look like fall here in Cincinnati, but I’m working on my teaching schedule for 2016. I’ll be announcing some classes soon, but in the meantime you can help me out in a couple of ways. Here … Continue reading
In the comments to a recent post about an upcoming SketchUp class in Cincinnati the suggestion was made that I hold a class in “Denver or thereabouts”. My response was that it only takes enough people to sign up to … Continue reading
This post is from 2015 – this class is over! CLICK HERE FOR INFO ON UPCOMING CLASSES SketchUp is a versatile and powerful 3D modeling tool, and if designing, planning or making things is part of what you do, you … Continue reading
Most good builders know and use the Pythagorean Theorem, even if they never heard of Pythagoras or slept through high school geometry. It’s easier to remember 3-4-5 than an ancient Greek and it’s a reliable way to make something at … Continue reading
In between an idea and an object is the process of design. You may not like the process, but it can’t be avoided. You need to decide how big, what shape, what material, what color and what level of craftsmanship … Continue reading
One might think that major software companies could figure out a way to work with major hardware companies so that a format that works pretty well on a PC would work just as well on an iPad. One of my … Continue reading
I will be teaching an introduction to SketchUp Class on Saturday, October 10, and Sunday, October 11, 2015 at The Manufactory, here in Cincinnati. The class will follow the “Building Blocks of SketchUp” format, where you will learn how to … Continue reading
In the cabinet business, good planning and keeping track of everything is essential. That’s one of the main themes of my book “The Complete Kitchen Cabinetmaker”. There are common tools used that have been around for quite a while to … Continue reading
The Massachusetts Department of Education links to this page as a valuable resource for learning SketchUp. If you’re a teacher and looking for ways to integrate 3D modeling into your Science, Technology, Engineering, Art or Math program, visit our “SketchUp … Continue reading
One might think that digital publishing in the 21st century is an easy matter. It is if what you publish is mostly text or if all you want is a replica of a printed book. That’s like driving a horse … Continue reading
Back in 2012, I wrote a series of posts titled “10 Things I Wish I Had Known About SketchUp” The series grew out of a presentation I gave at a woodworking conference. It turned out to be a popular series, … Continue reading
My SketchUp books are independently produced and published. That gives me an incredible amount of freedom as an author, but the flip side of that is there is no marketing department, broad-based distribution channel, or advertising budget. To succeed I … Continue reading
A few years ago my son talked me into playing a video game, one where we had to run around an imaginary world with people shooting at us. I sucked at it, big time. I got blasted before I could … Continue reading
When I first was learning how to use SketchUp, one of my frustrations was that the available references were geared toward architectural use of the 3D modeling program. I have nothing against those who design houses, but my interests are … Continue reading
The “New Woodworker’s Guide to SketchUp” is entirely digital. If you want a paper and ink version, you can print out the pages, but then you’ll miss out on the embedded videos and links within the PDF. This post details … Continue reading
Which SketchUp book should I buy? That’s a question I get a lot, and if you have no experience with SketchUp, I recommend that you start with “Building Blocks of SketchUp”. That book starts with downloading and installing SketchUp and … Continue reading
UPDATE, MAY 11, 2022: VIDEO CONTENT FROM THIS BOOK IS NOW AVAILABLE TO PURCHASERS ONLINE AND THE PDF FILE NOW INCLUDES DIRECT LINKS TO THE ONLINE VIDEOS. IF YOU ALREADY OWN “WOODWORKER’S GUIDE TO SKETCHUP, WE’RE HAPPY TO SEND YOU … Continue reading
CLICK HERE FOR A VIDEO PREVIEW OF THIS INNOVATIVE DIGITAL BOOK In 2010 I wrote and published “Woodworker’s Guide to SketchUp” in enhanced PDF format. Staying digital let me put videos in along with the text and images. A lot … Continue reading