If you have purchased the “New Woodworker’s Guide to SketchUp” or “SketchUp for Kitchen Design” and would like to purchase the download version of “Building Blocks of SketchUp” as well for a 33% discount, just click the button below. Click … Continue reading
Thank you for purchasing the “New Woodworker’s Guide to SketchUp”. This page exists to provide answers to frequently asked questions about this book, and to help resolve any technical issues. Most of this information also applies to my other books … Continue reading
If you build furniture, there are a bunch of steps that have to take place, whether you like it or not. The parts need to go from rough lumber to finished size, and those parts have to connect with the … Continue reading
When I teach a class or talk to woodworkers about SketchUp, those two questions are almost always asked. As an unrepentant smart-Alec I usually reply “$590 – the current cost of a SketchUp Pro license, SketchUp Make is free”. There … Continue reading
This post is out of date! Click Here for up-to-date information about Upcoming SketchUp Classes. I will be teaching two, two-day SketchUp classes in the next few months, and there are just a few seats still available in each class. … Continue reading
In a few weeks I’ll be traveling to Maine to teach a week long SketchUp class for woodworkers at the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship. The class will be held September 8-12, 2014. There are still a few spots open, so … Continue reading
When I was sitting in my high school geometry class I wouldn’t have believed you if you had told me that one day I would standing in front of the class, suggesting that geometry was not only useful, but interesting … Continue reading
Over the past several months I’ve made fuzzy mention about SketchUp classes for 2014, and I’ve been receiving requests for a schedule. Before I go out on a limb, I’d like to gauge the interest of my audience about class … Continue reading
With the release of SketchUp 2014 come a couple of options for drawing arcs. In the past arcs were drawn by selecting a start point, an end point and then specifying a “bulge” distance. That’s a useful way to draw … Continue reading
One of the ways SketchUp resembles woodworking is that it’s easy to get caught up in messing around with the tools and never get any real work done. In my classes this year I only hinted at the ability to … Continue reading
The good folks at SketchUp recently released an updated version of my favorite 3D modeling program. As with previous versions of SketchUp there are two versions, the free for personal use “SketchUp Make” and the more advanced version “SketchUp Pro”. … Continue reading
In my post on making a template for through mortises, I used a full-sized paper pattern that I printed from a SketchUp model. A reader posed the logical and obvious question “can you print a full-size pattern from the free … Continue reading
“Building Blocks of SketchUp” is a different sort of book. It’s designed to be read on your computer while you practice in SketchUp. Within the pages are embedded video lessons that reinforce the text and screen shot images. It’s independently … Continue reading
My teaching schedule for 2014 is beginning to be established, and I’m happy to announce that next September 8-12 I will be teaching a week-long SketchUp class at the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship in Rockport, Maine. Registration opens December 16 … Continue reading
SketchUp is a great tool to quickly draw parts for furniture and cabinet projects. Even better is the fact that if you know how to organize all the bits and pieces of the model you hardly need to draw at … Continue reading
New SketchUp Book, “Building Blocks of SketchUp” Now Available for Download “Building Blocks of SketchUp” is the best way to learn the basics of 3D Modeling with SketchUp. With 260 pages of illustrated text, with 50 embedded video lessons this … Continue reading
New SketchUp Book in Enhanced PDF format now available on disc. 260 pages with 50 embedded videos. SketchUp is quickly becoming the “go to” software for 3D modeling. If you want to learn how to use this program quickly and … Continue reading
Our costs for shipping outside the United States have risen dramatically in the past year. We are now paying three times what we paid a year ago in postage, and can no longer ship internationally for free. (Note: that paragraph … Continue reading
I think of a SketchUp model as a resource for building the real thing. Making the model is like a dress rehearsal, you go through all the steps of the process, and you can solve problems with the Undo command, … Continue reading
When you write and publish a book independently, you don’t need to worry about the bean counters or the salesmen. You can do what you want. In “Building Blocks of SketchUp” I tried to write the book I would have … Continue reading
Buying a book to learn how to use software is often a necessary evil. You can only get so far by poking around and seeing what happens when you push different buttons. A good book can save you a lot … Continue reading
Update, October 15, 2013: “Building Blocks of SketchUp” is now available as a digital download. CLICK HERE TO ORDER! SketchUp is a wonderful piece of software for designing, visualizing and planning just about anything. Some people catch on to SketchUp … Continue reading
With the release of SketchUp 2013, many of the tool icon images changed. What hasn’t changed is that for efficient work in SketchUp, you should be using keyboard shortcuts instead of clicking on the icons in the toolbars, at least … Continue reading
One of the most important lessons I have learned in teaching people how to make 3D models in SketchUp is that different people learn in different ways. It’s a huge mistake for anyone involved in teaching or writing about how … Continue reading
Taking a week-long class in SketchUp is the best way I know to really make progress in using this program to design your woodworking projects. If you’re ready to take that step, there are still a few spots available in … Continue reading
Here is one of my favorite moves in SketchUp, exploding and redefining components to move geometry from one component to another. If you don’t speak SketchUp fluently, that means I can take an existing tenon from a table apron and … Continue reading
PLEASE NOTE: A NEW, REVISED EDITION OF “WOODWORKER’S GUIDE TO SKETCHUP” IS NOW AVAILABLE. CLICK HERE FOR INFORMATION ABOUT THE “NEW WOODWORKER’S GUIDE TO SKETCHUP” SketchUp Book Now Available As a Download Woodworker’s Guide to SketchUp is a unique … Continue reading
I recently received the following question from a reader, and as it is asked often it makes sense to post the answer here. At first glance it is a technical question, but my answer veers off into philosophy, and bounces … Continue reading
The video content of “Woodworker’s Guide to SketchUp” is embedded within the text. It’s a cool feature that greatly enhances the learning experience. You read in detail about a technique, then you can watch a short video that shows you … Continue reading
Last fall we spent four days teaching SketchUp to a group of woodworkers from the Gwinnet Woodworkers Association in Atlanta, Georgia. The group was enthusiastic enough to establish a SketchUp special interest group within the club. They meet regularly, and … Continue reading
Woodworker’s Guide to SketchUp is approaching its third birthday. It’s a unique work; it really isn’t a book although there are almost 200 pages to it. It comes on a disc in PDF format and what makes it different is … Continue reading
I spent Tuesday through Friday of the week after Thanksgiving teaching eight woodworkers SketchUp just north of Atlanta, Georgia. The class was held in the regular meeting place of the Gwinnet Woodworkers Association, the classroom at Peachtree Woodworking Supply. Six … Continue reading
Many people learn SketchUp from free videos or other online resources. If you have the time to sort through all of that, and manage to pick up the right things, you might be one of them. A lot of people … Continue reading
I will be teaching a four day class on Woodworking With SketchUp as a special guest of the Gwinnet Woodworkers Association in Atlanta, Georgia, November 27-30, 2013. After the four-day, Tuesday through Friday class, I’ll be speaking to the entire … Continue reading
Join us in Cincinnati for SketchUp Classes this November 16-19, 2012 from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm. This four day class will be held in two sessions: Friday and Saturday: “Building Blocks of SketchUp” . You will start with program … Continue reading
Building Blocks of SketchUp is a two-day class is for those with little or no experience in SketchUp, and for those who have tried SketchUp without success. In this class students will develop a thorough understanding of how the program … Continue reading
The “Woodworking With SketchUp” class follows and builds on the foundation skills developed in “Building Blocks of SketchUp” using those skills to effectively design and plan any furniture or cabinetmaking project. Students in this class will learn how to use … Continue reading
I spent the week before Labor Day teaching a group of woodworkers the fine points of SketchUp at the Marc Adams School of Woodworking in Franklin, Indiana. It’s the fourth year that I’ve taught this class, and it’s a real … Continue reading
When we decided to host our own classes, we knew we needed to hold them in a location that was as comfortable, pleasant and accommodating as possible. After a thorough search, we have found the ideal location just outside Cincinnati, … Continue reading
Our SketchUp classes are held at the Oasis Golf and Conference Center, in Loveland, Ohio, just north and east of Cincinnati. Click here for facility information and map. If you’re driving, the location is close to the I-275 loop, at … Continue reading