I didn't realize how entrenched SketchUp had become in the woodworking world until I took a woodworking class at Red Rocks Community College here in Colorado. One of the class requirements was to download and start using SketchUp. Since then - in between trying to learn how to cut dovetail joints - I've noticed how prevalent SketchUp has become in various woodworking publications, blogs included.
One of my current favorites is Finewoodworking.com's Digital Furniture Project Plans. Anatole Burkin, VP Digital Content Director of Taunton Press, noted that this will appeal to anyone who's interested in modifying one of the projects listed on the website. Being able to adapt a design to suit your sensibilities is useful to both the people who buy the plans and those who offer them for sale. Most plans are only $12.95 and include printable PDFs.
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Both FineWoodworking and Popular Woodworking/Woodworking Magazine have bought heavily into SketchUp. FineWoodworking.com has a section of their site called "Design. Click. Build." to help their on-line subscribers use it. Popular Woodworking even has a section in Google's on-line models where you can get download, for free, plans from their magazines. I think all of the projects in Woodworking Magazine (from the same publishers) are available.
Robert W. Lang, one of Popular Woodworking's editors, has a new book out showing woodworkers how to use SketchUp in the design process.
Woodsmith and ShopNotes magazines have been using SketchUp, as well. ShopNotes has several models on their web site at http://www.shopnotes.com/extras/
I have created many woodworking models, I found the plans available on the Popular Woodworking site very easy to follow to create a model from.
Robert sent the entire back catalogue of PopWood magazine on a CD.
Gary Katz, long time contributor to Fine Homebuilding, has some excellent tutorials for Sketchup on his site that are specific for woodworkers. I start all my projects, from my current cabinetry job, to timber frames on Sketchup. It is excellent to show a client exactly what you are talking about.
A fine website for woodworkers, LumberJocks (lumberjocks.com), has quite an active part of their membership using, teaching and sharing SketchUp.
The site has thousands of members and is extremely strong on high end woodworking. Those learning to use SketchUp in their approach to woodworking have become better at what they do and are liberal in sharing what they've learned.
In mid-June, Robert Lang also will be teaching a two-day SketchUp course at Marc Adams School of Woodworking, near Indianapolis. I will be attending and, if there is interest, can report afterward.
The stuff on the Popular Woodworking/Woodworking section of the 3D warehouse was all modeled and submitted by readers. They offered one of their Annual CDs in exchange for submission of models projects from previous issues of either mag. The quality of the models varies from one to another.
Such a nice idea and i agree with Hazza ..
Thanks for this post ..Fine Woodworking
Robert Lang's videos are definitely informative, but, frankly, his incessant lip smacking and swallowing are too distracting for me to enjoy these videos. I bought them yesterday and I'm returning the unopened one today.
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