Planning your Project: Use Sketchup
If your project is going to take more than a couple of hours or has any level of complexity (it’s more than a box), you should seriously consider using Sketchup.
When I first started to learn about carpentry online, I ran into Jay’s Custom Creations. Aside from just having a boatload of great videos, Jay does a lot of instruction around how to use Sketchup, a 3D modeling program, to layout your designs before you build them.
When can I just use paper and a pencil?
For most really small jobs, we can usually do just fine with sketching on paper. It’s not fancy, but it gets the job done. It’s always my first go-to, but the moment things get even reasonably complex (once they hit the third dimension) you gotta get virtual.
When do I fire up Sketchup?
Sketchup is a really simple 3D modeling program that allows you to drop all of your shapes onto your computer and assemble everything virtually. It’s also free (Sketchup Make 2017, specifically).
Assembling your project virtually before building it is the holy grail.
Most of the mistakes you’re about to make can be avoided by building out and assembling your project in a simple 3D program. This will allow you to attach things (or not) and get super specific dimensions.
Let me show you — my Master Closet
A while back I wanted to build out my own Master Closet, after seeing a trim carpenter do an amazing job on my daughter’s closet. I knew there was no way I was going to be able to freestyle it with paper, so I measured the space and laid it out in Sketchup.
I probably did 50 different designs, which is possible in Sketchup, but what we tend to avoid when we’ve committed it to a drawing. Also, there are so many tiny attachment points that you’d never think of. For example, take a look at how many intersecting points are coming together in the middle section of the design.
Every one of those needs an exact dimension to sit perfectly in front of each other. Could you do it by hand? Of course, people do it all the time. But the point is you don’t have to, and with a little Sketchup knowledge, you can build literally anything.
I probably made AT LEAST 100 MISTAKES in Sketchup before I started building the project. Imagine how long that would have taken IRL.
The Cut List
What Sketchup does really well is allow you to generate what’s known as a “Cut List” which is a detailed list of every part that makes up your model, and what dimensions it should be. (It’s a plug-in that I use called “Cut List Pro” or something, you can find it in the program).
So once you’ve laid out your model, you generate a cut list, then take that to your saw and just make all the parts that you need. Now, that sounds awesome and all, but you also need to actually cut every piece correctly, which I spend a lot of time talking about how hard that is.
How Hard is Sketchup to Learn?
The good news is, you really only need to learn a handful of commands to make Sketchup work for you. They look like this -
- Draw a rectangle
- Extrude it (make it 3D)
- Connect it to another rectangle
It took me about 4–8 hours in total to get it to bend to my will, but like anything in life, once you’ve got it, you become geometrically more capable.
Learning Sketchup for an aspiring Carpenter is like getting the spread gun in Contra — once you’ve got it, your can kick anything’s ass.
Recommended Watching
If you’re interested in learning more about Sketchup, I’d highly recommend Jay Bate’s tutorials because he’s focused on how it works for carpenters. Or if you want to get a nice, guided overall lesson, take a look at Lynda (paid). I’ve done both and can attest that they are both super helpful.
