Bob Lang goes over the details of the new release of Sketch 2013, shows the new features and explains the difference between the free SketchUp Make and SketchUp Pro Read more
Tag Archives: Google Sketchup
New Workbench Build
In 2006, as I began my first round at Popular Woodworking Magazine (PWM), I was told I had to build a workbench. Even with then editor Christopher Schwarz chest deep in workbench publications, it wasn’t a mandate as much as it was a necessity. In the PWM shop, there was no usable bench empty and … Read more
SketchUp Advantage: 3D Cutlists for Woodworking Projects
Traditional approaches in woodworking are generally reliable and efficient. If you know something has worked well for other woodworkers for a few hundreds years, you can likely assume that adopting it will be a good way to accomplish what you want to do. But the traditional approach isn’t always the best method forever, and when … Read more
Live SketchUp Classes & Learning Resources
SketchUp, the free 3D modeling software is one of my favorite woodworking tools. It doesn’t cut joints or finish projects, but it helps me make sure the joints I cut are in the right places, and the experience building a project on the computer screen first makes valuable shop time more efficient and error free. … Read more
Use a Photo to Make a SketchUp Model
With SketchUp, you can use a photo of a piece of furniture to make a model of the piece. From that model you can develop your plans for building a reproduction. Here’s an example using the Shaker Stepback Cupboard made by Glen D. Huey for our April 2010 issue. I swiped the image off the … Read more
What Makes a Good SketchUp Model? Components
How productive would you be in the shop if you tried to build furniture from blocks of Silly Putty coated with Crazy Glue? Imagine the mess if one board stuck to another automatically and both parts stretched and distorted if you tried to move one. This is exactly what happens if you try to make … Read more
More Free SketchUp Models Added to Our Collection
It has been a while since we’ve mentioned it here on the editor’s blog, but with the publication of each new issue of Popular Woodworking Magazine, we make SketchUp models of the projects featured in the articles available online, for free. On August 27, 2008, I uploaded the first model which was the 21st Century … Read more