Comments on: Are Prototypes Worth the Work?

By: Sawdust

Sawdust — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 20:05:31 +0000

I just wish I had more of the skills in SketchUp. Instead, yes, I build it twice.

By: BoredCutter

BoredCutter — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 22:45:21 +0000

Thanks for this article. Now when my better half says “So – you’re gonna build this TWICE?” I can say, “See? The other guys are doing it too!”

By: Jerry.Bass@lsi.com

Jerry.Bass@lsi.com — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 15:33:02 +0000

I agree mock-ups are a great idea, but believe the best approach is to build it using SketchUp. You get most of the same benefits, but never need to commit any wood to the mock-up.

By: tombuhl

tombuhl — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 20:48:16 +0000

Matthew, this is great food for thought and information.
One time I did a 1/2 scale prototype of complex piece. Created problems with mixing measurements taken from prototype without doubling. Visually, it helped. For real production, it caused grief.
These days I’ll mostly create elements or sections to scale using whatever is convenient. Commonly I’ll use the actual joinery as I find compound angles need to be worked through in the real world. My brain has spent too much time in two dimensional graphics mode to handle compound angles.
As some have said, most of my work is for our family, so I am willing to wing it. Guess that makes almost all my work a prototype.
Where function is high priority (usually I work to form) such as desk or dining table, I’ll make plywood top to scale and set it on anything available to judge working height, leg clearance, space appropriateness.
I love diving in the deep end, but as my work becomes more complex (or simple, but semi-unique) I like to work out details before I commit the special materials.

Thanks for the sliding dovetail video. I’ve seen and read and used before, but always good to refresh or see another approach. Currently, I’ve been working on prototype for desk elements which will have sliding dovetailed cleats into the underside of the desktop. On my prototype cleat and leg assembly I put dovetail on the cleat just to go one more step visually even though I’ll not be doing prototype top. Guess what, I discovered that it is possible to put the dovetails on the wrong side (underside rather than top side of cleat). Maybe that will save me from ruining the real thing down the road. We shall see.
Thanks

By: donwilliams

donwilliams — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 13:49:53 +0000

Matt

My living room is lit by a series of prototype Greene and Green style lamps I made as prototypes in working out the details for the final versions. So far the prototypes have been providing illumination for 22 years… I’ll get around the the real thing sooner or later.

By: affyx

affyx — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 12:30:52 +0000

awesome idea!

By: Matthew Teague

Matthew Teague — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 05:04:24 +0000

I still want to build that mallet myself. Roy’s last lines in the article are still among my favorites from woodworking scribes.

By: Matthew Teague

Matthew Teague — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 05:01:45 +0000

Nice work. It looks like the kind of prototype you could slap a coat of finish on and start using.

By: xMike

xMike — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 02:19:15 +0000

Actually, I wish I had mocked up a cabinet for a set that I did for SWMBO. It turned out that what looked perfect in Sketchup and was planned to reach from just under eye level to the ceiling was decided to be 4 inches too high upon installation.
Fixing it at that stage left an unplanned 4″ space between ceiling and cabinet tops. NOT at all what was planned, and while not looking exactly like crap, did not look like perfect custom cabinets anymore, ether.
A full scale mockup would have been worth it’s weight in finely figured and finished curly maple.

By: xMike

xMike — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 02:10:53 +0000

Good piece. Worth the read. Thanks.