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Design. Click. Build. has moved! Starting today, you can now find your favorite blog about using the free 3-D design software SketchUp for woodworking on the new and improved blog community on FineWoodworking.com.

For nearly two years our reigning experts, Tim Killen and Dave Richards, have delivered the most in-depth training on how to use SketchUp for designing hand-made furniture using video, illustrated tutorials, and community participation. Our new blog is designed to take that to a new level.

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This blog will remain as an archive until we've moved all of our posts to the new platform, which could take a while :)

Shaker and Ladder Back Chairs are frequently fitted with curved or bent back slats. A reader asked how to model these compound-shaped components in SketchUp. Below I've shown my method in six steps.

Assume this is the Back Slat design we want to create in SketchUp:

Step 1: Create the flat rectangular plane for laying out the arc shape shown in the above top view. When using the Arc Tool, I prepare a flat plane for layout. I do not try to work the Arc Tool in empty space (always on a surface). My plane is on the Red/Green Axes, so the view below is from the top.

Step 2: Use Push/Pull Tool to pull up the full height of the back slat

Step 3: Now we need to cut a scroll shape in the top edge of the back slat. Create another flat plane in front of the Back Slat (as if a projection of the curved surface). My plane is on the Red/Blue axes. Then create the arc curves on the surface of the plane. I typically draw a straight sloped line to help with the layout of the connected reverse arcs, using the endpoints and midpoint of the sloped line.

Step 4: Push/Pull the arc shape through the back slat. Depress the CTRL Key when using the Push/Pull Tool in this case.

Step 5: Select all, then execute "Intersect Selected", and clean up waste

Step 6: Copy the left half, moving over to the right. Then "Flip along Red Axis", and connect the two halves of the back slat.

In general, when facing components with compound shapes, the "Intersect" feature will probably be required.

Tim
http://killenwood.com

As requested, here's a bit of detail regarding the drawer heights from my previous blog entry.

After laying out the drawers using the Hambridge progression I ended up with a difficult set of dimensions to work with.

When I got finished, the overall height of the layout measured 43 31/64" high. The case in the dresser to the left is drawn as 44" high. The first step to getting reasonable drawer fronts is to scale the layout vertically. With the top of the layout aligned with the top of the case, I selected the entire layout followed by the Scale tool. Then I pulled the center bottom handle down to align the bottom of the case. Once you start moving the Scale handle, you can move the cursor over to the corresponding edge and click to set the Scale distance.

After scaling, the drawer spaces from top to bottom were 6 31/64", 7 11/64", 8 9/64", 9 41/64" and 12 37/64". I'd prefer to make the drawer fronts to more easily cut dimensions. I decided I would go to the nearest 16th of an inch. I started at the top and move the horizontal lines down to until I ended up with the following dimensions: 6 1/2, 7 3/16, 8 1/8, 9 5/8, 12 9/16.

As I mentioned in the previous post, I chose the reveal dimension and used Offset on each of the rectangles with that dimension. I chose 1/2" for this example.

This results in a 1" space between each drawer front so we need to modify that. I selected all bottom edges that needed to be moved and moved them down 1/4". Then I repeated that for the top drawer edges except I moved them up. I also split the top drawer in two.

The unneeded lines were then deleted.

And the layout copied to the front of the case. As before, Push/Pull was used to add a little thickness to the drawer fronts. I decided to add a bevel on the drawer fronts so I used Offset on each of the drawer fronts. I used a dimension of 3/4" for these. Then I selected the faces and while Holding Alt, used the Move tool to move the selected faces out 1/2". Alt invokes Auto-Fold which automatically adds the bevel and the lines at the corners. That's a very quick way to create a raised panel.

I think the result is pleasing and it it actually quite fast to do.

Dave

I was talking with a friend about methods for working out the sizes of drawers for a dresser. We talked about simple arithmetic and geometric progressions, the Golden Rectangle and Fibonacci's series. He mentioned one I'd not heard of by the name of the Hambridge Progression. This is a very simple way to create a pleasing layout for drawer heights. It's also easy to apply it in SketchUp

Here's a basic dresser design. It's sort of a massing study to get the exterior shape.

For illustration purposes I'm working out the drawer proportions next to the model. I just set out a few guidelines for this. I started with a square which has sides equal to the width of the case. Its top edge is aligned with the bottom of the case.

Then, with the Line tool, I drew a diagonal line on the square. I selected the diagonal and then got the Rotate tool. I hit Ctrl to invoke the copy command and rotated the copy up to vertical.

With the Line tool I drew a horizontal ine from the top of the rotated copy of the diagonal. One more line, drawn down the right edge, completed the recatangle for the first drawer.

I drew another diagonal from the same lower left corner this time to the new top right corner. That line was Copy/Rotated to vertical and then lines were drawn to complete the rectangle for the next drawer.

This was repeated until I go to the top of the case. Well, near the top. Then I adjusted the position of the top edge of these "drawer fronts" up to align with the top of the case and used Push/Pull to adjust the bottom of the case.

I used Offset to create the reveal around the drawer fronts. I used 1/2" for the reveal and then moved the horizontal lines to create a 1/2" space between drawers as well.

After moving the drawer layout onto the case, I divided the top drawer in two. Then I used Push/Pull, Offset and Move to add a bit of simple detail around the edges of the drawer fronts.

This is a very quick model and its long way from construction drawings but it certainly gets the idea of the design across.  I think the drawer layout is nice in this tall case and hopefully it will get the approval of the client.

This method could be used for laying out dovetails. You could make a basic template, save it as a component and bring that into future models. A quick rescaling using the Tape Measure tool would size if for the project. You could pick out just the number of drawers you want for the project. You don't have to use all five.

Of course similar templates could also be made using other progression methods. Perhaps they'd be filed in a drawer spacing folder or something for ready access.

Dave

Note: Since the inception of this Design. Click. Build Blog in April 2007, I have provided weekly entries on SketchUp - I don't believe I've missed a week. So now I will be taking a break - don't expect to hear from me for the next four weeks. See you in November.

Last week I introduced the first design part for the short Windsor Stool. That exercise mostly covered making the seat. In this second part I show the design steps for the stool undercarriage including legs and stretchers.

Step 1: Create the faces for the turned components, Legs and Stretchers. These are half diameter faces ready for a Follow me to create the turnings.

Step 2: Make a circle path and use Follow me to create the turnings.

Step 3: Now we need to fasten the Legs to the Seat. The Centerline model that we created last week is very useful in positioning the Legs and Stretchers.

Step 4: To rotate the Leg into position, I connect one end of the leg as a fulcrum, make a triangular plane between the Leg and the centerline, then use the Rotate Tool to connect the Leg onto the Centerline.

Step 5: You can use Rotate Copy to position the alternate leg.

Step 6: Finish up copying the remaining legs into position using the Move/Copy Tool , then Flip along Green axis. Once Legs are in position, I do an "Intersect" to create the sockets in the Seat.

Step 7: Accurately place the Stretchers, again using the Centerline model as the reference locations.

Step 8: We need to create the "Sight Lines" on the bottom face of the Seat. These sight lines are very useful for accurate drilling of the leg sockets. With Sight Lines, there is no double angle issue - you set the sliding bevel in line with the sight line and drill to this angle only.

Step 9: Create the full-size Seat Template. Use Top View, parallel projection, and X-ray so you can see both the bottom and top face in the template. You need only to print 1/2 the template, since it can be flipped to mark out the other half of the seat.

Step 10: We also need to know what angles to drill - the seat and leg sockets. I use the Centerline Model to determine these drill angles.

Here is the finished stool along with a taller Windsor Stool. I used fresh cut ash for the turned parts and soaked the tenons in a hot bed of sand to dry and shrink. I used no glue assuming that the joints will tighten as the wood dries. I wedged the Leg tenons into the Seat. Pine was used for the Seat.

Back in November......

Tim
http://killenwood.com