Face frames appear in many different jobs.  Cabinets, bookcase, entertainment centers – they seem to always look better with the finished look of a frame.

This video shows how to use a door as a container in which you ‘build’ a frame with two rails and two stiles.   The face frame is then saved as a standard  to be used in other jobs or parts of the design.  To use it drag it where it’s needed and resize accordingly.

As always – any questions or comments shoot me a quick email.

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I received an email asking about tapered legs.  I thought more than one person might be interested in how to make a tapered leg in SketchList 3D so I put a video onto YouTube.  I just noticed that John was asking a more specific question and my answer is more generic.

Near the end of the video I show how I set the taper to go the whole length of the board by changing the top and bottom ‘shoulders’ of the board to zero.  You can set them as anything.  Also the amount of taper is set in degrees and the overall location is a function of the number of degrees and the length of the leg.  You can taper one, two, three, or four edges.  The important thing to get this to work is to pick the orientation of board which has the board surfaces facing top and bottom.  That way all the edges become sides and you can apply the contours accordingly.

Experiment applying different contours – like a bull nose.   At the board detail level select the surface and click Shape.  Turn the square into a circle and you have a round leg – which can be tapered    Also once the leg is created try stretching and shrinking it by dragging the red dots.  Surprises abound!

Any questions shoot me an email.

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SketchList 3D works the way you do in the shop.

Using the SketchList 3D you lay out your work in detail – assembly by assembly, board by board, joint by joint until you have the design you want. Contour and edge is a few mouse clicks. Apply a joint by selecting it from a list. The terms, techniques, and processes of woodworking are built into the software.

Reports – cut list, parts list, shop drawings, optimized material layouts are instantly updated as you add and change parts to your design.

You can create your own library of assemblies, doors, drawers, and hardware to pull into any design for a quick start / quick finish project design. Objects are easily stretched or shrunk to fit the dimensions of a customer job situation.

One user put it this way.

“I will tell you that the speed of creating this cabinet was amazing. My original 36” cabinet was created in about 10 minutes. I had only used the new version a few times to look at it. My left side had two rabbits and four dado’s. I then mirror cloned it for the right side and then again for the back and then rotated it and resized it. WOW is all I can say.”

“I was looking all over for a program that would allow me to build things like small building projects. I needed something that wasn’t overly complicated. As a user of other top end 3D applications I was looking for something quicker, not nearly as complicated and I wanted something that gave me a parts list, shop drawings and more without having to work at it. I came across SketchList on a site. It is extremely easy to learn, less than a day for me, and easy to use. Hugely useful for showing clients architecture from the top down. Tech support is superb. I would recommend SketchList to anyone wanting to draw cabinet plans and those who want to create other small building projects as well.”
 “I’d love to share my project with you. I’ve attached a front and side 3D image of the first of many mantels I will design using SketchList 3D. My husband, using the cut lists generated by SketchList 3D, to fabricate the mantel this past weekend. Out of the 52 pieces that made-up this mantel, we had to adjust only two pieces. Neither had anything to do with SketchList 3D, one was my error and the other was an artistic change. I’ve created 2 others as well as a corbel design this week. In fact, I’m just sending a pdf of a mantel to a customer for their final approval. I have lots to learn yet. But I have so many project ideas in my head that I’m sure that I will be on my way to mastering SketchList 3Din no time.”
” I have no CAD experience but I am improving my skills with SketchList 3D daily. This is really nice software. I really appreciate the ‘visual-ness’ of SketchList. The 3D perspective is so incredibly helpful. Especially since I can barely draw a straight line even with a ruler. Just been enjoying using the software. I am currently quoting for some alcove shelving with a cabinet. I have attached what I have done so far, which I’m pleased with….”
“I am very happy that I found your cabinet design software. After trying some CAD programs and Sketch-Up I found they weren’t optimized for woodworking. Your software does the job and makes it easy. The videos were helpful and got me going in a very short time. Next is to get better with the “joinery” design and then learn how to add “hardware” to my drawings. My first try was at an entertainment/wall unit and the final rendered view was great to show my wife what the cabinet will look like.”

The post Cabinet Design Software Improves Your Output… appeared first on SketchList3D.

There are six basic things to know…

1.  SketchList 3D lets you “build” a 3D model of what you want to make.  This model is created using the same building blocks you use in your shop – boards, hardware, assemblies, doors and drawers.  Other programs  – the CAD ones – are drawing programs in which you create your design with lines, rectangles, or squares.  Still other software has you drag cabinets into your design – not exactly custom work at that point!  You want to create a model that looks like the work you are going to create in your shop.   It’s easier to think your way through the design that way.

2. You most probably already know most of what you need to know to create your model.  Think of putting a sheet of  3/4  (20) wood on your saw and cutting 2 parts – say 12 X 36 (300 X 900).  Put them on your workbench an line up the bottom edges.  Pull one part to the left 24 inches (600).  There you have the uprights of your book case.  Cut 3 more parts 12 x 24 (300 X 600) and put them between and at 90 degrees the uprights.  Space them 24  inches apart.  You have you bookcase!  This is exactly how you model the bookcase in SketchList 3D – except  you can make as many adjustments as you want in minutes with no cost in materials!

3.  What you need for your work is built into SketchList 3D.  This software was designed for woodworking.  It ‘knows’ joinery, edging, miters, moldings, drawers, doors….

• Need a bull nose?  Select the edge, click contour, pick bull nose and there it is!
• Need a tenon?  Select the edge, click joinery, pick tenon and there it is!
• Drill a hole?  Pick the surface, click holes, enter location and size and there it is!
• Want to even space shelves over a distance – pick shelf, click clone and space, enter quantity and start and stop points and there they are!

4.  If you’ve used a computer before – you can use SketchList 3D.  The interface is graphic and changes are shown instantly.  You enter information using spreadsheet or forms.  You navigate with icons, buttons, and menu selections.  SketchList users everyday terms like board, door, left, right, width, top and bottom…

5.  You can work at the level of detail necessary to do your job.     With SketchList 3D you can reuse old designs – like a cabinet or case – just by inserting it into the project.  Buy door or drawers?  Enter their design and size once – then insert and change the sizes to fit your need.  Assemblies can be modified to fit where needed.   But there are times – when you are doing truly custom work – that you need to model on a detailed  board by board level to exactly grab the requirements of the job.  SketchList 3D is built to help you do just that.  Either way you can do it.

6. Reports and shop drawings must be built in and integrated with the design.  In traditional CAD packages at the drawing is the end product.

But you need to get beyond that and have

• parts lists
• cut lists,
• purchase reports,
• shop drawings,
• and most importantly layout diagrams for optimized cut lists plus sizes.
  (This actually saves you money by minimizing materials needed for the job!)

With SketchList 3D every time you make a change to your model – add, delete or re-size a board – that change is instantly reflected throughout all of your reports.   This saves time and guarantees last second changes make it to your reports and drawings.  Of course high quality photo like 3D images are always there for you and your client to see.

Watch the video on our web site – www.sketchlist.com.  And try it out – download the free 30 day trial and see for your self.

The post Six Things to Know About Cabinet Design Software appeared first on SketchList3D.

When SketchList 3D was first released people wrote in with comments like:

• “It’s hard to describe – but much more than a drawing program.”
• “I see this as a way to model my shop processes on the computer”
• “The reports just fall out of the design – all in one step.”
• “This software make you think about how you are going to build the piece.”
• “I am amazing how quickly I actually completed a design.”

“I’m working with  Sketchlist 3D for Mac.   From what I’ve seen it’s a powerful tool — probably best for creating rendered projects but also good for basic design work.  I appreciate that you’ve programmed something like this since other tools I’ve tried have been wholly inadequate or way too complicated (full blown CAD).”

SketchList 3D was designed from the beginning as integrated 3D software for furniture design programs, cabinetmaking, woodworking, and the remodeling tasks that include making built-ins.

SketchList 3D was designed to keep users from requiring large amounts of training like the more traditional CAD (computer aided design) packages do.

SketchList 3D uses terms like left and right, top and bottom, and width / depth / length  to let users describe what they want to do.  The software steadfastly avoids requiring users to know X, Y, and Z, tangents, layering, extruding — all the other things that make CAD so hard to learn and use.  CAD draws with lines.  SketchList builds 3D models using boards, doors, and drawers and lets you apply contours, joinery, holtes, shapes…..

There’s more…

• SketchList 3D automates regularly used woodworking functions like contour edges, joinery, drilling holes and slots, equal spacing of objects like shelf peg holes.
• With SketchList 3D you can shape a board – cut miters, cove moldings, almost anything you might do in the shop.
• Reports are automatically generated when you add or change a board, door, or drawer within your project.  If you add a 1/4 tenon to a board – the cut list immediately lengthens the cut part by 1/4″.
• Shop drawings, parts lists, cut lists, purchase lists, optimized layout diagrams of materials and parts.
• You can do virtually anything with the assemblies you design.  Stretch and shrink, rotate, duplicate, and even clone and space assemblies over any given distance.  Make one assembly such as a carcass and save it – and use it over and over again.  Saves time.
• 3D renbering in photo like quality.  You can even send a rotating 3D model to your clients via email.

Does it take time to learn?  Of course it does.  It  just takes much less time ot learn SketchList 3D then other design software packages.  There are nearly 100 training videos on this site and on YouTube to show you how to do pretty much whatever it is you need to do.

So if you’ve been thinking about upgrading your woodworking skills with a better approach to design, don’t settle for just CAD – even if it’s free.  Move up to a 3D woodworking modeling system that was designed by a woodworker for woodworkers, with integrated functions and automatic reports that will improve your

• designs,
• reduce wasted material,
• speed design time,
• and quickly get you into the shop with a set of plans you can use to create great work.

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