Drawings of woodworking projects

[Smoothjazz077]

When I begin a new project, I do some research on other similar pieces that were built, and study the joinery, wood selection and finish.  I will do a material and hardware list, but, I don't make a drawing or sketch up of the project.  I probably should do this, however I am not artistic, so my drawings are stick figures that don't provide much help.  I am curious what other woodworkers do on this topic.

Thanks

Scott

[mdhills]

I usually do some basic dimensioned drawings to keep track of things (helps with initial milling, especially) and help think through any joinery/relationships that come up.
I've also found these notes/drawings to be helpful when I come back to a project after an (extended) interruption.


But if you're getting your projects done without major face-plants in the planning or parts, I don't see a reason to make extra work for yourself.


(and my drawings are very much engineering drafting things;  wish I could sketch well -- a well-done sketch in pencil is really cool)

Matt

[Guest]

There's no requirement to make detailed drawings. If you need to make any drawing, whether by hand or with a computer, only draw as much as you need to get the needed information. Sometimes I will create very detailed drawings, especially if I have to show them to someone else but other times it's not more than a few lines. A few years ago I designed a rack to hold my wife's skis. The entire plan consisted of 7 lines and nothing more.

[Mr Eddie]

I am making a small night stand for my wife.  I made a simple, to scale, front view on some rosin paper and taped it to my bench top.  The table will have two drawers and tapered legs.  After seeing the drawing, I changed the drawer sizes to make them more appealing.  Also, it helped to determine how much taper for the legs.  Took me 30-45 mins.  I find it easier to work from full scale drawings but they don't have to be blueprint level - just a place to make notes and see if everything is going to fit and look right.

Lonnie

[petertay15]

The Rockler DVD intro to woodworking advises that every hour spent in planning will save hours of time and grief in the shop. This is true! I find SketchUp a pain to use, but trying to build my project (bookcase, armoire, etc) in my mind with SketchUp makes me think through every joint, every piece, every step. On the other hand if I just start a project without plans, I make so many mistakes.

[Guest]

If you've gone through the process of drawing out all the details in advance, building it in the shop is like building it again. You already know everything you need to know to build it.

Peter, I can help you make Sketchup not be a pain if you want.

[Bill Holt]

I enjoy the design / drawing stage a lot.  Not fancy, drawn to scale, and include almost every measurement.  This really helps when creating the cut list. 

During the build, there may be interruptions, a day or two, a week, so for me the detailed plane is very helpful.

[Scoony]

I will usually make a sketch if I don't already have a plan. I then make story sticks or boards. The project I am currently finishing up, I drew out the joinery details on a on a piece of plywood 6" wide x 5' long. I was able to use both sides to draw the details for all sides of the project.

[petertay15]

Tried to PM MODse, but it didn't work. Thank you for the kind offer to help with SketchUp. I have viewed the many YouTube tutorials, so I probably know what I need to. My big complaint is that when highlighting any item, the program doesn't reveal what the dimensions are. Using the measure tool to confirm the size of something is a bit clumsy. I find myself thinking, "How could they miss such a obvious feature?" But then, this is the free version. Maybe if I bought it, there would be better tools.
Anyway, thanks for the offer. I'll turn you down, but I appreciate you. --Peter

[Guest]

Peter, I can help you with that dimension thing. I sent you a PM.