I found Fusion360 to be more intuitive. There are several Youtube series teaching F360 for woodworking, The Fusion Essentials and The Woodgrafter are the ones I used.
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NCWW mentoring network
- Thread starter Mike Davis
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I will check it out. Thanks
How much is Fusion 360? Do they have a version for the hobbiest?
Free, if you apply & qualify. https://www.autodesk.com/products/fusion-360/personal
Thanks. I might give Fusion 360 a try when I get a new computer.
Solidworks is supposed to have a version for $100. It is called 3D EXPERIENCE, but when I reach out to the Solidworks people I get no response. I've used Solidworks for a few years, so there won't be a learning curve.
Hi Steve,
I am interested in chair making. I work near the Farmers Market at I-40 and Sandy Ridge.
What kind of chair making are you thinking of Mike?
Not sure, I just got Chris Schwarz‘ book on stick chairs, reading that and thinking maybe- maybe not…
Guess I need to see more.
My daughter wants a rocking chair, I told her to get some pictures and let’s talk about it.
Right now I want to explore the options, maybe make a few and see what appeals to me.
Guess I need to see more.
My daughter wants a rocking chair, I told her to get some pictures and let’s talk about it.
Right now I want to explore the options, maybe make a few and see what appeals to me.
I read Chris's book during Christmas break. A good read. lots of good information. I have been picking away at two Mendlesham chairs which are essentially windsor chairs. I have not made many of those. Post and rung is what I do mostly in my home shop. I make many different types of chairs in the shop I manage in High Point. Post and rung chairs are really fun to make and you learn a lot about chair geometry and such with one. They come together fairly quickly and the joinery is a bit forgiving as well.
I agree with @TekTrixter that in the silence of my room Fusion 360 is more intuitive... BUT when you can get one on one with @Dave Richards it is worth it's weight in GOLD! he is SUCH a great teacher! You have seen his work if you ever picked up a Fine Woodworking magazine that had a "sketch" (up) of a furniture piece - phenomenal!
I haven’t read Chris Schwartz’s book on chairs yet. I’ll check it out soon with your recommendations. I think he’s a very good writer. His book on hand planes is excellent.
If you are trying to build a stick chair or a Windsor I have found The Chairmaker’s Workshop by NC craftsman Drew Langsner to be one of the most helpful.
If you are trying to build a stick chair or a Windsor I have found The Chairmaker’s Workshop by NC craftsman Drew Langsner to be one of the most helpful.
ROFLMAO I am with you. I use easycad
Dang. I have been busy and not keeping up with the forums. And dang. I have missed so much.
I have been a shade tree carpenter for a while…doing home repairs and renovations (currently installing a fence).
But the last few years I have been dabbling in some woodworking…well more like trying to teach myself. I have not made any “woodworking” projects - not even a cutting board Well I did make my shelves.
Anyway I was thinking that I need to get some tutoring in even some basic tool skills. I found that even when I am cutting plywood on the table saw my cuts end up crooked.
Then there are my router skills - I am not sure which way I am supposed to move the router.
And lastly, I was given a bandsaw but have no idea how to set it up. When I cut with it the blade is so wobbly wobbly.
Shoot I haven’t even mentioned finishing or inlay or any other “advanced” skills
With that said, I am very open to some tutoring - preferably in the Wilmington area but I am willing to travel.
I have been a shade tree carpenter for a while…doing home repairs and renovations (currently installing a fence).
But the last few years I have been dabbling in some woodworking…well more like trying to teach myself. I have not made any “woodworking” projects - not even a cutting board Well I did make my shelves.
Anyway I was thinking that I need to get some tutoring in even some basic tool skills. I found that even when I am cutting plywood on the table saw my cuts end up crooked.
Then there are my router skills - I am not sure which way I am supposed to move the router.
And lastly, I was given a bandsaw but have no idea how to set it up. When I cut with it the blade is so wobbly wobbly.
Shoot I haven’t even mentioned finishing or inlay or any other “advanced” skills
With that said, I am very open to some tutoring - preferably in the Wilmington area but I am willing to travel.
I'm in Chapel Hill. I can teach woodturning, power carving, spoon carving, pyrography,... I'm available most weekends and I'm hanging out in my shop most weekends if you just want to visit and observe or talk.
OK - I’ve been resisting stepping into this discussion but I may have something worth adding.
When you are new to a design application (regardless of which one) the tendency is to let your design be driven by the features of the app that you are familiar and comfortable with. The frustration people experience when they are new to the process is their mental design concept is more complete than they can capture in the computer, so what’s the point? And if they are hoping the computer will save them from dimensional errors, they need to build the model correctly in the unfamiliar app. It can be self defeating.
I say this from the context of teaching design using both Sketchup and Fusion360 in classes of 5th to 9th grade students.
So I’m talking about people with very basic relationships with math.
Here’s my take away - if you want any easy learning curve go with Sketchup.
I had 5th graders creating parts of their own design - not cookie cutter tutorial stuff - ready to 3D print. In later years I introduced them to making dimensionally correct designs suitable for a woodworking situation. They built everything from furniture to an above ground koi pond from these designs.
I wouldn’t call Sketchup “intuitive”, especially if you have some experience with other CAD environments. That said, if you learn it’s quirks and keyboard shortcuts it easily gets you where you need to be.
I really like Fusion360. The learning curve is steeper, and longer, but there are some great resources available. If you have experience with other CAD applications and/or a friendly relationship with geometry it may be an easier transition than Sketchup. A bonus is the parametrics allow you to define your design in terms of a few critical dimensions and it will adjust to fit. You are not required to work in parametrics but it can be useful.
A practical example is a plywood work table design I converted to Fusion360. I could input L,W,H, material thickness, leg width and space between the lower shelf and bottom of the apron. We used that to make work tables for study areas, printer stands for 3D printers, assembly/out feed table for the shop, miter saw station, the list goes on. All from one design. Just plug in the parameters and it gives you a design with all the components specified.
Finally- now that I am retired I’ve drifted back to designing freehand with a pencil and paper. I have a stack of paper next to my favorite chair and when an idea bubbles up in my noggin I sketch it. It evolves to a point where I think I know what I’m going to do and I go build it. For me that’s intuitive.
