Lang, Popular Woodworking Magazine’s executive editor, has created references aimed at using SketchUp for woodworking design and planning. The tutorials with the program are helpful, and there are more resources online. SketchUp is an intuitive program with a short learning curve, once you understand the basics of 3D modeling.

Here is a photo of one of our projects, and here is the same project as it appears in SketchUp.Ĭlick Here for More Ways You Can Use SketchUp SketchUp will make you a better woodworker because you can build a project onscreen before you head to the shop. It enables you to plan and visualize projects on your computer, not as static drawings, but as models you can take apart, put back together, and view from any angle.

SketchUp is a free three-dimensional modeling software application available from Google by clicking here. To get you going with this valuable tool, we’ve assembled the best SketchUp tutorials for beginning woodworkers and veterans alike, as well as a library of SketchUp woodworking plans for you to tool with, destroy and learn from. It lets you virtually execute a woodworking project before you ever cut a piece of wood – vital for minimizing mistakes and getting the most out of your materials. This essential tool allows you to experiment freely, to go where your mind takes no matter how fantastical. No modern-day woodworker truly has a full skill set without knowing the ins and outs of SketchUp for woodworking.

Learn sketchup for woodworking