Warning: Sketchup can turn out to be quite addictive. I am using the free (as in beer) version currently called Sketchup Make, which is more than enough as far as I am concerned. Obviously there are loads of excellent Sketchup tutorials out there (hint: watch all of the official ones one the sketchup site, and you’re all set), but this just captures the core knowledge that suits my personal (very limited) use of the tool.
Where Sketchup really shines is its ability to be used by a very wide range of users, from enthusiastic newbies like myself that only need to model a few things once in a while and don’t want to invest hundreds of hours into learning an “old-school” 3D modeler, to professional architects and designers using it in their daily workflow. The program – CambumCode Free – is available for download at You may also be interested in out tool for setting up CNC routers running on Mach3, which is available at are a few notes about basic usage of the Sketchup 3D modeler, mostly as a quick refresher for myself whenever my 3D modeling itch needs scratching, every 6 months or so. Admittedly, these cuts are all relatively simple, but they are also the foundation for furniture and cabinet building. Our claim is that our method will save you considerable time, since you need only enter a handful of parameters and some standard text. This approach is backwards from the standard process of designing in a CAD package, exporting to a CAM package, then generating a g-code file. In addition to generating g code, plugins are available for Google SketchUp which will automatically generate the part in SketchUp. The full version will generate a variety of woodworking joints such as dados, tenons, dovetails and hinge pockets. In the near future a full version of the program will be available at a reasonable cost. A complete g-code program can be generated in 2 minutes or less by simply entering parameters for stock size, mortise size and placement, feed rates, etc. The program being released now is a free demonstration program to generate g-code for mortises. We are happy to announce the availability of a new program to generate g-code automatically for woodworking joints.
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