On 4/10/2010 6:07 AM, Dick Snyder wrote:
I have always designed my projects using graph paper, ruler, pencil, and
(lots of) eraser. I have a somewhat more complicated job I want to do now.
There is a design for an entertainment center in FWW that I want to adapt. I
would like to take the measurements from the article, enter them on a
computer somehow, and then change the things I want. I have a friend who
uses Google Sketchup. He found it awkward to use and not that sophisticated.
I don't want to invest the money and a lot of learning time on a CAD program
unless I can get a recommendation on this group for a product that one of
you likes to use. Should I stick to my paper, pencil, and eraser?

For things that are essentially boxes - like kitchen cabinets and,
perhaps, your entertainment center SketchUp has acquired a substantial
following.

I happen to do relatively little of that type of work and use an old
version of DesignCAD, which lets me draw curves that aren't often seen
in traditional woodworking (parabola, hyperbola, catenaries, sine
curves, etc) and export those shapes in a format that permits CNC machining.

Some folks are working with TurboCAD and like it best.

But everybody seems to use pencil and paper along with any CAD package
they're comfortable with.

--
Morris Dovey
DeSoto Solar
DeSoto, Iowa USA
http://www.iedu.com/DeSoto/