SketchUp - A Design Guide for Woodworkers: Complete Illustrated Reference

As good as new. Not a crease or crinkle.

This volume is handsomely produced, and the author is quite sincere, exceptionally knowledgeable, and admirably clear in his explanations. He is a fine and reassuring guide to the drawing process.But something is amiss here. As a first project, the author works through the example of a bedside table, with more than 100 pages being devoted to the various considerations involved in drawing tapered legs, drawer parts, dovetail joints, even the drawer pull. These are dense pages, packed with information. And here lies the dilemma. I submit that any experienced woodworker could build and finish a single-drawer bedside table in far less time than it would take to work through these initial chapters of Mr. Zeh's book. Truly now, is there in fact any real need to draw up a relatively simple piece to this level of detail? I, and many crafts people I know, need little more than a few notes to construct a table like this. Aprons 4.5" wide, 15.5" overall, 13.5" show face, tenons 1" x 2.5" x 5/16". Legs 28" x 1.75" square, tapering on two sides to 1 1/16" square; taper starts 6" down. And so on. What could possibly be the need for anything more than that? All the key dimensions for a side table can be very quickly recorded on a single piece of paper and filed away for future reference.I suppose there might be folks out there who want to draw up complicated projects in highly detailed 3-D views. But the time spent to create such renderings could alternatively be used to get a great deal of building done. If you want to learn to make superb drawings of furniture, this is surely the book for you. If you actually want to build furniture, however, you might be better served by getting away from the computer and into the shop.

having experience in other products like TurboCad, which I have used for years, and considering an investment of a sizeable amount in Sketchup, I thought the book might be a good idea to sway my decision one way or another. Don't get me wrong, the book is a great resource and the author, Joe Zeh has gone to extraordinary lengths and depths to give you a feel for what you're getting into, however, at the moment SketchUp itself is not for me. Perhaps at a later date, I'll reconsider getting and using it in my small homegrown business, but right now, it's a no go.If you can go past chapter 3 in the book, you will find the "Exercises For the Student" at the end of almost every chapter. These are great and help the student develop a higher skill level than if he/she never used them. They are well thought out and planned to support the text contained in their respective chapter.One thing I found was, that if you are familiar with other 'drawing' products, the change in terminology can be quite overwhelming and right at the moment, and at an advanced age, I'm not willing to learn another language.Notwithstanding my personal quirks, it's a great book and I'm sure to read it in more depth at a later date.

El producto es excelente vale el dinero que pague. Pero la entrega fue pesima.

I have not finished this book, instead, am doing as the author asks. Read a chapter, then go back, using Sketchup, and work through the chapter. I have not encountered a book such as this before. It is like having a live instructor. If you want to learn Sketchup this is the ideal book. It is truly a guide, not a reference book although the information as a reference book is there. It is still not easy and sometimes I simply have to start over because I have missed a simple step in the process. The author shows the critical sequence required to build up a set of plans. By uploading some of the application tools found on the internet, Sketchup is a powerful tool for 3D drawings. I would recommend this book even for those that like to start a new project with a nice clean sheet of paper on the drawing board. You can never have too many tools! The author assumes that the reader has never used a CAD drawing program before, but advances quickly.

Good book if you are a woodworker learning sketchup, but you'll probably need other instructional material as well.If I had a dime for every time someone with 30 yrs of CAD experience said Sketchup is intuitive...IMO, not that intuitive or it would not take a 300 page book, plus watching videos to figure out, but this book is not without merit.The biggest plus is the step by step guide to setting up a profile for designing woodworking projects.Biggest negative is a lack of pictures depicting what is being drawn. I have used Sketchup off and on for the past five years, but never fully got the hang of it. Early on in the first project the author describes a drawing maneuver that had me completely lost, and without a graphical depiction of what he wants the reader to draw my first project came to a screeching halt.I'm going to search for other instructional videos and keep this book as a reference. As a stand alone manual I think most people would be challenged to learn sketchup, but it's a good companion to other resources.

Zeh is a teacher and a very careful one at that! Sketchup is like Microsoft...there are several ways to get the same end result. I first watched the video presentations done by Richards and by Lange, which are dedicated to woodworking and are excellent. Both achieve the same results via slightly different approaches. Zeh gives you yet another slightly different angle to work from.If this is your first approach to Sketchup be prepared to do your homework. If you are dedicated to overcome the learning curve you won't find a better teacher. On the other hand, if you just want to know some basics to start out, first use the tutorials in Sketchup, then try one of the videos. When you get your feet on the ground then embrace Zeh as the master! You won't go wrong.I really like Zeh's careful and explicit approach as he leaves nothing out unless he tells you that he is doing so.

This is book is about gaining knowledge to be able to use the program Sketchup to its full pretention as a amateur. As a Retired Woodworker I have been able to made Detailed Drawing of things I wish to make and have Printed the Drawings and built the items from the Drawing as a amateur.

I just received this book and recommend it for SketchUp users. It is formatted for Woodworkers in a step-by-step manner starting with basic functions to more advanced drawing such as 3d curves, and cabriole table legs. The author provides links to his personal drawing files that you can download and work with as you go through the practical exercises. The author has his audience in mind by referencing both the free software SketchUp 'make' and the pro versions. In doing so, those who can't afford the pro versions will benefit from this book. Highly recommend.

Truly a necessary book for any woodworker who uses SketchUp. Joe's style is easy, he is a great instructor and fun to learn from.

Adatto ad un principiante evoluto ed oltre. Molto didattico e approfondito.

Con los dos primeros capítulos aprendí las generalidades del programa y pude hacer por mi cuenta un modelo tridimensional. Excelente libro para carpintería. Me gustaría un poco más de imágenes