Alibre Design

To fully answer why I chose Alibre Design I should probably give you some of my background with CAD/CAM systems.  I started out about 20 years ago designing plastic injection molds and programming CNC machines to cut these same molds.  The CAD systems that I have used over the years have always been considered very high end systems.

I currently used Unigraphics NX at my day job.  A single “bare bones” installation of NX will cost somewhere around $5,000.  On top of that, we add in assembly functionality, drafting functionality, and a mold design add-on.  This all adds up to about $20,000 for a single installation.  These systems that I have been using professionally are very high end, very powerful, and quite easy to use.

When I decided to look for a CAD system to use for Maple Grove Woodworks projects, I realized that I was quite spoiled when it came to the CAD features that I was looking for.  I really wanted to find a system that had similar features, the same ease of use, but not the cost of a high end system.  Well, I knew that I was going to have to sacrifice on some of these things, but I was bound and determined to find the system that gave me the closest thing to what I really wanted for the least amount of money.

One of most important features that I wanted was for the CAD software to be both a three dimensional(3D) and two dimensional(2D) system.  What I found was that many of the low cost CAD programs out there were only 2D.  I know that some people like to draw in 2D and use software like DeltaCad or CadStd and that is perfectly fine for them.  It is just not the way I like to do things.

My own design process usually starts out with a 2D sketch on a piece of paper. At that point I will try and draw it three dimensionally in order to get the joinery figured out.  Sometimes, I will prototype something at this point in order to clarify the scale or refine a shape.  Once I have everything drawn 3 dimensionally, I will then make a set of working drawings to take out to the shop, although, lately I have just been taking my laptop out to the shop and using the 3D model to take measurements.

The 2D systems just were not going to work for me.  I would rather get the old drafting table out with a T-square and triangles.  (Remember, I’m spoiled).

I then decided to then look into Google Sketchup.  It certainly meets my cost criteria for a new CAD system and there are a lot of woodworkers using it.  It is also a 3D system.  I proceeded to design a few projects with it, and Sketchup is … well … fine.  I know it works for a lot of others out there, but I found it very cumbersome.  (Again, I’m spoiled)  I was able to design pretty much anything I wanted to, but the “ease of use” criteria was just not there.

This is certainly a matter of preference because I know that there are a lot of woodworkers who do very well with Sketchup, such as, Bob Lang at Popular Woodworking.com, or Tim Killen and Dave Richards over at Fine Woodworking.com.  These guys have really mastered Sketchup and have taken it to new levels.

Coffee Table

One of the features that I was really looking for that the higher end systems have that none of the lower end ones have, including Sketchup, was parametric feature design capabilities.  What this means is that everything that I draw has a history of every operation that I used in creating a particular part.  In other words, if I create a 1/4″ fillet on a piece and then later on decide that the fillet should be 1/2″, all I have to do is edit the fillet feature and change the dimension.

It also means that if I design a Mission Style Coffee Table and then realize that I would like a matching End Table, I could simply change the length dimension of the table top and the corresponding length dimensions of the cross members would automatically change as well.  As an added bonus, all of my drawings would update with the new dimensions too.  (I am planning on making a video of this at some point to better explain this).

I decided to keep looking for the perfect software for me.  I finally came across Alibre Design.  Alibre has 3 versions of the CAD design

End Table

software.  The low end version is called Alibre Design Personal Edition (PE).  At the time of this posting the PE version retails for $99.  This falls in the range of my cost criteria.  It is also both a 2D and a 3D system.  All of the Alibre Design products are also parametric, so it also meets my criteria of having some high end features.  The coffee table and the end table shown are from the same design and by just adjusting the length dimension I now have 2 designs.

I decided to download a trial version and test it out.  I really liked how it worked.  Its approach to designing things very much mimicked the higher end systems that I was used to.  This meant that it met the “ease of use” criteria.  I have since purchased Alibre Design and have designed several projects in it now and I am completely hooked.

So, that was the long winded explanation of why I chose Alibre Design as my CAD system for Maple Grove Woodworks.  And, like I said earlier, I am planning on make a couple of videos of how Alibre Design works and I will post them here when they are complete.

Besides all of the visual changes, you’ll notice an open space in the upper right hand corner of the home page labeled “Featured Video”.  I am planning on some videos soon for the site and the most recent will be featured in this location.  Some of the videos will be “how to” woodworking videos filmed in the shop, and others will be design oriented.  The design videos will be Computer Aided Design (CAD) oriented, and will hopefully be helpful to some people.

Another noticeable difference is that the blog has been taken off of the home page.  Don’t worry, it’s still here.  It now has its own page on the site and can be accessed through the menu at the top of the page.  I wanted the site to be “more” than a blog, although I am still contemplating what the “more” will really be.  I just thought that it made sense, at this point, to move it off of the home page to make room for the “more”.

Feel free to look around at what I have so far.  I am always open to constructive comments if you have ideas about how something could be improved.

I even did a little woodworking.  Just a little.  I made a couple more clamp racks and attached them to the wall.  Many of my clamps have been laying on bench tops or just clamped to the sides of a bench, so the additional racks will really help in staying organized.  I did not get back to the mission style lamps that I wanted to work on, but hopefully I will soon.

Generally when I am working on things like this I am trying to work quickly because I just want to be done with it.  It is not the kind of work I really enjoy.  Because of this, I rarely clean up after myself and I eventually end up with a very cluttered workshop that is impossible to work in because I can’t find anything.  It almost begins to feel claustrophobic.

After putting everything back in place, I began trying to reorganize a few things.  When doing so, I came across several unfinished projects.  They are all personal projects that I was working on at one time or another, when something more important would come along that I needed to make.  My project would get set aside in a corner or on a shelf, while I finished the “important” project.  Then… it was forgotten.

I found two partially made mission style lamps that were to be for our living room.  They were about half completed.

I found three marquetry mirrors that are about 80% complete.  At one time I had made several of these mirrors, either for clients or friends, but apparently I had started a few more and did not complete them.

I found a business card holder that was only about 25% complete.  There were some small intricate parts that, at the time, I did not have the proper tools to make safely.

I found the parts of a chisel mallet that is about 75% complete.  I just need to finish gluing the handle to the head and then sand it and it will be completed.

Actually, come to think of it, my router table has never really been completed.  When I first started woodworking, I had ordered the plans for Norm Abram’s router table.  It is about 95% complete, but I never finished the large bottom drawer.  All of the wood is cut, and the drawer slides are sitting where the drawer would be.

Maybe my new years resolution this year should be to finish up the unfinished projects.  The next time I am bored, (which rarely happens these days), I can’t blame it on not having anything to do. 

The frame for this net made out of laminated Walnut and White Ash. The inlaid fish is also made out of Walnut. The plan called for 3/32″ thick strips, but mine were closer to 1/8″.

I made an MDF form to use as a clamping fixture.  This was my first attempt at bentwood lamination, and I made a few mistakes in the planning of it all.  First, my clamping fixture could have been designed a little better.  I didn’t have enough room for the number of clamps that I ended up using.  I also should have done a “dry” glue up to see how everything was going work.  It was definitely one of those chaotic mad dash glue ups.

I also used too much glue and it ran everywhere.  Everything was slipping and sliding all over the place.  After it dried I had a LOT of dried glue to remove and uneven strips to sand down. It was a lot of work, but well worth the effort.

To attach the net I drilled small holes all around the frame and then pushed a loop of the net through each one. Then I took a piece of leather shoe string and put it through one hole in the frame and tied it off. Then wrapped the leather around the outside of the frame going through each loop of the net as I went around. At the other end I push the leather through the last hole and tied it off.

The frame has a small groove around the outside, but the leather string I used was thicker than the grooove was deep. A soft cotton net is what I really wanted to use but I couldn’t find one, so I settled for a nylon net.

I have made a couple of these now, and have given them away at Christmas to family members.

Front View (Click for larger view)

Here is a quick update of where I am on the workshop design.  If you remember from my first article, the footings and frost wall already exist so I cannot modify anything with them, but every thing else is fair game.

I am not quite as far along as I had hoped to be at this point with the design, but here is what I have so far.  As you can see from the pictures, I have the wall studs up on 3 of the sides.  I have to research the rough opening sizes I’ll need for the doors before doing the fourth wall.

I also have one of roof trusses drawn.  Actually, I haven’t decided if they will be premade trusses or if I will just build them on site.  You can now see what I mean by a center aisle horse barn.  The difference here is that my workshop will not be raised on the interior, the raised section will house the second floor.

Iso View (Click for larger view)

The next step will be to finish the front walls and the rest of the roof trusses.  Then I will start adding the sheeting on the outsides of the walls and drywall on the inside of the walls.

Mary Kay Give Away Display

A couple of years ago, I had a client who sold Mary Kay cosmetics.  She wanted me to build her a display that she could place near the cash registers at local businesses.  People could fill out an entry form and place it inside the display in order to win prizes.

She wanted the display to be a little nicer and have more class than the usual cardboard box or fish bowl that you normally see for these types of things.  She also did not want it to have a very large footprint.  Business owners would be more likely to let her place it on their counter if it didn’t take up too much room.  It also couldn’t be too small or else it wouldn’t be noticeable.

The display also needed to have some sort of “back” to it so that a pad of entry forms could hang from it.  Above the entry pads, their had to be enough room for a sign explaining what the entry forms were for.

I decided that even though this project was not going to be a very large one, I really needed to go through the entire design process.  The design needed to be more than just a rough sketch before I started building it.

Cad Design

The first thing I did was to make a prototype out of some cardboard.  This was just to determine the overall size of the display.  I wanted to get a good visual of the size to show my client.  I ended up making a couple of different sizes to present.  This part of the process really only took about 1/2 an hour.  I basically cut up a few pieces of cardboard and taped them together to form a box for the different sizes.  I also mocked up the “back” with some cardboard as well.

Once this was done, I began modeling the design in my CAD software.  This allowed me to get all of the joints figured out, as well as give a nice visual representation of the style for my client.  Between the cardboard mock-ups and the 3 dimensional CAD design, I felt that I had enough to show the client and see if she wanted to move forward from there.

Display Closeup

From the very beginning, I had a certain image in my head as to what the box should look like.  I didn’t consciously design it with an Asian flair, but that is how it turned out.  The curved legs, and curved edging of the top accomplish this.  I also wanted to add some marquetry to it as well.  I decided on a very simple rose pattern for the front of the box.

I have always liked the contrast between walnut and maple and decided to use them on this project.  In this case, I would use some curly maple that I had left over from another project.  I would also use purple-heart and cherry on the rose.

Rear View

My client loved the size and design that I had come up with, and gave her approval for going ahead with the project.  It was at this point that I decided I would need some jigs and patterns made up so that I would be able to make several of these.  In order to come up with the jigs and patterns, I built a prototype of the box out of MDF and pine.

The prototype allowed be to work out some of the challenges of creating some of the curved pieces and the joinery. The legs of the piece are curved on two faces, not just tapered.  Once the prototype was complete, I began making boxes.

The one thing I don’t like about wood walls is that it can really cut down on the light in the shop.  I really like having a lot of light in my shop and having white walls really helps the light reflect around the shop.  The wood could be painted white, but I hate painting wood.  so what I plan on doing is putting up drywall on all of the walls and ceiling and painting them bright white.  At first this sounds very antiseptic, but I think much of the walls will be covered by cabinets, workbenches, tools and such.

If I need to hang several heavy tools, jigs, or whatever on the wall, I would probably attach a sheet of plywood horizontally to the wall studs, and then hang things from the plywood.  In my current garage shop, I have some white peg board which works out quite well for the lighter tools.  It is just not strong enough for anything too heavy.  Anything of any real weight will either be in a cabinet or on a shelf anyways.

Flooring is another subject that generates a lot of conversation.  Pretty much the one thing that everyone agrees on is that concrete floors are very hard on your feet and back.  I am seriously considering installing Dricore flooring over the top of the concrete pad.  The 2005 Tools and Shops issue of Fine Woodworking (#174) had a really good article comparing these DriCore tiles and other PVC floor coverings.  I like the Dricore in the sense that it seems to give more cushion for your feet and back, and also a better insulating value.  My only concern is if they can handle the weight of a table saw without crushing the plastic underside.  That will be a future research project.

At this point I envision the west wall of the shop to be lined with a long counter top/workbench with cabinets underneath.  On the walls above the cabinets will be either more cabinets or wall mounted tool storage.  The east wall will be for lumber storage.  There will probably be a stairway going upstairs along the back wall along with larger portable tool storage.  I will work out some of these details as my design progresses.

Marquetry Mirror

This hand held mirror was one of my first attempts at marquetry. I saw the plan in the June 2000 issue of Wood Magazine and immediately decided I wanted to try my hand at it. It was challenging to say the least.  I made 2 or three attempts at the marquetry before I had results that I was satisfied with.

The outer part of the frame is made of black Walnut, and the back panel is made of Curly Maple. The rose petals are made of Purple Heart, while the stem is made of Cherry.  These are all woods that I had worked with before, and they compliment each other beautifully.

Mirror Inlay

I made the marquetry inlay’s using a Double Bevel technique where the inlay and the hole for the inlay are cut at the same time.  This is done using a scroll-saw and tipping the table of the scroll-saw on an angle.  The angle depends on the thickness of the inlay stock and the thickness of the blade being used.  If done properly, the inlay piece fits perfectly into the hole.

The black band you see around the back panel is actually a black epoxy, which holds the mirror and back panel in place. Once the frame and the inlay in the back panel is done, then everything is assembled centering the back panel in the opening of the frame. Then I mix up some epoxy with some black colorant and pour it into the groove between the frame and the back panel.

Once the epoxy is dry I sand it and the rest of the piece down to 320. What you end up with is what looks like a very smooth looking inlay.  The finish is a clear oil based product called Seal-a-Cell with its companion topcoat called Arm-R-Seal.

Mirror

I have made several of these mirrors now for family and friends.  I have begun coming up with my own designs for the inlays, and have started using the technique on other projects as well.

The first thing I want to consider is the overall style of the building.  I live out in the country surrounded by farms and fields.  I have always liked the look of old center aisle horse barns and that is what I would like my shop to resemble.  Plus, the design gives me the opportunity to have a small second floor where I can have either an office or extra storage.  The horse barn look is both aesthetically pleasing to its surroundings and very practical for use as a workshop.

Ceiling height would be my next consideration.  I would like a minimum of 10ft high ceilings.  This makes it easy to stand 4×8 sheets of plywood on end and if needed roll it on its corner and still have a foot to spare.  The diagonal measurement of a 4×8 sheet is just shy of 9ft.

I will probably stick with 10ft high ceilings for a couple of reasons, both related to cost.  I figure that it will cost roughly 20% more in materials for the walls by going to a 12 ft ceiling.  Also, when it comes to heating and cooling, it will be less expensive with the 10ft ceilings.  One other thing, I think the building would just look too tall with a 12 ft ceiling.

The building will certainly have to be insulated.  I live in Michigan where the winters are cold and the summers are hot.  I will probably install a propane furnace, the kind that hangs from the ceiling, to heat the shop during the winter.  I have yet to research all of the different kinds of furnaces but as soon as I do I will post an article dedicated to it.

Another luxury would be to have 6 inch wide walls rather than the typical 4 inch.  The purpose of this would be to have thicker insulation in the walls which will reduce the heating and cooling costs.  However, I am pretty sure the cost of 2×6 wall studs may be a bit higher than I am willing to pay.

Windows are another thing to consider, and there will certainly be some trade offs with them.  I want as much natural light as possible coming into the shop, but I don’t want to sacrifice too much wall space either.  I imagine I will have 2 windows on the side walls and 1 window on each end wall both downstairs and upstairs giving me a total of eight windows.

Both the large overhead door and the entry door will be insulated.  The overhead door is for easy loading and unload of lumber and projects.  I do not ever intend on driving into the shop.  Because I don’t ever intend on driving into the shop, I plan on making the poured cement floor as flat as humanly possible.  At this point, I can see no reason to put a drain in the floor, so there is no need to slope the floor.

The shop will have to have both 110 and 220 outlets.  I currently only have 1 machine that runs on 220, but I plan on having a couple more someday.

At this point, this pretty much makes up my requirements list for the overall construction of the workshop.  I will discuss some of my requirements for the interior of the shop in my next article.