Inspiration / Design For Builds?

[Bushwacked]

I am curious what you all do for building your items ... 

I normally google search around and see if anything jumps out that could work and/or be modified some to fit my needs. I also search youtube for things and save pics when I see something cool.

However, I am curious, for something purely custom and pretty close to unique as you can get, how is the thought process there? I was thinking of looking around and trying to find like a woodworking design type class to see if I could pick up any tricks to thinking outside the box and just coming up with something on my own.

Anyone else think about this or go through with it or have formal training?

[Kev]

The project usually finds me..  So, when it does, I spend time in Sketchup figuring this things out..

Take the MB COD for instance..  When that project started, it was a square box but, then got curved rails and curved drawer fronts.  

[Tmize]

Sure do it’s called my wife. She tells me want she wants and where it will go. I design it to not fall apart an measure to fit the space then I free hand draw it out on graph paper to scale. We both like shaker/country style so I google some images but most is design on the fly. I may sketch up a certain detail or joinery I’m concerned with but that is about it. I pull my cut list from the sketch an bdft. 

[Chet]

I save ideas that I see from woodworkers that are way better then me and have creative juices.  They can be any where from the whole projects to tiny details that I would like to incorporate into my projects.

I just keep notes and/or pictures.  A lot of times I try out the ideas, mainly details, in small prototypes out of poplar scraps.

[Coop]

BW, I pretty much take your route. If I were to take a design class, it would have to be a perpetual course and no instructor in their right mind would put up with me that long.

Chet, how and where do you organize your pics and notes? I’ve thought about that and think it’s a great idea but don’t know where to start. 

[Kev]

52 minutes ago, Coop said:

Chet, how and where do you organize your pics and notes? I’ve thought about that and think it’s a great idea but don’t know where to start. 

Can't believe such a question with your computer prowess!  ?

[Coop]

We have to hone our skills. Even Bill Gates had to call in help from Paul Allen! ?

Edited December 8, 2020 by Coop

[Jamie]

I guess I take the google approach. I also look at different magazines online to see if something catches my eye. I usually have a pretty good idea of what I’m looking for in my head. Where I struggle is taking my idea to paper. That is where google images plays in. 
 

As far as taking a class I think that would be more a degree, there are so many elements to design that I wouldn’t even know where to start. 

[Kev]

21 minutes ago, Jamie said:

I guess I take the google approach. I also look at different magazines online to see if something catches my eye. I usually have a pretty good idea of what I’m looking for in my head. Where I struggle is taking my idea to paper. That is where google images plays in. 
 

As far as taking a class I think that would be more a degree, there are so many elements to design that I wouldn’t even know where to start. 

This is when I really start playing in sketchup so I can change small details, show them to the boss, and see which ones "I" like.. ?

 

[Chet]

16 hours ago, Coop said:

Chet, how and where do you organize your pics and notes?

I have a woodworking folder on my computer.  Everything goes in there.  If it is an article from Fine Woodworking Magazine, my subscription type allows me to go to their website and down load the article as a pdf file then I save that to the woodworking folder on my computer.  This way I don't have to save a stack of magazines.

[Coop]

I take the FWW subscription to the mag. I’ve tempted several times to sign up for the digital as well. I’d like to keep the mag as sometimes my newspaper (I know) shows up late and I need the reading material to get me thru the morning! ?

[Kev]

I've tried the digital subs and just can't get into them!  For some reason, I like holding that physical magazine in my hand.  With that said, I also hate the mound of magazines I have laying about!  It's a dual edged sword!

[Coop]

2 minutes ago, Kev said:

I've tried the digital subs and just can't get into them!  For some reason, I like holding that physical magazine in my hand.  

Of all people! Tell me you take the lop sided newspaper as well? If Fox published a news paper with comics, I would wait by the street until it arrived in my pj’s! 

[Kev]

11 minutes ago, Coop said:

Of all people! Tell me you take the lop sided newspaper as well? If Fox published a news paper with comics, I would wait by the street until it arrived in my pj’s! 

I don't do the newspaper, I do catch that on line.  But, I also want a bunch of different sources for my news so, the newspaper wouldn't work.  I'd only get one spin on anything the paper decided to call "news" and would miss anything they didn't consider "news".  When it comes to the news, I want all views and all sides.

Woodworking is very different..  Each article is a new technique, a revamp of an old technique, a new tool, or a slightly different version of an older project.  Regardless, none of them effect peoples lives on a daily basis..

[Coop]

Agreed! 

[Chet]

FWW Magazine has a combo subscription where you get both the magazine and the digital.   I had a subscription that I got the magazine and then some separate digital content that wasn't in the mag.  Then about four years ago they added this feature where you received the magazine, had access to the digital magazine, and all the other digital content.  They took people with subscriptions like mine and grand fathered us into this bigger package for the same price and then got rid of the package that we had.