ShopClass: SketchUp for Woodworkers – Part 1: Getting Started CD

I really enjoyed Bob Lang's introduction to Sketchup. Bob does a great job building your understanding of how to model a wood working project. As you proceed through the lessons you build a deeper understanding of the different tools in Sketchup and the tricks to use them efficiently. After watching the videos I was immediately able to design a simple woodworking project using Sketchup which was not the case after using the tutorials on the Sketchup web site. Now my one complaint. There needs to be an index so a month from now when I'm coming back to Sketchup to design my next woodworking project and I can't remember the most effective way to use one of the tools I don't have to search through 2 hours of video trying to find it. This would be a great ongoing reference tool if there was an index that just laid out all the detailed topics covered, what video file each topic is covered in, and how far within the file you need to go to find it (i.e. 6:16 into file Sketchup-Started_5-7). If this index existed I would definitely raise my rating to 4 stars.

(Posted on 3/30/11)

This is an excellent resource for any woodworker wanting to quickly get up to speed using SketchUp. Robert clearly demonstrates designing/building pieces before a blade touches wood, saving both time and material. The audio is poorly done. Hearing every smack, swallow, etc. of the presenter is incredibly distracting. Had this been properly recorded it would have received a solid five stars.

(Posted on 5/24/10)