# Book/ website recommendations on how to design?



## Chris152 (28 Nov 2017)

I've done quite a lot of arty farty drawing over the years but no real idea how to do more technical drawing. I recently drew up joints before making them on a simple table and found it really helpful, but at the moment my drawings of ideas consist of vague sketches, moving more or less straight to cutting and exploring possibilities as I go. It seems to work ok as a method for me, and I don't need to repeat designs so an exact record on paper of dimensions etc doesn't seem so important. But I would like to know how a furniture maker/ designer would set about drawing out ideas, from initial sketches to final design so I can try working that way.

I've played with Sketchup a little but prefer to work on paper.

Any recommendations of a book or website would be great.

Thanks

Chris

edit: this is pretty typical of my working 'method' at the moment - the unfinished bits of wood (including a scrap) are clamped together so I can try different positions, lengths and so on. Do people work like this?


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## Chris Knight (1 Dec 2017)

I suggest you get a couple of books:

1. Illustrated cabinet making by Bill Hylton https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_no ... inetmaking

2. The Woodworker's Guide to Furniture Design https://www.amazon.co.uk/Woodworkers-Gu ... ure+Design

The first of these is invaluable I find. Both are essentially fairly basic covering good design and very suitable for less experienced folk. There are other books that cover more adventurous stuff but I'd advise leaving those until you have got the more basic stuff under your belt.

Part of the fun in woodworking for me is to start with something "arty-farty" and then try to work out if and how I could/would make it.


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## Chris152 (1 Dec 2017)

Thanks Chris - the second one looks perfect and I just ordered it from Amazon marketplace for under £6! I initially thought the Hylton was too historical for my interests but might put it on the Christmas list. And the Amazon preview turned up this from the book:




I'm in the process of doing butt joints for table legs / strengtheners with glue and screws only and had assumed the screws would add strength to the glue in the same way that dowels do, but apparently not! On reflection, I'm definitely putting that one on the Christmas list.

Thanks again

Chris

edit: not that it's what this thread's about, but having read around the screw/ dowel question, the answer seems to be that the dowels allow greater surface area for the glue to connect and this makes the joints stronger. In case any other newbies were wondering the same...


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## Jacob (1 Dec 2017)

If you mean how to design on paper then books or web pages on architectural drawing such as Reekie would be good.
The older pre-war woodwork text books also had plenty of detail.

The basics are: 1. sketch design 2. design 3. working drawing (i.e. full size to aid actually making the thing)
Working drawing turns into a "rod" for many projects - whereby you take measurements off the drawing itself by laying components on to the drawing (usually on a board).


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## Chris152 (1 Dec 2017)

Jacob":kvax4cw1 said:


> books or web pages on architectural drawing such as Reekie would be good.


Thanks Jacob, just bought the used hardback copy in 'good' condition for 47p. Sadly postage put it up to over £3! Brilliant.


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