2 sketchup questions

[noddy67]

First question is when you are drawing a typical piece in skecthup that has an identical tenon on each end what is the quickest method of drawing this such that you are not duplicating the work twice. Is the process drawing half of the piece, creating the tenon and then copying it, rotating the copy and adding it on the the other end of the first piece or is there a faster way?

Secondly is there any way to use the push tool to create an angled mortise, or an angled tenon for that matter too?

Many thanks

 

[Steve Maskery]

Hi Noddy

I would draw the tenon complete, including shoulders and make it a component. The bottom left-hand corner will then be your reference point and you will be able to locate it on the end of the rail easily.

Dave may well have some other ideas too.

As to angled push-pull, there is a Plugin called Push-Pull In Any Direction IIRC which will do just as you describe (I think).
Have a look here, about 3/4 down:
http://www.crai.archi.fr/RubyLibraryDep ... o_page.htm


Cheers
Steve

 

[SketchUp Guru]

I have ideas but I don't know if they are any better.

Steve's method will work for the tenon although it depends upon what you need from the model. If you're after an accurate cutlist, you'd at least want to explode the tenon component and include it with the rest of the geometry. Otherwise it's a bit like you've glued a block of wood on the end of your rail and called that a tenon.

One way I approach this is to draw the tenon on the first end. Then I put in a couple of guidelines that lie on the corners of the cheeks and diagonally across the tenon from each other. Then I orbit around to the opposite end and draw a rectangle using the intersections of those guidelines and the end face as references for the Rectangle. If I used Push/Pull to pull the tenon out on the first end, A double click with the Push/Pull tool on the second end will pop the tenon out the same distance.

As to drawing an angled mortise, you could use a plugin. I would use the Joint Push/Pull (JPP) plugin as one way to do this. If the rail with its tenons is already in place, you could open the component that will get the mortise, shift to Xray or Wireframe view and trace the tenon. Then momentarily hide the rail, delete the face that is skinning over the mortise and correct any face orientation problems. JPP would also work for the tenon.

 

[noddy67]

Thanks for the prompt help guys.