I do this ALL the time. I am constantly gobsmacked that nobody seems to use the most obvious tool for the job which is Fredoscale.

It works on several levels for this kind of alteration which is so perfectly suited to furniture manufacture that anybody who uses SU for furniture design and does not use Fredoscale all the time needs their head examined.

I manufacture tables for Hooters in SA- this is my model of a standard high table which comes in a variety of sizes depending on restuarant.

Resize all the relevant components in the table without changing the ones which should remain as they are.
Ie. the edging on the top, the leg section width, the corner rails, the overhang of top to frame.

I the use cut list plugin to get a 100% accurate cut list of this table which is sent to the machine shop with one click.

I challenge anyone with whatever software or method to accurately alter a cut list for a table to a new dimension in fewer steps and with as complete accuracy! Fredo has simply changed my life.

This is just one of the many ways the tools can be used- hope you go download it and start using now.

And also make use of the very handy donate button in his sub menu

Hi New One

Looks like you are doing an incredible thing there, I also use Cutlistplus and would welcome the edging detail export. In most of the cabinetry i do my panels are "upgraded" ie. I edge the board with solid timber of varying thicknesses, depending on the application, then veneer the board afterwards. If one had a simple edgebanding tool incorperated, say by being able to specify a edgebanding type that could then be "applied" to the appropriate edge that would be incredibly usefull.

thanks in advance for what looks like a script which will further enhance su's usefullness in furniture design

Hi Jhoutman

I use fredoscale everday for exactly what you are describing. For instance I have a standard drawer design which i cut on a cnc router. It features sides with slots for the base panel of 6mm plywood and notching for a lap joint for front and back. In order to use the drawer in all of my cabinetry i pull it from my components window, select it, click the appropriate fredoscale scale tool(forgive me i have never taken cogniscance of its name), select the appropriate axis for redimensioning (width ,height, or depth),hit TAB key and enter the new overall dimension required.

Fredoscale to my jaw dropping amazement(believe me it gives me the chills every time) resizes the drawer, keeping all the components exactly as they should be. for instance when i change the width the front and back rail extend to the appropriate length with the lap joint staying the correct depth, whilst the sides keep their thickness. when i change the height of the drawer all of the components stretch to their correct widths but the slot for the base stays the standard 15mm from the bottom and the 6.5mm wide that i need it.

It is simply the most astounding and usefull script for cabinetmaking ever!

Nice to see guys working on making su an even better furniture design tool, keep it up.By the way if are into furniture design and arent using fredoscale plugin take the time to install it and play with .Its saves me hours everyday and never fails to amaze me when i use it. Resizing doors , drawers, carcases complete cabinets- instantly-parametrically(just type in the new overall dimension)and then being able to instantly generate cut lists takes much of the drudgery out of shopdrawing and costing.

Once you have done Festool there ain't no going back. I honestly regret buying any other brand.

I dashed off that original post in a state of glee when I first downloaded Fredoscale and tried it. After using it for a few weeks now i have to admit that i may have understated how brilliant it actually is.

Want a standard drawer that you can use in every progect but hate resizing each component in it manually? fredoscale!

Have a range of furniture all modeled up but need it in different widths and lengths(6 seater table,8seater etc.)? Dont muck about editing individual components,( double click here select move exit component select move-oh hell got that wrong, re-open). Just select the whole unit ,click fredoscale tool, hit tab and resize. Then generate your cut sheet and re-cost. Voila.

Pesky client wants the unit 50mm smaller which means you have to edit all the doors, drawers, shelves? Fredoscale it(you can use formulas in the dimension tab)! It just works better.

Fredoscale has made Sketchup the tool I always imagined CAD would be before I started using it, a way to make adjustments efficiently and accurately. Enjoy it!

I have just discovered the new Fredoscale plugin and am ready to make Fredo the patron saint of custom furniture design.

To illustrate: I have detailed a 4 door 4 drawer kitchen counter unit(freestanding)to the nth degree. The job has been signed off I am ready to start fabrication and i have therefore detailed the lap joints in the drawers, the hinge hole placements, the slots in the top rails for bicuiting, the holes in the backings lined up with internal divisions etc. I have gone to all the trouble of doing this becuase I intend exporting dxf,s of the various components for CNC routing.

Problem: The client has decided at this late stage to upgrade the fridge which stands adjacent to my unit to a wider model.

Possible Solutions: a)change the laws of physics
b)spend painstaking hours editing each component to suit the new dimensions
c)Use Fredoscale to make all the nescessary adjustments in 20min

It took 5min to learn how to use the new tool! The dialog box to resize to a new external dimension is the work of sheer and utter genius! The man is a god!

Thanks Remus

Have downloaded free trial and give it a go. In principle I think it should work as a 3axis router works in much the same way that as 3d printing machine does (or so I imagine). I will give feedback once I have tried it

@mut said:

yea i use it all the time.

have a look at my posts in the gallery, they were all routed on a cnc from a sketchup model.

my workflow is generally as follows:

lay the components out flat export to dxf -> into qcad for cleanup (for 2d stuff) -> into cam software.

tom

Thanks Tom I also use this process except that i clean up in Autocad then into CAM. My problem with it is that when one creates the model in the first place it is in 3 dimensions. When we convert back to 2d we discard a third of the information that the router requires ie. depth. Which has to then be reprogrammed, this I have found to be incredibly time consuming and also leads to errors. The solution I hope to find is an export format that keeps all the 3d information.

I have thus far had limited success exporting STL files but not to the point where I dont end up back at 2D drawings.

Stephen

I am sure this is not a new topic but has anyone tried getting a cnc router to "interpret" their fabulous SU designs into reality. If anyone can offer a simple tanslation from Skp. to Alphacam useable info I would be most gratefull