thanks to both of you for this... i had the component thing kind of figured out but i was trying to do too much at once... i can see now that you have to make each piece a component. Dave i am very interested in the cutting list and would love to know how to get that info Ken @dave r said: Hi Ken, I agree 100% with Jeff. For something like this you should draw each part that you would make in wood as a separate component. This will give you the ability to make modifications as needed. You'll also have the ability to create a cutting list if you want it. That may not be all that useful if you are only approximating the construction but it is possible to do, anyway.