Thanks Gaieus, I will play around with that. Yes that works. When you activate the "Measurement" Toolbar then you can put the VCB where you want it.

regarding the taped housing, we always use a dovetail bit here, makes sure that the joint is perfect. we manufacture our brackets to suit, never considered buying them.. (you'd have to mess around with them to get the right rise/go anyway right?) + cnc router takes care of tasks like that easily. the guard rail needs to be 900mm (35-1/2") above the nosings on the staircase, and on the landing, except for commercial use, when it needs to be 1100mm (43-1/4") above (only on the landing - can be 900 on the staircase). we have to space the spindles so that you cant put a 100mm (4") sphere through at any point, the same goes for open plan stairs (where there would usually be a riser), where we have to put a dummy riser in to close this gap down. (i have started to use round steel balusters turned horizontally for this - still looks open, but has a gap smaller than 100mm) too many regs Tom.

Flying toasters morphed into hinges. Best,

Charlie, When I'm working for myself I create considerably less detail in my plans than I do when creating them for other folks. As I'm sure you've discovered, by the time you complete the detailed sketchUp model, you already know almost everything you need to go to the shop. I do some drawing work for a cabinetmaker in another state. We have an agreed upon "vocabulary" so I don't have to detail certain things. For example dados and rabbets in 3/4" sheet goods are almost always 1/4" deep. So I don't have to take the time to include that dimension in drawings. Face frame elements are nearly always the same width and things like that. Before I started drawing for him I asked for a list of his standard things. It seems to work out quite well. You might be able to do a similar sort of thing, too. As far as hardware is concerned, I don't draw it in for myself and only add it for others if there's some reason. The knife hinges in the cabinet drawing were included because the mortises are kind of unique. It was easier to explain the mortise with the hinge there. If it were a barrel hinge for a jewelry box lid, I would probably only indicate where the holes need to be drill but I wouldn't draw the hinge. I expect you could find some hardware in the 3D Warehouse but most of the stuff I've found there has been either way over detailed, not drawn to the proper size or otherwise requires so much cleanup and repair that I don't bother. It's faster for me to draw the stuff from scratch.

An linear adaptation of a piece designed by Emile-Jacques Ruhlman.

Is there really a piece along the front edge between the bracket feet? That looks odd because it hides some of the scroll work on the bracket feet.[/quote] My SchreiberBike you've got a sharp eye. That is supposed to be cut out at the scroll work. And thanks. It is now on 3DWH.

Prefer #2 as well, but I think each picture should have been done straight on and at an angle so a more fair judgement could be made.

Have you experimented with Scenes? I use them to do what you describe.