Screw holes in Sketchup

[Marty Paulus]

I have been playing with this for about a week now. Considering I have some very high end CAD software at work, this is so much easier to use.

That all being said I am wondering if anyone has found a quick way to draw/create a countersink? Counterbores are easy with the push/pull tool. I am just looking for a quick way to do the taper on the hole for a counter sink. I can get close by making a counterbore and then using the scale feature change the size of one end of the counterbore. What has anyone else done or don't you get into that level of detail on your work? (old habit from work to get that level of detail)

[Jamie Buxton]

You've found a reasonably quick way to make a tapered hole. Another approach would be to use the Follow Me command on a circle, using a triangular profile.

As to what I do with SketchUp, I don't do anywhere near the detail level you're talking. SketchUp, in my view, is a drawing program. I use it to draw the overall look-and-feel of a piece of furniture. I'm looking at overall functionality and sizes and shapes and proportions, in a way which communicates easily with customers. After I get those issues resolved, I make shop drawings in a simple 2D CAD program. That's where I resolve details like joinery, make cutlists, and cutting layouts for sheet goods.

[Jason Beam]

Draw yerself a screw - then stick it where you want the hole and intersect the workpiece. This will put the needed geometry for that particular screw to seat. Then just delete the geometry that isn't part of the countersink - might need to go into x-ray mode for that

[Mike Gager]

follow me tool will do it for you

once you have your hole go to xray view and draw the profile of the chamfer you are wanting on the side of the hole clylinder. you might have to be "inside" the object for the follow me tool to actually grab hold of the triangle but once it does just move around the edge of your circle and sketchup does the rest

chamfer1.jpg
chamfer2.JPG
chamfer.jpg

[John Schreiber]

There are lots of ways to skin this cat. Since you will probably be using many identical screw holes, you can make one which is a component, then pull it from your components window each time you need it.

For me it is rare that I will actually model screw holes. I usually just put a line in which indicates where I plan to drill. But if you are working out a tight situation, it can be quite useful to get to a high level of detail.

[Chris Padilla]

...besides all this, it is fun being obnoxiously detailed with Sketch-Up! Nice "tutorial" on this, Mike!

[John Schreiber]

. . . it is fun being obnoxiously detailed with Sketch-Up! . . .

It's a sickness, but it's fun. I tell myself that all I need is a mark, but then I come up with things like this.

[Ralph Barhorst]

Dave Richardson just posted this simple technique for countsinking holes.

http://lumberjocks.com/DaveR/blog/7953

[Mike Gager]

yes dave sent that video to me. much easier!