The best tool you can get might be free.
FreeCAD is great for DIYers, Woodworkers and other Makers
We all spend a lot of money on tools to make our projects better. The best tools make great cuts, awesome joints, fantastic finishes and solve numerous problems except one. They can’t tell you how and what to build. One biggest contributors to making a project successful is a good design and a well thought out building strategy. Pen and paper work just fine, but it can be hard to manipulate and change your projects and nearly impossible to iterate and view the effects of these changes in multiple dimensions at once.
This is where a computer and computer aided design (CAD) software accel and can bring your woodworking, DIY projects and general making to the next level.
You might have some questions before jumping all in on the CAD train, so let me answer them for you here.
Should I integrate CAD into my shop?
Absolutely, do it immediately, don’t pass go.
Is CAD hard to learn?
Absolutely, most instruction manuals suck, and it seems every tutorial is geared towards something you have no interest or bearing on what you want to do.
I’m a DIYer that is just too cheap to hire someone else and have no technical background like you - Can I do this?
If I can - you can.
Is it expensive?
Yes and no. I will show you what I think is the best free option. There are commercial packages and some specialized packages out there that have yearly or monthly fees.
Will you help me get started?
No, I’m writing this post and spending countless hours creating the video so series to go with it just to mess with you. (just kidding - I really want to help)
How long will it take to get up and running? How long will I have to listen to drone on about this and that and best practices and blah blah blah, I’m falling asleep just thinking about it?
This may vary a little bit as I continue to create the series. My goal is to have you proficient enough to be able to start tackling projects on your own after about 60 minutes and start building some basic parts after Lesson one. The plan for this series is 6 videos, all less than 10 minutes in length.
Are you going to charge me anything?
Not financially, just a piece of your soul - in the form of good Karma you pass along when you share your new skills with all your maker friends. Of course, video likes, constructive comments, and checking out affiliate links are always nice.
Will there be any kind of ongoing support.
You can always send a comment or email me and I’m happy to answer questions. If this series gets enough attention and demand, I may open a forum on the site for everyone to help and support each other. Let me know what you think.
With all that said here is the link to the series. (Lesson One is currently uploading at the time of this post.)
Introduction tutorial to FreeCAD, designed or makers.