Free, simple, online CAD program?

[8mmFan]

Happy Saturday, everyone. Just kind of grasping at straws, here, but I thought maybe some of you more engineering/construction-oriented types might know: is there a good, simple, CAD program somewhere online that would be good for designing a work bench?

I am going to build a workbench that will hopefully have spots integrated into it for my router, table saw, and miter saw. Kind of hoping to just be able to draw it out on a simple program, so that I can change this and that before starting the build.

8mmFan

[Paper Puncher]

You can try Sketchup free. Learning curve isn't to bad

[fc60]

Greetings,

I tried FreeCAD. It takes a bit of learning; but, the price is right...

https://www.freecadweb.org/

Cheers,

Dave

[GL49]

Are these similar to AutoCad in form and function? I use autocad at work almost every day for electrical drawings, anybody have any experience comparing these programs?

[Mal Paso]

Full AutoCad you can live inside and just send out for pizza and mountain dew.

Sketch Up may still be free online but they charge for everything else.

AutoCad Lt is more than I want so I bought a stand alone copy of AutoSketch.

[Beerd]

What's the company policy on using your office computer during lunch?
..

[megasupermagnum]

Google SketchUp will do what you want. It's a little different from the normal commercial CAD software, but it doesn't take that long to figure it out. To be honest, I think the best thing for building a bench is a notebook, pencil, and ruler.

[dverna]

Google SketchUp will do what you want. It's a little different from the normal commercial CAD software, but it doesn't take that long to figure it out. To be honest, I think the best thing for building a bench is a notebook, pencil, and ruler.

Agree. By the time you figure out how to use new software, you will have your project sketched up and have it 50% complete.

[gwpercle]

It's impossible to design and draw anything with a sheet of paper , drafting triangle , T-Square straight edge and Architects scale .
Don't even try that method .
Although I've designed and prepared building plans for five story commercial buildings in that manner you don't want to try it .
CAD drawing is the only way it can be done today . Pay CAD for the software , you will be much happier with the end results .
Old school drafting is just so ...old and difficult to do ... who needs it .
Gary

[gwpercle]

Google SketchUp will do what you want. It's a little different from the normal commercial CAD software, but it doesn't take that long to figure it out. To be honest, I think the best thing for building a bench is a notebook, pencil, and ruler.

You wouldn't believe how many houses I've drawn plans for on notebook paper ... more than a few !
Gary

[jim147]

You might check the 3D printer subfoum

[David2011]

For the past year and a half I’ve been doing exactly what you want to do. I designed the shop and all contents with SketchUp. The shop was challenging because I had limited space and wanted a useful loft upstairs for the reloading room. I had to fight for an inch here and a half inch somewhere else until there was standing headroom. All of the shop furniture was designed in SketchUp as well with a goal of making all of the feed surfaces the same height. I can draft with pencil and paper but with the nonstandard plywood thicknesses CAD made everything come out exactly as intended.

[dverna]

I don’t know how we managed to build large manufacturing plants when I was a working engineer in the 70’s. Sure am glad we were too dumb to know CAD was necessary...yet we got the job done.

Now, we need CAD to build a workbench. Progress...it is astounding.

[Rcmaveric]

FreeCAD or TinkerCAD. I use FreeCAD now.

Sent from my SM-N970U using Tapatalk

[Mal Paso]

I don’t know how we managed to build large manufacturing plants when I was a working engineer in the 70’s. Sure am glad we were too dumb to know CAD was necessary...yet we got the job done.

Now, we need CAD to build a workbench. Progress...it is astounding.

I used to have a Bruning Drafting Machine in the front room, that's how we did it. Got to have something to make drawings that others can understand. CAD just rolls up easier.

[Rcmaveric]

For Carpentry work i use graph paper.

Sent from my SM-N970U using Tapatalk

[kevin c]

I went to middle school (so long ago that it was called junior high school) back in the day when shop was still offered, and learned the most basic elements of drafting. Forgot it all and went white collar and miles away from designing anything for fifty years.

Retired now, and actually building stuff from scratch for fun. Over the past year, I've built shelving, 20 rolling tables and a couple hundred wall frames (props) for my action shooting club (it's a big club). No plans except in my head. Sure, I screwed up a lot, but adjusting on the fly for the prototypes was part of the fun (production was standardized on templates and uniformly cut stick lumber and ply).

Ironically, a member asked for plans for the tables. THEN I wished I had a drafting program: doing it freehand was messy and time consuming.

[slim1836]

I started as a draftsman in the early 70's using ink on velum or mylar and retired as a construction inspector in 2019 never having the opportunity of learning autocad.

Once I get my place in the country built, I've got a Plasmacam table and have to learn the programming. Should be fun building trinkets to sell.

Slim

[8mmFan]

Thanks for all of the great replies, guys! I will check out a couple of the recommendations. Very much appreciated.

8mmFan

[David2011]

I don’t know how we managed to build large manufacturing plants when I was a working engineer in the 70’s. Sure am glad we were too dumb to know CAD was necessary...yet we got the job done.

Now, we need CAD to build a workbench. Progress...it is astounding.

You probably had skilled model builders making an accurate model of the plant to make sure everything fit. I knew people that did exactly that.

Need? No. Every time I go to buy material it’s a different thickness, though. In the 1970s when I was drafting a good portion of NW New Mexico for a power line using a drafting machine and a pencil, 3/4” plywood was 3/4” thick. That’s no longer true. Now I can change bits and pieces of a drawing instead of redrawing the whole thing to accommodate whatever thickness the store has at the moment. The router table I recently built had almost 200 wood parts in it. Twelve drawers, a fully adjustable fence, integrated dust collection and other niceties were incorporated. Not exactly a simple build. CAD helped considerably with the 1/2” ply being 0.473” thick.

There’s no need to belittle new methods. Where would our craft here be without new methods? I took a slide rule class in high school. It was good enough to send men into space and land on the moon but it’s obsolete. Paper and pencil won’t be obsolete any time soon but it’s not the “only way” just because it’s how things were done in the past.

[Land Owner]

I went with the online freeware (linked) LIBRECAD (https://forum.librecad.org/). It is very much icon and text command based, as is AutoCAD, with, as you would expect, a Learning Curve. I did not know the other recommendations above were available, nor did I check them out, so this choice is just another Data Point for consideration.

I was there at the inception of hand held calculators in place of slide rules. I was there when engineering drawings were made on velum, Mylar, and linen, by hand, with plastic pencils and ink pens. I was there at the inception of Personal Computers on every desk. I was there at the inception of AutoCAD on select business computers.

As a terraforming Civil Engineer, designer, and specifier for 40-years, AutoCAD and MicroStation dominate the design world in 2D - and COST A FORTUNE. EVERYTHING comes with its own Learning Curve. Struggle through it and take satisfaction that the developmental progress made is only appreciated by looking back along the Highway of Experience that brought you here.

[gunther]

hmmm.........Brings to mind the million dollar model that would barely fit in a pickup truck. The design ignored gravity (Just a little), the raw material dried up before the plant was finished, but there were no handrails used for steam lines. Everything fit, in spite of contractors who refused to communicate. And as a training aid, it was incomparable.

[MrWolf]

Unless you plan on using the software for future projects, graph paper and pencil with an eraser will do just fine. We did all that and more not to long ago without fancy computer programs to design a work bench. Have fun. Good luck.
Ron

[MostlyLeverGuns]

Long ago (late 1970's) I took drafting courses for college credit - mech engineering minor(GI Bill), few years back audited an AutoCad class at local college. Most stuff I do gets drawn with T-square, ruler and protractor. I do need to sit down and check out current CAD stuff. AutoCad pricey for my use. CAD is great for easier/lower cost changes to plans and dimensioning, conversion to CNC code (CAM) is my biggest reason to learn CAD. A pencil and paper, maybe a ruler works fine for workbenches and such.

[Daekar]

I have been using FreeCAD for several years now, and while it has its quirks I like it. I haven't really tried to do more than simple Assemblies though, and I never used any functions which would fit them together virtually...I just made sure the hole spacing was correct, etc.

I am cracking up at the guys making fun of CAD... I have designed tooling on paper for work, and while it's totally possible it was a lousy experience comparatively. I can do it far faster in CAD, especially simple geometry, and making changes doesn't require a prayer to the eraser gods.

I did keep my original paper sketches because I am proud of how well they turned out despite the difficulty. I used graph paper, a pencil, and a ruler... but if I never have to do that again I won't be upset.

[bangerjim]

The best CAD program I have found..................is pencil and paper and a straight edge! Very low cost, easy to modify, and very portable. I have designed and built a lot of stuff over the years that way (scientific instruments, furniture, cabinets, work jigs). I use CAD only for VERY involved/intricate designs, but not something as simple as a workbench. Don't overthink it.

[Scrounge]

Thanks for all of the great replies, guys! I will check out a couple of the recommendations. Very much appreciated.

8mmFan

Don't think I saw anyone mention Fusion 360. For personal/hobbyist use, it's free. I was actually able to draw something fairly simple in it after following one lesson. Haven't made it back since then, but it is online, though you do need to install software on your computer. I flunked my Jr. High School Mechanical Drawing class, back in 1969. Teenage attitudinal problems and recto-cranial inversion.

Bill

[Scrounge]

For veterans, US or Canadian, you can get the 1-year subscription to Solidworks student edition for $20 US, or $40 Canadian. Need a copy of your DD-214 or Canadian equivalent.

https://www.solidworks.com/sites/default/files/2018-01/EDU-MVPProgram.pdf

Learning curve was too steep for me, the couple of times I tried it, but I was also seriously distracted, between working full-time and going to school to be a machinist part-time. I could maybe do better now that I'm retired. Maybe.

Bill

[8mmFan]

The best CAD program I have found..................is pencil and paper and a straight edge! Very low cost, easy to modify, and very portable. I have designed and built a lot of stuff over the years that way (scientific instruments, furniture, cabinets, work jigs). I use CAD only for VERY involved/intricate designs, but not something as simple as a workbench. Don't overthink it.

Well, to follow up, this is the way I went. Thank you, to all of you that posted the excellent references to different CAD programs. I clicked the link/looked up all of them. What I realized is that, for me—a not very technical guy, and not all that computer proficient—the time that it would take me to learn the CAD program(s) is just better spent elsewhere. So last night, I sat down with a sketch pad, ruler, and pencil, and spent some time designing my workbench. I think after about 90 minutes I’ve got 90% of it down, with measurements. I can adjust it easily if I need to.

But, as I said, I really do appreciate all of you that took the time to help me out. Maybe some time when I have a little more time, I’ll go in to one of the programs and, over the course of a few weekends or a summer, learn one of the programs. They definitely DO look quite useful, for the person that takes the time and has the ability to learn them.

Thanks again.

8mmFan

[Land Owner]

CAD is a "Use It Or Lose It" learning deal. In the beginning, and by yourself, it is a steep climb of frustration without a resource or friend that can walk you through. Once learned to proficiency, that "effort state" deteriorates if you no longer "sharpen the saw". I had forgotten more about the program than I learned.

Still, like riding a bike, once the quirks of the "similar" program were frustratingly mastered (no Mentor but 20+years of AutoCad use), the ability once again to readily create and especially to modify designs became quick and exact, which is what I need. Now, designing an acre of real estate for a new residence takes a few minutes to put a lot of lines on an electronic drawing, modifying here, smoothing a corner there, and endlessly moving the walls in the house plan as the wife's "nest" of advisors suggest.

[dverna]

Well, to follow up, this is the way I went. Thank you, to all of you that posted the excellent references to different CAD programs. I clicked the link/looked up all of them. What I realized is that, for me—a not very technical guy, and not all that computer proficient—the time that it would take me to learn the CAD program(s) is just better spent elsewhere. So last night, I sat down with a sketch pad, ruler, and pencil, and spent some time designing my workbench. I think after about 90 minutes I’ve got 90% of it down, with measurements. I can adjust it easily if I need to.

But, as I said, I really do appreciate all of you that took the time to help me out. Maybe some time when I have a little more time, I’ll go in to one of the programs and, over the course of a few weekends or a summer, learn one of the programs. They definitely DO look quite useful, for the person that takes the time and has the ability to learn them.

Thanks again.

8mmFan

IMO you made the right decision.

My comments were ridiculed by some but I am not against technology. I worked as an engineer for many years and started before computers were in the work place. I know what can be accomplished with simple drawing tools.

By the time I was in management, CAD had taken over. I did not fight it....I embraced it. It is a better tool for complex design.

A few years ago I tried CAD as I was building more stuff for home and shop. What a PITA! I am blessed with higher than average intelligence and cursed by a low level of frustration. Learning CAD to build a workbench is silly unless you intend to build a lot of other stuff too. Maybe the newer versions are more intuitive, but 10 years ago they were...like I said...a PITA!

You made the right choice. Graph paper and a brain will get you a very nice design in less time than learning to use CAD to build a workbench. The last workbench I built had to fit a custom space. I spent less than 30 minutes sketching it up and a couple of hours cutting lumber and assembling it. Even added a rebated top to hold a 1/4" piece of Masonite so the top can be easily replaced. The lady loved it.

KISS...it's a fricking workbench!

[LenH]

I have worked in steel fabrication since 1977. I started out pulling a pencil (lead holder) across paper using a Parallel bar and triangles and used templates for certain things.
I was introduced to Autocad in the late 1980's but still used the drawing table during the transition. I haven't used the drawing board in the last 16 or so years. Now it is full time
cad all the time. I was introduced to a 3-D standalone program to detail large steel projects. That came to an end in 2018 and am back using Autocad. There isn't a drawing board in
in any office in the company I now work for presently. It can be a blessing or a curse depending on how you look at it. I still have all my drawing stuff and still make a quick sketch
when the need arises.

I I didn't know cad and needed something sketched up, I'd find a pad of graph paper and go to town.

[8mmFan]

My wife brought home some graph paper for me, and I re-did the drawings I had on the sketch pad and found a mistake. This is actually turning into a fun project—I’ve never drawn out my projects before. Just kind of always had an idea in mind, and then started in with drill, saw(s), and hammer, and built simple stuff as I went along. Usually I made a lot of mistakes, and the things I built ended up taking three times as long as they should have and were cockeyed.

This drawing it all out on graph paper, and thinking about what I’m doing before I start, is going to save me a lot of time, wood, and frustration. The measurements are all right there, and I’ll even be able to let my sons help a lot more because, I can tell them, “alright, I need you to cut 4 33.75” 2x4’s now, with the miter saw,” etc. They’ll have more fun too.

In my case, the CAD vs. paper and pad thing came down to “a man’s gotta know his limitations.” Realistically, there was no way I’d have mastered the CAD programs quickly enough to justify the time spent.

Thanks gentlemen.

8mmFan

[BunkTheory]

It's impossible to design and draw anything with a sheet of paper , drafting triangle , T-Square straight edge and Architects scale .
Don't even try that method .
Although I've designed and prepared building plans for five story commercial buildings in that manner you don't want to try it .
CAD drawing is the only way it can be done today . Pay CAD for the software , you will be much happier with the end results .
Old school drafting is just so ...old and difficult to do ... who needs it .
Gary

No offense intended but I have known many people who had no idea how to draw with auto cad, solid works, inventor. Hide the submenus to let them draw a circle or square,,, nothing.