repeating dados in sketchup or making a component out of a dado

[Jason Craig]

Hi,

I'm working on a hutch for a shop workbench and I am using Sketchup for the drawing. I've run into an issue where I want to create a dado in a component and then repeat the dado multiple times across the span of the component. The component is a shelf and the dados will accept dividers that will split the shelf into multiple width cubbies.

What I would like to do is create the dado once and then repeat it. I can't figure out how to make a copy of the dado such that when I place it again (with Move + Ctrl), it intersects with the shelf as a dado. The best I can get to happen is that a flat rectangle gets drawn in the right place, but then I have to use Push/Pull to make it a dado. Further, if I decide later to change the depth of these dados in Sketchup I have to do this individually on every single one of them. Is there a technique that will allow me to get what I am looking for? I believe I am missing something fundamental but my searches for help thus far have not produced anything that works for me.

Thanks in advance for any help on this.

Jason

[Keith Hankins]

Make the dado and make it a component. Make the Move tool active and hold down the ctr-L key and grab the component and move it and you have a copy of the original(any changes made to the original will change the copies).

You can repeat this multiple times or once you make the move tool active and the ctr-l key is held down, move the copy the distance from the original and type in the length box (lower right). Type "/" and the number of copies you want and it will make x number of copies equally apart. Great for making picket fences or dovetails.

Another great use for this move tool and the ctrl key is when you get complicated drawings with components, you can make a copy of the component and move it out to a clear spot on the page, and edit it, and it will also edit the original one. When you are done just delete the copy and you've modified the part with out getting into it.

Hope that helps.

Just to clarify when i say ctr-l thats the control key.

[Phil Barrett]

I don't think there is an easy way to make a component that actually creates dados like you want (group manipulable) in your shelf component. Basically they will just occupy the same space. Not sure it matters that much though.

In order to get the actual dados in the shelf, what I think I would do is place a line (or maybe a guide) that is the dado depth (in the shelf component) and place the cubbie dividers (each a component) at that line. When I'm finished tweaking the design and have it all aligned the way I want, then I would "cut" the actual dados. Select the cubbie dividers and the shelf and then use intersect/selection to get the lines for the actual dados. Some cleanup required. The advantage of this is you don't spend time monkeying with the dados until you have the divider positions figured out.

You might be able to do this with dynamic components but that is a pro only ($$) feature.

[Keith Weber]

A dado is basically wood that isn't there. The problem is copying and moving something that doesn't exist! I could see where that would be difficult. I'm not sure if Keith Hankins' technique works or not, since I'm too lazy to try it, but if I were doing it, I'd probably be doing like you and copy/moving a little square and then push/pull them to the other side.

I'd love to copy the water jet in my shop, but it doesn't exist either!

[Keith Hankins]

My explination skills are lacking. I wish I had a software that I could capture what to do then just post that. Sorry. I meant that the dado component would be the three faces that make up the dado. Then copy and (i assumed it would be obvious to use the eraser to delete the unwanted material with extra two clicks my bad should not make assumptions).

The making an array is best explained on a tutorial on youtube that is great for making multiples in a single pass. Again, sorry for the bad explanation. I used this method to create matching dovetails on drawer sides.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7jE2XpCnkg&src_vid=Yk6ok7S8goA&feature=iv&annotation_id=annotation_3921584815

[Jason Craig]

Ketih H-

After I select the three faces and choose 'G' to make a component I am then unable to select the component. For example, I create a board 3/4" thick using rectangle, push/pull. Then I create a rectangle from edge to edge inside this and use push/pull to create the dado 1/4" deep. I then select the three faces individually using "ctrl" and left click and then press 'G' to make a component called "dado". Then, when I select one of the three dado faces, I would expect to get my newly created component as the selection but it only selects the single face. So, at this point I can't use move with "ctrl" to create a second copy of the component.

What I described above has worked for me in the past so I'm not sure what I'm doing differently now. But, even when I was able to create and select a "dado" component and use the '/' to repeat, I never got the full dado repeated, only repeated rectangles in the top of the board that I then had to push/pull each one to make it a dado. This defeats what I am trying to accomplish though. I think Keith W may be onto something where he says that the dado is something that isn't there so it's hard to copy such a thing. Is there something I am doing different than what you describe?

Thanks also for the pointer to the array but I as you see I am aware of that feature and making use of it.

[Jason Craig]

Thanks Phil. I will give this a try shortly. I am not familiar with the intersect/selection tool and I haven't yet watched any tutorials on it.

[Jason Craig]

Keith W-

Thanks for the response. What's your address and I'll send you a copy of the water jet I have in my shop. In fact, it's on its way now. I don't have tracking on it but you should get it fairly quickly, like immediately. =)

[Phil Barrett]

The reason why you can't select the group you made is that you can't group an object that is connected to something outside the "proposed" group. I think it's a bug: the name gets created but no error message is given. If you copy and paste the dado lines/surfaces, you could then group it.

By the way, there is an array plug-in that allows you to create 1 and 2 dimensional arrays.

[Keith Weber]

OK, I've played around a bit, and here's the best that I can come up with...

*** Key selection is for a Mac, but the PC equivalent (as far as I'm aware) is in brackets where appropriate ***

- Make your board
- Rectangle Tool > Make a rectangle on the edge of your board where you want the first dado on the board.
- Select Tool > Click and drag to select that little rectangle making sure that nothing other than that is highlighted.
- Move Tool > Hold down the Option Key (CNTL key on PC), position cursor over highlighted rectangle, single click/release of mouse button, release Option (CNTL) key.
----------------Move cursor slightly in the direction that you want your second dado. You should see a duplicate rectangle.
----------------Type the dado spacing on your keyboard and hit Return (Enter). You will have created the second rectangle in the appropriate spot.
----------------Move the cursor over the Length box in the lower right corner and click once in the box.
----------------Type 8x for a total of 9 dados, or 11x for a total of 12 dados, etc. Hit Return (Enter). All your rectangles should appear.
- Push/Pull Tool > Push the first rectangle all the way to the other edge. Your first dado is complete.
---------------------The rest of the dados have to be done individually, but you can just move the cursor at this point over the next rectangle and then just double click.
---------------------Repeat for the other dados. As long as you don't do something else in between, it will remember the push/pull distance.

That's about the best that I can come up with. It seems like a lot of steps, but it's pretty straight forward, and once you get the hang of it, it really saves a lot of time if you had a lot of dados to do.

Keith

PS - Jason, thanks for the copy of your water jet. My collection of non-existent tools is getting a bit overwhelming, though. I might have to start downsizing. Anybody interested in buying a like new, non-existent 3D printer?

[Jason Craig]

Thanks for the additional technique. Actually, I've been doing that already. But, I don't like the efficiency of it because if I come back later (which I always do) and want to change the depth of all the dados, e.g., I have to redo/modify all of the push/pull operations. It isn't a huge big deal because I'm talking about less than 30 dados but I was just hoping for a technique that was more automated and therefore less error prone.

You're welcome for the water jet copy. I also sent you some other neat tools that I have copies of so I hope you've got room in your shop for them. Enjoy.

[Dave Richards]

I can think of several easy ways to draw multiple dados. I showed two of them in a recent blog post I did and I know at least one more way using a single Push/Pull operation to create all the dadoes at once. And changing the depths of all the dadoes or even just some of them is trivial with the Move tool.