first attempt with sketchup, would like input

[neil schlosser]

So, I made my first attempt at design using sketchup, but I ran into a roadblock. I liked the sideboard that was in Popular Woodworking a few months ago, but it was too small for my wife's taste, so I stole a design feature from it, and I think it looks ok.

The problem I have is that I need to build one large sideboard and a matching hutch. My biggest issue is with the face frame on the top of the hutch. I want to add something that complements the lower face frame, but haven't come up with anything that looks good.

My design isn't quite done in a few other areas, as well, such as what the door and drawer fronts will look like, but they will likely be frame and panel setups. The top section will have a few shelves and a beadboard back.

[Travis Porter]

I would make the rail across the top wider, say around 3.5 to 4 inches tall.

Are you going to put any moldings on the hutch or lower unit? Also, is the top of the lower unit going to be square or are you going to put a round over or something similar on it?

[neil schlosser]

I was planning on putting some sort of a moulding at the top. I may do something to simulate a top, or may put a flat top on it for display. The top of the lower unit will not receive a moulding, but will have a roundover on its top edge and some other profile along the bottom edge.

[Brian Tymchak]

Neil,

Here's a few things I would try out in your sketchup model:

- I would narrow the hutch wrt to the sideboard, and maybe bring the overall height of the hutch down just a touch. IMHO, it seems to be a bit large proportionally for the sideboard.
- I would try using the same angular stile design from the sideboard on the front and back corners of the hutch.
- I then would try using a broad face rail across the shelves in the hutch, reflecting the width of the rails in the sideboard faceframe. Not to mention this would greatly stiffen the shelves themselves. However, this might not look quite right if you are trying to make the shelves adjustable.
- I then would try out a single vertical style in the front face of the hutch right down the middle, again reflecting the same rail/stile width from the sideboard. May make it a bit too busy, but it wouldn't hurt to see what it might look like.

Brian