Making things

If you need to build something out of metal, or even wood. Do you just start building, or make a detailed drawing? I just start fitting things together. I know what I want, I just can't get it from my head, and put it on paper. Stan

Both. Depends one what I am building.

Depends what I am doing. If building out of new steel, I will make a good plan/ drawing. If working out of the scrap pile, I just wing it, have to plan around what's there to work with. Try to avoid building out of wood.

If what I am making, needs to fit or attach to something, a measured drawing is necessary. If dimensions are flexible, I may just make the item the size of the already -cut materials that I have on hand.

I do as you do Stan.

Ross

Interesting question. Since I'm a mechanical engineer, I know all about drawings and how to make them right. However, I usually just start cutting and welding if what I'm making is simple. When I converted a three point brush hog to drag style, I wanted the blade to stay parallel to the ground: when I lower the wheels I wanted the tongue to go down too. That took some sketching to make sure everything would work and also make sure the components were strong enough. But for most projects, guess at the size needed for strength and design it in my head. I have to draw on the floor if anyone is helping me so they can understand exactly what we are doing.

I also usually feel guilty about not making drawings. And my engineer friends laugh at me for working without drawings but hardly any of them have any fabrication skills.

What it boils down to for me, if I have to remake something (not big enough for hole clearance, etc.) I should have made a drawing.

I do usually sketch out woodworking projects to make sure they are going to look balanced, but never really detailed engineering drawings.

Both. More often just winging as I go along.

Both, depending on complexity. I usually get better, simpler ideas as I go along, so drawing first saves mistakes, and material. If hydraulic linkages are involved, a scale drawing and math computation is in order.

Simple stuff, I start building.

More complex, I'll make a rough sketch if nothing else.

Fred

A lot of times I work backwards based on what's laying around and available to use. If I'll need to buy new material for a project then I might at least work out overall dimension so I don't goof on the material lengths.

It does depend a lot on what I am making. I just finished building a tool storage cabinet for my shop. Nothing fancy and made out of CDX plywood. I just made a rough drawing showing the dimensions. I am a carpenter, so when I am building something for a customer, I do make a nice scale drawing on graph paper showing all the dimensions.

There have been times when making something out of steel for myself that I have not made a drawing, just cut and welded pieces together until I got what I wanted! But when machining something out of steel, I make a drawing showing all the dimensions so I don't get confused and make it wrong, although that does happen occasionally despite my best efforts to the contrary! :shock:

I do a drawing or sketch; always save the original. Sometimes I make modifications after the first unit, most of the time the original is good to go.

Describes my methods perfectly. 90% of my projects aren't critical and I have more fun making something that will work out of what I have laying around than I would designing it down to the last detail and buying all new materials to fit the plan.

I start knocking it out because its almost always going to change as I go along. When I build something for my Wife I allot triple the time needed because she will change her mind at least twice right as I am driving the last nail or burning the last rod.

Depends on what I am building. If it is just something small i am throwing together or I've done it several times before, I just wade in. If it has to fit a specific spot or needs more details and many pieces cut, I draw something up.

Same with machining, if it's simple like a bushing and only couple dimensions might not need drawn up but if it has to fit together with one or more other parts, it might be good to have everything written down.

pull up a shop chair, chin in hand staring at the project until the 'picture' forms in my head.
After the 'picture' forms, I make it function in my head looking for problems. mod this to clear that etc.
Difficult ones, I prefer mock-ups to drawings.
Very difficult ones, I let brew in my head.
Your brain can keep working on it as you do other things.
lol...might wake you up at night though, or have your wife ask what you are thinking about as you stare off into space...

For others, I draw. For myself, I build. My dad never painted the home built things at the farm in case he wanted to change them. at the auction paint was our biggest expense. At the Junkshow we have a good core of tradesman, we draw a picture, have a huddle, throw the picture away and build it.

I can't draw, but I can get a clear picture in my head, and then just wing it.
This fall, we built some corrals for working exotic captive animal. I had it all laid out in my head, and I gave the guys helping me actual measurements. Got all done setting 8, 12 foot long power pole butts, after they left, I had to dig them out and reset them to the measurements I gave them to start with. Some people just have to have technical drawings, and some of us can "see"it in our minds.

I just picture it in my head, that way I can make adjustments if needed.

Before we started our house house, I drew up some plans. Lost the plans and just started building.
This is the result.
Richard in NW SC

is that a bear,or dog?lol

Just do it in my head. Works best on big projects if I have a few days to go over it and tweak the plan. That handicap lift I put on that 3010 went through several different designs before the final one, but nothing was ever on paper. If I need to figure out some geometry, such as where to position a hoist to get propper dump angle, I'll draw up something to scale so I can see how it will work.

A great uncle of mine built a house for his family well over a hundred years ago. It has a super steep roof on it that goes to almost a point. Has 4 king rafters coming up from the corners. He could not figure out the angles to cut the other rafters to join to the king rafters. Dreamed in the night how it should be done and woke up and went to work. When the old roof was torn off about 4 years ago to put metal on it, it had 1 layer of wood shingles with 5 layers of old asphalt shingles on top of the wood. Had to be built strong to hold all that up.
Richard in NW SC

I guess I'm not like anyone here. My method is trial and error, very heavy on the error side. Sigggghhhh....

Ben

My equipment builds depend on what I have for raw materials to start with. I build with salvaged steel and old peices of equipment that have surved their purpose in a former life.
I just start cutting and spot welding. Once I'm happy with a section of the build I finish weld it and move on to the next phase of the build.
When building structures, for myself, I compile a materials list after a freehand sketch with dimensions. Once materials arive I wing it, as the plan is etched in my mind.
When I was contracting, I had to work with plans to satisfy code enforcement, unless we were remodeling, and then we had to pass inspections, which was never an issue.
Loren

I can visualize something if I put the materials in front of me, kind of like what Loren does in the office chair and the barley pop. From there it does depend on what it is, whether I'll need to make a drawing, make some notes and write pertinent details down.

I think for good perception, I need to see it in some form or other, so either take some material and lay them out, or make a neat sketch, with details, dimensions and layout, again, depending on what it is.

Ideally, I do prefer a good detailed, neatly drawn sketch, even if by hand on graph paper. One reason is I can work the numbers back and forth, shake out any conflicts or mistakes, before building. Thats not to say something will get by you every so often, sites like these are great for posting things like this and seeing what others may see that you don't. I did that not long ago with my 3 pt pallet forks build. Given hole spacing, and the geometry involved with a Cat 2 implement, it was a wise decision to make some fabrication sketches, review and then start building. I like that because I have something to reference later. In '12 I installed new shins, shares and landsides on my 101 ford 2 bottom plow. During "demolition" or what you call it when cutting off the old rusty bolts, I detailed what was removed, made a material list and checked it twice. It paid off, I got the material order correct the first time, I now have my list to refer to, and although I put anti-seize on heavily, should not need to cut them off again, the list and the invoice from the local temco dealer will make this task so much easier next time.

Having a construction background, drawings sketches and details on paper are something you deal with daily, as you can't possibly remember everything on larger jobs, 2 I can recall had 800 design drawings along, let alone the subcontractor submitted for approval shop/fabrication drawings. Even on a small scale, while I remember some things in high detail, dates, time etc. almost like a photographic memory, be it age or what now, its best to get something on paper to work with.

If you said hey, go build me a set of sawhorses, well no, that's easy enough from my head,, but if it was a picnic table or something with more substance, that I have not built before, I may still make some kind of sketch, all depends on what it is. I'll still refer to a handbook for carpentry at times, more so if I have not done the specific task very often. I can do stair stringers easily, just work out the numbers with a calculator, check the deck to deck heights making the end cuts before cutting all the steps out, but ask me to cut a rafter, I'll have to think more about it, make sure the angles work, cuts are correct etc, some can do those in their head. We are all wired a bit different, that is a given, funny how with all the different ways, the end results are usually very much the same.

I always do a couple of rough drafts. Had mechanical drawing a couple of simmesters in high school. Not spelling. It doesn't take very long to wiggle things around on paper and you can see good and bad points quickly. What is really nice is when the project comes out better than the final draft!

With me , if it has to "look right" and be seen by many, then I draw it out and try to make my mistakes on paper. If it just has to be functional and won't be seen or if it is no-one will have anything to compare it to , then start cutting and grinding.Pretty it up after it works.

Mostly figure it out in my head first. Sometimes build a model out of wood or tin. I never just start welding without a plan and a lot of the time I figure it out while I"m getting back to sleep after the hydraulic alarm.

Usually just have an idea in my head for building something and start thinking about what to use that will work properly. Then start to put things together and go from there. Have drawn out a couple things but it seems easier to think as you go.

Nice tractor. My dad and I made a tractor almost like that. He used an IH pickup transmission and rear end. Had to shorted up the rear end some. Used a 4 cylinder Wisconsin engine, frame iron from an old Lorenz mixer, and a front axle from a JD 45 combine. He geared it down so it had a top speed of about 12 or so mph.

(quoted from post at 03:13:29 12/22/15) Nice tractor. My dad and I made a tractor almost like that. He used an IH pickup transmission and rear end. Had to shorted up the rear end some. Used a 4 cylinder Wisconsin engine, frame iron from an old Lorenz mixer, and a front axle from a JD 45 combine. He geared it down so it had a top speed of about 12 or so mph.

Click to expand...

Alan, some of the things I used:
'48 Chevy tranny
'47 Plymouth rear (narrowed)
'49 Ford steering box
Allis B steering wheel
Seat off a dump rake
6 HP Wisconsin engine
My Dad narrowed a 3/4 ton Studebaker pickup rear many years ago which he was going to use along with the 4 speed tranny and a V-4 Wisconsin to build a "sub-compact" tractor.
He never got to it.....the stuff is still around here......I'm nearly 75 and it doesn't look like I will either. LOl

I make a rough drawing first,, study it for a while then go with a detailed drawing,, it's good to work out all the details on paper first, like linkage profiles, gear ratios, bearing size and alignments..a lot of time you can correct your self before you need to cut it all back apart..I have made a few complex projects this way,,working on a drawing for the next one now...