Sometimes the hardest part of furniture making is the design process. Especially if you’re running a woodworking business.
When I was on the path of self-taught woodworking, I would haphazardly go through what I thought were the steps of designing furniture. I would make a few rough sketches on scrap paper with some measurements (mostly guessed at) scribbled beside them. That was it.
To no one’s surprise, I always found myself short of lumber, unsure of the next step, and spending at least twice as long as I had planned on the piece.
It wasn’t until someone guided me through an actual process of design, that I saw how it can save time, keep material waste to a minimum, and be a truly fulfilling experience.
I’ve broken this process down into a few easy and actionable steps that can quickly turn furniture design into your favorite activity. Along with each step, there is a suggested action to help get you started.
Be Inspired
Without inspiration, then you have no basis for your designs. So, this is the first step. Find what inspires you. It could be other furniture maker’s work, architecture, nature … whatever catches your interest.
Go out and discover what gets the creative woodworking juices flowing in your mind. Walk around your town or city. Search magazines and books. Look at other websites and do an image search. I keep a picture file on my laptop full of pieces or elements that inspire me. Every time I come across a photo online, I simply save it to this file for future reference. No matter where or how you search, the important thing is to go out and find what inspires you.
Action: Go out for a walk or drive around town with your camera. Every time you see something that catches your interest, shoot it. See something that sparks some ideas and inspiration? Shoot it. It doesn’t matter how absurd it may seem. Just take a picture. Then, go back and look through those photos and begin to ask why these things inspired you.
Sketch Your Ideas
Now that you’ve found what inspires you, it seems like ideas are hitting you at light speed. Now’s the time to record those ideas before they’re lost. The best way to do this is to regularly sit down and sketch these bursts of inspiration.
I know, I know. You’re not an “artist,” you don’t have a technical drawing background, or (insert any of the other lame excuses here). It doesn’t matter how good you are at drawing. What matters is doing it! These don’t have to be mini masterpieces. They are simply quick thumbnail sketches to help you visualize the overall concept of your design ideas.
All you need is a sketchbook and a pencil. I prefer a spiral bound sketchbook because it lays perfectly flat, and I use a mechanical pencil simply because it keeps a crisp line while sketching.
Action: Set aside 10 minutes this evening. Get your sketchbook, or some loose sheets of paper and a pencil. Sit in a quiet place and just start sketching any idea that’s in your mind. Simply draw a basic form of the piece. Start with a front view. Don’t worry about shading, texture, or any details.
Just do a few quick sketches of what the piece would look like from the front. Now try different views, like side or top views. Again, these don’t have to be technical and to scale. Just draw.
Scale Your Drawings
You’ve taken time to fill a few pages of your sketchbook with all of your inspired ideas. Now what? How do you take your collection of sketches and turn them into working plans? Use scale drawings.
I can tell you from experience that trying to work from just thumbnail drawings alone will produce more work and wasted time for you. This next step may be new to some of you, but it’s a real time saver in the long run. Scale drawings allow you to see how all parts relates to each other and the piece as a whole.
Scale drawings are simply full scale renderings shrunk down to a smaller size, if you will. Full scale means just that – actual size. Half scale means 1/2” = 1”. Quarter scale is 1/4” = 1”. It goes on down from there. You get the idea.
Take a look at graph paper. It’s a grid of 1/4” squares. Each 1/4” square represents 1”. Using scale make it much easier to draw larger pieces on smaller paper but still get a good idea of proportion and detail. So for every inch of measurement on your piece, measure it out on paper as 1/4”. That’s the basics of scale drawing.
One of the best tools I’ve found for doing this is a triangular plastic architect’s scale rule. Each side has a different scale on it. I regularly use 1/4” and 1/8” scales. Simply measure using the side that has the scale you want to use.
Action: Take your thumbnail sketches and turn them into a 1/4” scale drawing. For every inch of measurement use 1/4” instead. After finishing a front view, take some time to see if all the parts are in relation to each other. Does it look balanced?
Full Size Mock-Ups
Making a full size model isn’t always necessary, but it is a good practice to get into, and it really is a lot of fun! I use full size mock-ups when I need to see how certain parts work with each other and to get a feel for the proportion of the piece as a whole.
Making a full scale model doesn’t need to be the same process you would use to build the actual piece. Pocket screws, nails, and duct tape have all been employed as “joinery” with my models. Glamorous isn’t it?
Scrap lumber, cardboard, plywood, foam insulation, paper, and even pallets are great materials for making full scale models. Again, it’s the overall form we’re trying to see here. You can literally have a free-standing piece ready in just an hour or two. This is the perfect opportunity to work on certain design elements that you may not be sure of, or try different styles of legs for a table, etc. It’s easy to interchange parts – just unscrew them!
You may not find yourself using full scale models for every piece you make, but when you do, you’ll be amazed at how much this helps improve your design.
Bonus Tip: A full size mock-up will ALWAYS be an impressive move when designing for clients.
Action: Take your scale drawings and make them come alive! Using basic materials and methods, make a full size mock up of your piece. Enjoy it. It’s really a good time.
Once it’s finished, take a look at each element of the piece. Does it work well with all the others? Is there anything you can change? Now’s the time to do it.
What I’ve given you here is an outline of my design process and what works for me. These steps are a general guideline for developing an effective and fulfilling design strategy to ensure your success.
Take it, adapt it to your needs, use it, make it your own. When you do, let me know how it’s working. What would you change and why?
How would you like to design furniture that sells? Find out how in the Woodworking Can Pay The Bills E-course.
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