Fusion 360 for Woodworking Part 1 - BEGINNERS START HERE! Autodesk Fusion 360 for Woodworkers

In today’s video, we’re going to start a series on using Autodesk Fusion 360 for woodworking applications. This first video will introduce you to the basics of navigating inside of Fusion 360, as well as how to get started creating models.
FULL FUSION 360 BEGINNER TUTORIAL PLAYLIST (More videos will be added)
You’re going to have a bar at the top of the page that’s going to contain your options for creating, opening, and saving files.
Below that, you have a toolbar that contains all of your different modeling tools. There are a couple different tabs in here for solid, surface, sheet metal, etc - for the most part, you’re going to use the solid tools for woodworking. To activate these tools, you’d click on one of them, and then Fusion 360 will give you more information about how to use them.
The browser is almost like an outline of your model - that’s where you’re going to be able to manage the different parts and pieces of things in your model. Different bodies and components, when you create them, are all going to show up in this list. You can turn things on and off by clicking the little eye next to an item. This is also where you can manage the units in your model (document settings).
On the right hand side, there’s a navigation cube - you can use this to navigate around your model. You can both click and drag, as well as click on the individual faces to orient your view. The little house icon is your home icon and can take you back to your default view if your camera ever gets spun around.
You can also use your mouse and keyboard to navigate.
At the bottom of the page, you have a toolbar for adjusting the way things look inside your model, as well as another toolbar at the very bottom that’s going to basically contain a timeline of all the changes you’ve made. This will get really important in the future when we decide to make changes, as you can actually go back into this timeline and change things.
Now you have a pretty good idea of where everything is located - now let’s start talking about how to create objects in Fusion 360. In general, when we create objects in Fusion 360, we usually start by creating some kind of a 2-dimensional profile. This is going to be called a sketch. From there, we’ll take this 2D profile and extrude it into 2 dimensions.
To add a sketch, there’s a little button that says “Add Sketch.” By the way - for all of these different tools, if you let your mouse rest over them for a little while, they’ll pop up a little window describing what they do.
When you click on “Add Sketch,” you’re going to notice that some little yellow boxes pop up in your modeling workspace. This is because we need to tell Fusion 360 which axis we want to draw along. In this case, we want to select the little box between the red and green axes. (An axis is basically one of these lines that act as a guide to help us see what direction we’re creating things in a 3D space)
Notice that when we click on this, it orients our camera directly above the modeling space, and also gives us a different set of tools for modeling. These tools are all designed to help us create 2D objects that we will later use to create 3D shapes. Let’s draw a rectangle. One thing you’re going to notice is that when you activate this tool, it’s going to snap your mouse button to the various grid points - this is Fusion 360 trying to help us by inferring that we want to click in a certain place.
You can also type in dimensions to lock your 2D tools to certain lengths, so if you want this to be a 6” tall object, you can type in a height of 6”.
Notice that this 2D sketch, when we create it, has a light blue fill inside of it. This is Fusion 360 indicating to us that this is a closed in sketch, which we can then use to extrude to a 3D shape.
For now, let’s finish our sketch. Simply click the “Finish Sketch” button to finish your sketch and accept your shape. Now we’re back in 3D modeling mode, and we want to use the “create” tools to create a 3D shape from our 2D profile. In this case, we want to do this by using the “extrude” tool, which basically adds depth to a 2D shape.
When we activate this tool, it’s going to ask us to select a face, then dictate a length to extrude. You can set this length by clicking and dragging the little arrow, or by typing in a length.
This creates a 3D shape from our profile.
You can also use sketches and extrusions to remove material. For example, let’s say we wanted to create a little slot in the face of this object - we could draw another sketch, this time on the end face of this object, then extrude that the other direction. Notice that this time, Fusion 360 automatically sets our “interaction” to “cut mode.” This is because it sees that we drew a shape that intersects with another shape, and it assumed that this means we want to remove material from that shape.
This would also work if we wanted to add a hole or bevel an edge.

[@TheFusionEssentials]

Hi everyone! Let me know if you have any questions about this tutorial in the comments below!

[@erickillian8470]

Justin, I love your videos and you have taught me just about everything there is to know about SKP. I am moving on to Fusion for a number for reasons, but am just getting started. Is it worth it to make a video of how operations in SKP and Fusion are similar and dissimilar? Like watching you type a measurement as a math problem in Fusion is waaay different than operating in SKP. While some of what is done in SKP is familiar to Fusion 360, Fusion looks like it has quite a bit more functionality in its operations, in terms of big and small picture. Looking forward to all of your videos. I owe you some money! Cheers bud.

[@perrydonnelly8816]

How are you repeating the line command at 13 :16 min. in the video. And why is this rectangle here constrained and the square at 17:32 is unconstrained (the lines are blue and not black). Thanks

[@knowah.]

Dude! This is fantastic! 1 small thing and I hope you don't take offense to it: Fillet/filet is pronounced 'filay', like fillet/filet mignon or fish. Just think of the tool removing meat from a bone. Your vids are awesome.

[@jackhaugk7424]

im him

[@peterring1244]

Finally someone who knows how to teach not just show off. I'm excited to learn more.

[@secretdad544]

That’s right - this guy is teaching beginners moves they can follow and use to learn to work with & get cut out on a CNC router or make drawings at home. I am glad he is not showing advanced moves like some other fusion 360 videos do - which remind me of a cowboy “twirling a six shooter.” (I can’t learn what they are showing off & we don’t need to learn esoteric features in a beginners video)

[@stevenrichardson7882]

At last I’ve found someone who starts and explains right from the beginning. Thanks and look forward to the remaining tutorials 👍

[@TheWoodgrafter]

Fantastic, thank you. Have tried to learn Fusion from books but they go way to deep for what I want. As a woodworker, this is bang on. Going to binge all the playlist. Thank you. Andy

[@johnledyard2320]

I love you. Please keep adding videos! This is the perfect amount of detail and summary to get me started

[@ingGS]

Your tutorials are the best, they start from the basics and progressively built up to great results!

[@roberttolliver9402]

Yes!! Finally!! An actual BEGINNERS tutorial. This one takes you from zero to hero. And it seems to go step by step. Good presentation. Good address of items and options. Well done!!

[@MlokKarel]

You're a great teacher, I really like your F360 tutorials best. It's a pity you don't make new anymore, but you've covered so much with your existing tutorials it'll take me probably years before I absorb it all anyway. Thank you.

[@BookofIsaiah]

THE best Fusion for Woodworking videos PERIOD!!!!! THANK YOU for doing this series!!!!!

[@tedscherrer]

At last a fellow woodworker willing to filter 360 down to the essentials of our craft - I hope! I'm grateful and am looking forward to seeing whats next!

[@saltesc]

This was really informative. Easy to digest and a good length. Thanks :)

[@SS5800]

Excellent video, definitely watching the series. Thank you for not assuming we already know the basics. Learned more in these 20 minutes than i have in hours of others.

[@alexandravertulfo-cloma6949]

I've Learned a lot with your video tutorial of all the uploaded here. Thank you so much

[@ChipLinck]

Excellent video. Well paced. It stayed on topic, and was concise. One of the better tutorials I have watched.

[@romeoC9968]

I've watched a few videos but finally a good one on learning fusion. Thankyou. You've done an excellent job at explaining to beginners.

[@michaelvila3692]

Excellent video! Well done, easy to understand, very thorough, designed for woodworkers, thank you, can't wait the watch the rest of them.

[@TheFusionEssentials]

Thanks very much! Really glad you liked it!

[@christianholley9065]

Great video! I love how you breakdown the basics

[@ktvideoproductions]

Good stuff. Great way to get over starting learning curve. Thanks!

[@wackojacko1997]

I've jumped around a couple places, but your videos are pretty good, get to the point, and I'm finding them useful. Thank you.

[@HardKnockDesignandBuild]

Just started my journey on learning modeling for woodworking. I'm a cabinet builder by trade. Just added the playlist to watch. Great info. One thing no one really discusses is setting up your grids. I set mine up to be 1/16ths, just made it easier for those us weirdos that still use standard over metric. But thanks a ton for the information and classes.

[@donr7841]

I am new to CAD and this video was extremely useful in deciding if I wanted to pursue using Fusion 360 for my woodworking projects. I plan on watchin g this series and hopefully model my first project in the near future. Thank you.

[@beer1for2break3fast4]

Absolutely great video! Thanks for taking the time to explain this so well.

[@SeanPCowan]

Better than the course I just paid for. THANK YOU!!!!

[@igbatious]

pretty much all of my sketchup and fusion knowledge comes from you. i am forever indebted.

[@RichA7CV41]

Thank you Justin, well done!! Subscribed!! Looking forward to going through your videos! Thanks for your efforts!!

[@konixtwenty8275]

All your tutorials are very clear and helpful. Thank you very much.

[@AugustaWaterCooler]

I have never used Fusion 360 and have not used Auto Cad since 1990, but after watching this video, which was VERY well done, I feel that I could do basic things in this software specific to woodworking, which is what I have been looking for. I have honestly been trying to work with Sketchup (largely due to cost), and your relatively short video gave more (useful information) than I have found for use in Sketchup. Thanks, I will be watching other videos in your series.

[@Samsancas]

¡Perfecto! Gracias por el tutorial. Por fin pude dibujar algo y entender cómo lo estaba haciendo. Listo para el segundo. Perfect! Thank you for the tutorial. At last I could draw something and understand how I was doing it. Ready for the second one.

[@robertarso6834]

Looking forward to seeing more videos, great!!

[@johanvandyk6532]

Awesome, exactly what I was looking for. Subscribed

[@d.buchko4270]

Thank you for your videos! I like how you say there are different ways of doing things and actually give examples. Please give more examples in future videos, it helps me become better versed in these tools and the tool ribbon or tool bar. Thank you.

[@crappysoup]

my god this is just what i was looking for. about to dive into the entire playlist so i can make my own arcade cabinet. thanks for kindly providing these resources

[@tighecrovetti2844]

This was excellent and I will definitely be looking at the rest.

[@geoffhenshall7296]

Really well explained - looking forward to seeing the next video

[@rickybobbyracing9106]

Great video. This is what I needed to get started.

[@karinawalter-weckseler578]

Thank you for sharing your knowledge and understanding that beginner means "has to start at the beginning". Also finally someone who does not want to sell a student program. Nice follow along explanations.

[@Cpt_Chirp]

Thanks for the video!

[@DrSurfman]

Fantastic!

[@jamesturner226]

Awesome!!!

[@sirfluorocarbon7507]

Thank you for the 'mouse wheel scroll defaults backwards' aside mention. Saved me from weeks of frustration.

[@pinoficara]

Great tutorial for beginners!!! Thank you!

[@jayyocis8643]

Yeah! I've viewed you channel for SketchUp but a recent visit to a Shaper Origin demo I learned that Fusion360 might be a better option. In the end I plan on using either a Shaper Origin or CNC to produce Templates to make furniture. This video was a good start; looking at Fusion 360 before you channel it looked daunting. You came through with just the right starting point video. Thanks

[@petermartucci6534]

Awesome vid. I'm so looking forward to replacing sketchup with Fusion 360 for designing projects.

[@cyruskhosravi7351]

Awesome Justin! Thanks!

[@TheFusionEssentials]

Thanks for watching!

[@cassidypoboxcom]

Great intro! Thank you

[@jeffrudolph1802]

Very helpful. Good explanation of the concepts of Fusion 360 - sketch, design, repeat. I also learned that I have to upgrade my video card and monitors. High resolution for an old pair of eyes is a must. Looking forward to rest of your vidoes.

[@TheFusionEssentials]

Awesome - thanks!

[@stuartwilliams7903]

Brilliant, really helpful

[@mikekjeldgaard3075]

This is great, thanks buddy.

[@brianmead5102]

I found your video easy to follow and easy to remember. Thank you

[@TheFusionEssentials]

Thanks for watching!

[@faeezali4014]

Sir thankyou.. Very easy demonstration.and the way is fantastic

[@EmpoweredPercussion]

Thanks for the tutorial, looks like part 2 is missing? Can you provide the link if you have one? It was amazing, this first tutorial helped me to create a design concept I've wanted to make for a long time. Just on the 1st with you alone. One thing that was hard was figuring out how to center my Extrusion relief Within a rectangle, meaning having all equal sides within the rectangle and creating that rectangle to be centered Etc. If you have any videos for that I would love to figure that out as well. Thanks buddy and great tutorial.

[@Sawta]

First dound your channel for SketchUp a few years back, when they offered a free, non-web based version. Now I'm finding you again for Fusion360! 😁 Still putting out great content, in easy to understand ways! Great work, brother.

[@yosef9421]

Great tutorial. Thank you.

[@Flmarques]

Thank you to make hsit tutorial. Just to have an idea how thing works is great! cheers

[@muratkh]

keep it up buddy we love your videos

[@kinanhloubi1935]

helped me with sketchup and now Fusion nice and thanks

[@landyherndon3517]

Wow your good at teaching. Thanks

[@ghxy5696]

Thanks, Justin.

[@alphavirginis260]

That was excellent. Thank you!!!!

[@TheFusionEssentials]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@paulruud5804]

Thanks!

[@islamic31399]

Great brother ❤️❤️❤️ thanks 👍👍👍

[@valueforvalue76]

Good introduction!

[@williammueller768]

Simple instructions. Keep up the good teaching

[@TheFusionEssentials]

Thank you very much! :)

[@Evi1penguin5]

Man.. let me just say. As a laser/CNC based digital designer, making the leap from 2D in Inkscape to 3D, the task of learning appeared daunting. Most of my progress was via trial and error, but. A few other videos were helpful. But your videos are solid, fully descriptive, direct, and educational in an efficient way.

[@k1mchee089]

ThInk you!! Great video

[@TheFusionEssentials]

Thank you for watching!

[@LionexOfficial]

keep up the good work,subed ,i will follow your woodworking videos

[@TheFusionEssentials]

Thanks for the sub! More to come! :)

[@andrewlane3003]

very helpful!

[@Salsadepr40]

You hav inspired Me. I have develop a very complex Van built design that I think is way out of my lead. lol- I am impress with my self on how much I accomplish in one week. :-) I like how is coming out! I will post it shortly and send you a link. Hope to get any ideals for any modification. Thank You! This video is an A++

[@masood6086]

thanks for share

[@thanhnguyen-cg7ve]

excellent and clear explains thanks , can you explain how to use on manufacture use on cnc machine please .thank you

[@garchafpv]

so intense!

[@D.I.Wood.LoveForDIY]

Great video my fiend. I'm a new KZbinr and D.I.Yer and wanted to start making my own detailed plans and your video really helped! easy to follow, step by step...keep it up

[@TheFusionEssentials]

You might like this too - kzbin.info/www/bejne/bIHLqn-JoNKLkK8 - Thanks!

[@katalytically]

I am just learning 360 and this was the least boring video I have seen for beginners. You kept the video easy to understand and kept to your topic. I have used AutoCAD for 30 years and have tried 3D drafting and I have found it cumbersome. I have been using Sketchup for the last couple of years for 3D and it is better, but you can't create what I would call a real solid. The faces are joined into a "solid" but that solid is actually a hollow shell. I thought I would try 360 and it seems to be better than Sketchup, while providing a more AutoCAD feel which I prefer. Now I just need to develop my skills in 360. I'm looking forward to getting more proficient and possibly learning some new skills.

[@clairecaron6725]

Très bien expliqué, je débute avec fusion et je me suis abonnée, tank you !

[@TheFusionEssentials]

Thanks for watching!

[@jackhaugk7424]

fantastical

[@TheFusionEssentials]

:)

[@JasonGardnerUK]

Great starter video

[@TheFusionEssentials]

Thanks!

[@Wouldwoodwork]

Great video! I plan on making 3D plans this year. Your channel will be my best friend!

[@curtaobraprima]

Thank you! The best tutorial i've found so far.

[@JohnColgan.]

As you're explaining the functions,my brain is translating it into SketchUp functions. I can imagine you introducing as Theeee SketchUp Essentials

[@collapse99]

Thanks for putting together this series. I'm on the first one but will see it through to the end. :-) I played with Sketchup for a couple of my projects but didn't like it after the free download version for my Mac stopped working and they moved the free version to the web. A lot of woodworking CNC users swear by VCarve and a couple of other commercial products but these are too expensive for this retired hobbyist. I went through some of the Fusion 360 video training on the AutoCAD site but these heavily favor large machined products over the more simple things I'm interested in creating in my shop.

[@garyreinke5161]

Great video! Files can also be saved on your computer as well as the cloud

[@TheFusionEssentials]

Good tip!

[@nilkumarpatel3845]

excellent vedio

[@j2mccoy]

Well done Justin. Been watching your Sketchup Essentials channel in the past. Based on what I see here, Fusion 360 is a better and more powerful piece of software...Liked and Subscribed.

[@TheFusionEssentials]

I'd say it kind of depends on what you're doing. For low tolerance, very specific work, especially certain kinds of woodworking and machining, I'd probably prefer Fusion 360. For faster models, architectural modeling, and some other things I'd prefer SketchUp. A lot depends on the application - I really like both of them for different things

[@spiderlab2526]

Just subscribed but just letting you know I mute the first 20seconds to avoid the whacky hard sell. Too many Ewetoobers think they need a gimmick. Yet accurate, helpful information is the greatest gimmick on earth. :-)

[@greexc]

Hi Justin thank you for your video. Do you have anything for doing inlays with Fusion 360

[@ralphc7842]

Finally - A great tutorial! Subscribed. Autodesk should hire you, their tutorials are a hot mess.

[@radutenenbaum977]

Great start! But I'm encumbered by doing everything via trackpad on my MacBook Pro. What recommendation for a mouse without breaking the bank? This will be used for my basement hobby woodworking.

[@jagoehring]

Is there a site where you can just buy pre-made plans? I'm an artist and just need to cut my own frames out of osb with a shelf inside for a mirror. I don't want to re-invent the wheel, just modify it maybe????

[@ginoalary4124]

Hi Justin! I’m a stair builder, been using SU since 2016, i do the design and i also need to break down parts for metal, glass and obviously wood working cnc machines, PLEASE TELL ME !!! Sketchup 2021 or start all over again with F360? Thank you!

[@mikeprenesti5947]

How do I change the dimensions on an already created model?

[@matthewjamescahill]

Hi Justin, I would like to know which software you recommend to use for woodworking, SketchUp or Fusion 360? I'm able to use SketchUp but was thinking about learning Fusion 360. I follow your SketchUp channel which I find is really good and easy to follow. Fusion seems to have plenty of additional features. I use SketchUp Make or the browser version. For Fusion, I have a hobbyist license. Cheers.

[@TheFusionEssentials]

It really kind of depends - I think SketchUp has an easier learning curve, but Fusion 360 has smarter tools. That said, those tools can be a bit limiting depending on what you're trying to do as well. I find dimensioning and exporting a bit easier in SketchUp, but combining objects, beveling edges, and cutting/threading holes and objects seems easier in Fusion. Not sure if that helps at all :)

[@permanentobjects6875]

Thanks for the basic tutorial.. To confirm: you are pressing S key to switch to the sketching and Esc to go back to 3D view correct?

[@TheFusionEssentials]

I'm doing what I showed on the screen - I click on the create sketch button to start a sketch, then I click "finish sketch" to finish the sketch. "S" opens the search tool...

[@blahdiblah2169]

How can you correct an extrude? Let's say you extrude 2 inches, and then decide you need it 1 inch. Is there a way to select the extruded value again from the body?

[@roncooper6302]

Great tutorial. On a personal note, where does your accent come from? Best regards from England.

[@briandeeley1599]

Hi, what if I wanted to create a 20 inch hole in a sheet of plywood with a 45 degree bevel, how would you draw that? Also I will be importing autocad drawing files that I created.

[@kickpublishing]

I can already see that this is far more logical than sketchup which is often fiddly and requires techniques which have a hit and miss feel. Plus they’ve gotten very greedy with the pricing of sketchup - I’m amazed a tool so basic hasn’t been made freeware.

[@googleboy5896]

At 15:40 you draw a notch. How do you specify the distance from the edge of the plane?

[@robertsack257]

Great video. Thanks for the intro. Are you using the free version or paid version?

[@carolinedickey4954]

love your video could you please direct me to your video to help create a chess piece (the pawn piece). Need to know how to use revolve command to revolve the chess piece. thank you

[@johnvalkenet2665]

Hi, in sketch mode my grid is turned on and visible, just not behind bodies I've already drawn. The cursor snaps to the grid correctly, its just not visible, any ideas?