Modeling a Bookshelf in Fusion 360 - Fusion 360 for Woodworkers Part 2

In today’s video, we’re going to continue our series on modeling in Fusion 360 for woodworkers by creating a simple example model - a bookshelf!
FULL WOODWORKING TUTORIAL PLAYLIST
• Fusion 360 for Woodwor...
Topics Covered -
- Creating profiles with the Sketch tool
- Extruding shapes with the extrude tool
- The difference between joining shapes and creating new bodies
- Using the rectangular pattern tool to copy objects
- Copying objects with the move tool
- And more!

[@TheFusionEssentials]

Hi everyone! Let me know if you have any questions in the comments below! :)

[@yair1956]

all Vids are awesome, first time Fusion make sense to me, one thing giving me hard time is how to pick up plane, I'm totally disoriented, and get easily confused do you have any tips tricks to overcome this issue going Home doesn't make things batter (-: ????

[@bonfaceosuka]

Hey can you please send me the file for this tutorial.

[@michaeltucker5222]

I would have liked to have seen examples of shelf pin holes in this example. But great tutorial :)

[@user-ww2lc1yo9c]

The special thing would be if all the designs you have made so far, are parameterizeable. The width, height, length, number of joints e.t.c.

[@Mattieh00u]

It took me 2 hours to get through this 17 min video. Sketchup is much more intuitive but fusion 360 is clearly more powerful. Thanks for these vids!

[@user-ww2lc1yo9c]

how is that sketchup more intuitive?

[@kickpublishing]

Sketch up is less logical and more haphazard, sometimes requiring a combination of clicks drags and keys that feel almost like skills than procedures - when you get stuck or mess up in sketchup it can be a nightmare.

[@robertsack257]

Sketchup has been a nightmare. Very glitchy on my Mac. I finally gave up and am going with this. It is more complicated, but consistant and predictable behavior.

[@tobythornton603]

Love the pace and level of detail - great job. More please!!

[@EZEvans1]

I also started working in sketch up (last year) and learned a lot from you and others and thank you for that. This series is amazing! you really are really making this accessible for us. Thank you!

[@northshorepx]

Fantastic. Followed along and built my own version. Thank you Justin for making this so easy.

[@thebeardedoxtimberco]

Good one, well explained and easy to follow, on to the next. Thanks!

[@profhindsight449]

Adding my thanks too Justin, great job. Big advantage to folk is the relative simplicity of the shapes used for the bookcase. I learnt more about 360 from your first two woodworking videos than from many more complicated models. Recommend woodwork models to everyone starting out, even mechanical engineers. Hope there will be something on printing out 2D scale drawings of the model components at some point (I make wooden automata as a hobby)

[@waelbuholigah4145]

Hi Brother, This episode has made my life easier, now I know that I've still got a chance to actually make things out of wood with the help of fusion 360. Thank you so very much, and looking for more, please.

[@sk8punk318]

love the vids! easy to follow and you describe everything so well its perfect for every beginner(like me) keep up the videos please!!!

[@kmohio2011]

New to solid modeling and fusion 360 for wood router. Very good tutorial.

[@aglamon]

you're easy to follow which I really appreciate!!!

[@TheFusionEssentials]

Glad you think so!

[@sebah.tatuajes]

amazing tut. you are the best dude

[@dirtybaywoodshop-joeporter5650]

Very awesome tutorial! I've been a SketchUp user for many years, but after I saw that I can get Fusion 360 for free for personal/hobby use, I decided to try it. I figured it would be a pretty steep learning curve, but my experience with SketchUp and your tutorials make it very easy and intuitive. Looking forward to finishing this series!

[@TheFusionEssentials]

Awesome! Glad you're liking the videos!

[@kickpublishing]

Awesome tutorial thanks

[@TheFusionEssentials]

Glad you liked it!

[@pierrecomtois1222]

Great video ... going through your series to learn about modelling woodworking joints and find your series very useful. Just a suggestion...I clicked the link to start the video and to be honest I hadn't paid detailed attention to the video synopsis shot showing the bookcase, so when you started with the side panel, I didn't remember in detail what it looked like, leaving me a bit lost in the 1st step. Of course, as you modelled the shelves, etc then it became obvous. I would have found a pic to the completed model useful to see as you introduced the project. Just my 2 cents. Thx for the awesome work you do making your videos...well done! Pierre

[@samkemper]

That was great. Thank you. I am just getting into this and you videos help so much!

[@therigglet3548]

Hi! Great tutorial. Thank you for putting this content together. How can you adjust the scale of the grid so that snapping is more granular when zoomed out?

[@douglasreybberido]

Thank you for this tutorial. I am migrating to Fusion 360 from SketchUp.

[@TheFusionEssentials]

Glad it helped! What do you model?

[@MrFritzybabe]

Love the videos Justin. I watched about 5 videos for beginners before finding yours. So easy to understand compared to some others I have seen. I have a background in AutoCAD, Inventor and CNC programming but I find other tutorials difficult to relate to. Love it if you did a woodworking one on creating a simple shed as opposed to a piece of furniture. Keep up the good work. Gary from the UK.

[@TheFusionEssentials]

Thanks Gary - really appreciate it - I should be able to do something like this - thanks!

[@1zanshin]

Thanks, great tutorial at the right pace. Trying to learn Fusion 360.

[@TheFusionEssentials]

Awesome - glad it helped!

[@stevenrichardson7882]

Another great tutorial for us dummies 👍 Roll on number 3.

[@stormbytes]

Absolutely loved it! Coming from Sketch (and trying to learn F360) I didn't find much showing how to move/copy bodies! Everyone kept going on about how it was "parametric". This tutorial was much needed to fill in the missing pieces!

[@EZEvans1]

This series is great! you don't make assumptions with what we might know or fail to show a step. just first rate. I am wondering how, to say, widen the shelves in this example and have the sides etc adjust accordingly. Thanks for your good work!

[@TheFusionEssentials]

Yeah this is something I want to get more into in the future - glad I've been able to help so far!

[@thekylenovak]

parametric parameters. Basically set user parameters for total W H D and material thickness before you start sketching, then when you start your sketch, instead of typing in your width in inches you would type in the parameter name for width and select that. Then same for height and depth and material thickness for each panel. Then you can adjust the parameters by size as needed and everything will follow suit. Its not quite as simple as that but thats the gist. Look up "casual builds - why woodworking is great in fusion 360" he does a very fast basic break down on how easy parametric parameters can be.

[@TheFusionEssentials]

@EZEvans1 - Here's an updated video I did that has the parameters baked in for easy adjustment - kzbin.info/www/bejne/jKTSlWahidGLhas&pp=gAQBiAQB

[@EZEvans1]

Thanks Justin!@@TheFusionEssentials

[@markfromwestcoastwoodcraft7633]

This is just great, thank you.

[@TheDamashii]

Thank you for top explanation. Keep it up!

[@JKarle]

Excellent video, as was the one before this; exactly what I was looking for to replace SketchUp and use it primarily in a woodworking environment and occasionally for 3D printing. Thank you - liked and subscribed! Keep it up.

[@TheFusionEssentials]

Curious - what was the issue with SketchUp? I think both are great tools, I'm just curious

[@bonfaceosuka]

Thank You so much for this tutorial, it has really helped me alot in my final year project.

[@johnvodopija1743]

This is a super helpful series. Thank you 👍😎🇦🇺

[@blahdiblah2169]

Hi, is there a good reason why when you create a sketch on an existing object surface, it creates 2 (or more) shapes, so you then need to select both prior to extrude?

[@quentinlee2358]

no idea if I'll be able to build the stuff, but following along here feels easy. Thanks for the lessons!

[@jhirn2957]

If I paid $200 for this and your sketchup videos, I would recommend others buy them. I've learned so much from you. I can't today but do plan to find your tip jar before the holidays. Thank you so much for making such amazing lessons available for free.

[@andreeking4225]

Thank you for this video. I learned so much, I also used this video to make a design for my house. I look forward to watching your other videos for wood workers.

[@shughes599]

This looks far easier than sketchup entity hell.

[@maximusprime2177]

Great Video, just what ive been looking for. Although i had a issue with new sketches not snapping to existing bodies.

[@gazzarazza22]

Just what I needed, thanks

[@AdamCraigOutdoors]

Keep doing the woodworkers series!! I need all the help i can get. lol

[@jarmor24]

Thanks man for what u do

[@Cimtheturnery]

Finally someone explaining so i actually understand. fab keep it up

[@nagarya]

Thank you so much for you big help as a pro teacher. I am not a professional wood worker, it's a hobby of mine. Is the free Fusion 360 enough for building a model an get work drawings including joinery? Thank you!

[@TheFusionEssentials]

Should be - the only thing I'm not sure about is if the Plans feature is for free or paid users. Otherwise everything else should be plenty powerful enough

[@nagarya]

Thank you!

[@tedscherrer]

Well done!

[@TheFusionEssentials]

Thanks!

[@dkmanley54]

Great video. I am switching from sketchup to 360 and watching your tutorials, on woodworkers part 2. Super helpful. I'm replacing pantry wire shelves with similar cabinets but with drawers. I may cut 3/4 dado's in the side panels and have already done that in a sample project. I may also put softclose drawer hardware instead of using dado's. Do you have other videos where you show how to put drawers with hardware and drawer bottoms fitting into dado on side panel and slide that way?

[@andrewbrown8148]

Great video tutorial, Justin~! I'm a long-time woodworker and a newb to 3D Printing. I've been using SketchUp since its release, but I'm really interested in learning Fusion 360. Having been an AutoCAD user in earlier years, this is a great progression for me. I really like SU (and am a bit disappointed in their cloud-based version), but I find that F360 provides more options and more granular control in drafting. Anyway, I found your instruction very clear and easy to follow with good explanations of the features used in this video. I'm looking forward to digging into the rest of your F360 tutorials~!

[@martingard494]

Just watched the video, "Brilliant" Just need to see if my version of Fusion 360 acts in the same way? Will try to copy your design tomorrow night. Thanks for all your doing

[@andrewweiher1982]

Great video. I was about to give up on fusion until I found this and part 1. I’ll give it another try now. One thing I can’t seem to figure out how adjust the dimensions or location of an existing object. Can you help?

[@thomasfraser5362]

Re-do your first sketch perhaps? Or, re-constrain it. I'm learning that a lot of being good at this is modelling things in a way that would allow for you to change something really early on and for everything else to still follow as it should. If it doesn't, you've potentially made the wrong decisions at some point. It can be very frustrating.

[@michaelackerman9261]

Hey Justin, do you have a video covering how to edit dimensions later on? Like, suppose I want to now change the shelf to 45" tall, or change the width. Have you covered how to link the bodies so that this can be done easily? Thanks!

[@wilburgarcia2011]

Thanks my friend.

[@TheFusionEssentials]

No problem 👍

[@thomashajicek2747]

These videos are awesome tutorials! Thank you so much! I have run into an issue with Rectangular pattern. The tool isn't one of the main icons like on your screen. Instead it's in the Sketch dropdown, and before I can select it I have to hit Create Sketch. When I do that I have to choose a plane, so I choose the top of the self. I can then select the shelf body. but when I hit Rectangular Pattern it goes to the top shelf plane, and I can't select the body in the pattern settings. Just seems like things are wrong from the get-go. Any ideas what I'm doing wrong?

[@thomashajicek2747]

Figured it out. I didn't realize there's a rectangular pattern option under both Sketch and Create!

[@alonsofrias3944]

What is the difference when choosing New Body instead of New Component? Thanks for the playlist btw!

[@finn7599]

I also would like to know this!

[@DuffTerrall]

From what I'm learning, a body is good for a shape, and works if you are making something that will only ever be in reference to itself. Components are used for doing more complicated assemblies or products. For example, if you were creating an object with multiple moving parts that will later be connected, you would do the different parts as components. Or, if you are creating a product line, you can create components for the different parts and use them across multiple products. Then you can generate parts lists, assign joints and connections, etc. Components also appear to work better for having parts that adjust themselves if you change a feature or value. In general, most guides I'm seeing recommend making your design, using components, made out of shapes, developed from sketches.

[@williammcdonald9086]

Thanks for the tutorial. It was fairly easy to follow. Now, let's say I finish this bookshelf and then decide I want it to be 2" wider, 4" taller, the kickplate to be 1/2" shorter, and I still want the shelves to be evenly spaced vertically. How does one go about doing that? It seems like it would be easier to just start over.

[@je-fq7ve]

you might want to do a follow-up where you do a round over, add a bull-nose, rabbet the back panel, add support under the shelf, add dados, pull out draw, hinges. All the things that make a bookshelf a bookshelf. A downloadable sketch for people to play with might be useful. All the parts and pieces labeled. Some people need a thing they can play with to learn.

[@kellyb7321]

When making the sketch for the kickplate is it possible to get it to reference the shelf above? That would be more simple than trying to remember the dimension and specifying it manually.

[@andrec.3365]

Good video! It can be easily understood. Please update more videos like this!

[@movieclipworld3323]

Can fusion 360 be used for 3D curve design in wood like curving flowers, leaves, geometrical pattern for bed design?

[@911HerbalinfoGoneRaw]

I'm pretty sure you can, I still don't know how to do a lot of things in the program but the program can be used to create 3D printed models. I've uploaded a variety of different 3D models and they all show up perfectly fine. That tells me that you can create them in the program. I'm learning how to slice these models to print them 3D in wood, acrylic, etc.

[@robingrant8082]

Very useful example. Thank you.

[@drutheflu]

So you have the bookshelf all together. How do you separate it so that you can print each piece, for instance I am wanting to cut this on a CNC machine? If there a video on that part

[@stair4u]

Nicely done!

[@GiantsOnTheHorizon]

Great tutorials! Thank you.

[@sergepistorius]

I created the first construction plane (4 inch high) like you did, and after that my line won 't snap to the side piece. What am I doing wrong? Great video 's, keep on the good work!.

[@sergepistorius]

Never mind, solved it. I just had to zoom in way more than you did. I don't know why that is...

[@TheFusionEssentials]

Glad you got it!

[@brianjohnson3581]

@@sergepistorius I had the same problem. When we got to the back panel, I couldn't snap to the plane no matter how much I zoomed and did further investigating. By default, there's a setting in preferences off you want to turn on to simplify this. Preferences>Design>Auto project edges on reference>Checked (unchecked by default). Once I applied that, everything became WAY easier. Reference of solution here - forums.autodesk.com/t5/fusion-360-support/sketching-on-offset-plane-unable-to-snap-to-other-component-edge/td-p/8806112

[@maykinit]

@@brianjohnson3581 Thank you! Thank You!

[@peteedwards2128]

@@brianjohnson3581 100% helpful..thank you sir!

[@chappycole5372]

Excellent content. My version of 360 has a rectangular, opaque background to the Browser which covers perhaps 1/5 of the display space. I see on the video that yours only opaques the rectangular area needed as background for text in the browser, thereby making the rest see-through. Is that a preference that I can set? I didn't see anything that looks promising. Also, this brings up my other problem: In both the training videos from AutoDesk, as well as yours, there are some interface variations. Although small, they can interfere with learning. Finally, could you do an interface tutorial which focuses on all the clicking, right-clicking (not natural for us Mac'ers) and selecting features - especially all the nuances to the various icons in the Browser as well as all the icons that show up in a sketch and in models?

[@rossturner5067]

This is very helpful to get started! One issue I encountered. At about 13:00, the video suddenly jumps from spacing to extent when you're doing the shelves without you saying anything. I had to watch it 5 times before I noticed that when you suddenly jumped from 12" spacing to 51" at the top shelf that the distance type changed from Spacing to Extent.

[@patrickhayes5151]

For some reason when I hit 5:50 in the video and try to draw a new sketch from the offset plane that was just created it will not let me draw a line starting at the corner and instead snaps to the 1" marker. Any ideas why this ?

[@jamesturner226]

Excellent Instruction

[@sinukuan.woodworks]

subscribed and liked! great content! Thank you for sharing what you know. I'm really excited to have 3d models as I am new to woodworking.

[@alibseacht]

Thank you for the videos, however i'm already stuck, can't get shelf to line up with side panel, it keeps cutting through, won't let me start sketch at right hand side of side panel, any solutions welcome, perhaps I have not set grid properly?

[@nc1132]

Excellent tutorial

[@felixdo4259]

Really helpful. Thanks

[@ecoBearDen]

How did you rotate when making the kick plate? 15:41 Thanks.

[@MooseDoesStuff]

took me 10 minutes to figure out you went back to extent at ~13min other than that pretty clear :)

[@Socalcheeze]

what is the difference between body or component?

[@kristianjorg418]

It's more of a hierachical decision in whether to use bodies or components. Components can be used for making assemblies (a cad functionality of briinging components together, possibly with moving joints etc), saved as standalone reusable parts etc. Also when making a bigger designs, divide it into components at the beginning already because all the timeline steps are then belonging only to that component you work on, making the other component timelines uncluttered which is a huge benefit. Components are mostly higher level parts which is possibly made up of several bodies within, but it can be only one as well. One can always convert a body to a component if needed. In this video there are just bodies, which is built as an "assembly" without using joints. Perfectly fine. Let's think we need feet as well, finds one design on grabcad and imports that as a ->component

[@blahdiblah2169]

@@kristianjorg418 Not sure if this is true, but I think if you use components, then in drawing mode, when you add a table for a parts list, it will give you 'wood" pieces of the same size not as a group, but individually. So for woodworkers I believe bodies are mostly going to be useful, however let's say you have 2 pieces of the same dimension but of different materials, then I think having 2 components makes sense. Is this true?

[@kristianjorg418]

@@blahdiblah2169 I haven't used drawings. But I'm sure you are right. Components open up a bunch of functionalities. Bodies are just subfeatures of a component.

[@blahdiblah2169]

@@kristianjorg418 What I since discovered is I'm partially correct. Absolutely if you want to generate a parts list then components are the only way to do this. However it's not just a simple matter of giving same dimensioned boards a unique part number. Instead you must create a component and copy using a pattern tool or move/copy tool. You absolutely have to do this to create another instance of your component. Also worth mentioning the mirror function will not create an instance of the same component, but a totally new one, so that won't work. All in all it means you have to redo any existing designs or if you're starting a design just make sure you use this way of working from the get go, and then you'll see correct quantities in your parts list later.

[@imamhida46]

Great tutorial

[@911HerbalinfoGoneRaw]

I've got a question, I tried following your video and it has been helpful. But when creating the top part of the panel, part of the panel does not lay nice and flat with the other panel. It's nice and perfectly aligned on one side, but on the other side it's a bit off. I've tried to redo this by following the lines on both sides of the side panels but I still get the same result. What am I doing wrong? How can I fix that issue? I use the square sketch tool and follow the lines on the top two side panels and always get the same result. Even zooming in to make sure I get them aligned and one side is always perfect and the other side is off. It's very frustrating.

[@911HerbalinfoGoneRaw]

NVM I think I figured it out. Thanks anyway, I'll continue playing around with the program and watching your videos. Thanks again!

[@BHGiant3]

At 5:58, I had trouble snapping my sketch to the existing object. I found the solution. Go to your user name in the upper right hand corner -> preferences -> design -> make sure "Auto project edges on reference" is checkmarked

[@celeeee]

Thanks man. I learnt sketch-up from your tutorials and now I'm upgrading to fusion and you're helping me out again!

[@Dr.Pheelgood]

At 6:03 "I just draw my line", it appears to snap to the upper point. My just floats, so I need to enter the value to make it line up. I am operating with the default preferences. Is there an option I need to turn on?

[@gaelalex101]

Select Grid settings and change it to adaptive

[@ghxy5696]

Thanks, Justin.

[@alexanderlysak7911]

How make the same but parametric with oppotunity to change all dimentions and shelf quantity on the fly?

[@kunaguvenky4886]

super hellping to me fusion thank you so much

[@UndefinedEssence]

I'm not sure I like the way this was done. I've always heard using components for different pieces is best practice, and indeed, that has been most helpful at the end when trying to outline build plans and part lists. Also, this may be personal preference, but assembly using ridgid joining seems much neater in the end as well.

[@alexanderlysak7911]

why do you use new body instead of a new component?

[@MrCaterPaul]

how would you sketch in a dado cut for the shelves?

[@giannisozo7928]

Really wish they would make New Body the default for the Extrude panel

[@beeg2305]

You lost me at the -51 for the shelve spacing part.

[@liegarman21]

you scare the shit outta me everytime I pull up your video lol

[@tadge74]

Hi, ive used CAD previousy so fusion giving me headaches and seems to take longer to achieve same thing. For example, on your bottom shelf, in CAD I can draw on base and then just select move, and give distance, al done. You created an offset plane first then drew the shelf which is like drawing it twice. Also I use mirror very often, for example a euro hinge hole, I'd draw a 35mm diameter circle and then the screw hole on one side. I can then use the center of the circle as a mirror point and flip/copy the screw hole. I can then mirror these holes so I now have a hinge at the bottom of the carcass. I can then copy these 2 hinge holes using a point (base point) fom the corner of the carcass to another carcass. Seems in fusion most people seem to draw each piece seperately. Am I missing something? I am waiting for the eureka momant when all this makes sense.

[@iraklibeggi7385]

what's the difference brtween new body and new component?

[@torowazup1]

👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👌🏼😎

[@dakar82]

Is anyone else having an issue with all of the Fusion Essentials videos playing audio, but the video is just green? I can't get a single video to play correctly, but other KZbin videos are fine.

[@TheFusionEssentials]

First I've heard of this from anyone

[@colinzeta1985]

At this moment, not to be offensive (and could be because Im trying do make objects without a mouse, and a laptop) but every single program out there with some guy is teaching useless. Things don't line up (dimensionally the same); the offset tool is a perfect example. Zooming in and zooming out to shapes is different - I don't see what I'm missing there. I wish there was better education on simple stuff. This education is great for anybody Milennial and younger but if your older it doesn't account for the little and subtle things

[@TheFusionEssentials]

Your life would be a lot easier with a mouse and a scroll wheel to zoom in and out. If zooming is your main struggle right now, that would probably help a lot.

[@colinzeta1985]

Fusion 360 is way to inconsistent it took me 14 hours trying to extrude with a single line that's with a mouse and all points closed -- I stopped trying at that point. Their isn't support for basic stuff to people more experienced with this software. I'm going to try Solidworks@@TheFusionEssentials

[@michaeltaylor5249]

You should be using components instead of bodies

[@WeGoWalk]

While I appreciate this beginners' tutorial, here's what you missed: 1. You did not specify the type of joinery. 2. You did not specify fastener type. 3.Those are all butt joints, which are extremely weak, so you really needed to specify dados and rabbets in this piece so that it would be stronger. That "bottom" piece, which you called a "shelf," is better termed as "bottom," and not shelf. The bottom should be joined to the two side panels by a dado cut into the two side panels by 3/8 of an inch. This means the bottom would need to be 3/4 of an inch longer than 29; so 29 3/4 in length. The top piece should be joined by a rabbet into the two side panels, so that the ends of the top piece are completely buried into the side panels by 3/8 of an inch (since the thickness of the side panels are 3/4). This would shorten the top panel by 3/4 of an inch. Now maybe you cover "joinery" in another video, but I'll keep watching to see if you cover these important features. Also, the best way to teach in a tutorial is to have the viewer follow along and perform each task as you perform them. So give instruction as to what to do, and instruct the viewer to go ahead and mirror what you did. In this way the viewer experienced "tactile memory" which is much longer lasting than simply watching -- "doing" is what solidifies a memory better.

[@nei5553]

Seems like you are making keystrokes and doing things you are not explaining. Sorry, I couldn't follow you on this