Various wood structures

[voodoo]

All the drawings shown were directly from Sketchup.

Layout as the name suggests is a formatting package to produce drawing collections.
I've attached one from work to give you an idea of layout arrangement. It's only a single page, but you can produce a booklet of drawings if you so wish. I've some better ones, but privacy concerns would prevent me posting.

The really nice thing about Layout is that you can insert a Sketchup model into the "page" and rotate the live model to the angle you want at any time. It doesn't become a fixed 2D projection. You can also add scaled dimensions to the 3D projection.

Give Sketchup a whirl. The best think about it is that it's free and has 90% of the functionality of the paid version.

 

[RayCo]

This is outstanding. I will now forge ahead through the learning curve of Sketchup. Thank you!

 

[Iplayfarmer]

This is outstanding. I will now forge ahead through the learning curve of Sketchup. Thank you!

I'd have to second the recommendation to put the time into learning sketchup. I tried a half dozen design programs before I found sketchup. It's intuitive, it's powerful, and it's free. The free part is great because it means many people are going to use it. Then there's a huge population base with some knowledge of how it works. Just here on TBN there have been a handful of threads with advice on how to use sketchup. Do a search and you'll find some very useful hints.

Here are some examples below of drawings I've done for lumber related projects...

 

[RayCo]

This is freaking fantastic.

 

[inveresk]

There are a few exceptions but with good detailing you shouldn't need pressure treated unless you're area is prone to insect attack. CCA (copper chrome arsenic) was outlawed a couple years ago. They discovered it leached and trace residues can be picked up through physical contact. There is an exception for some industrial and commercial situations where the timber will be completely hidden but it's no longer acceptable in residential situations. CCA has been superseded by ACQ (Alkaline Copper Quaternary) which is really hard on metals. I've tried using various fixings and nothing lasts except stainless (which really pushes up the cost). Galvanized metals corrode really quickly and even ceramic coated will corrode over time. We're fencing at the moment into heavy clay soil so we've no option but to use ACQ posts then spike the rails into them by gunning with stainless ring shanks. Not cheap.

For most other situations, I use cedar posts kept a minimum of 6" clear of the ground. Above this, e.g. for deck joists and the like, untreated fir works if the top face is protected with a strip of sand finished peal and stick prior to fixing the decking to it. For any exposed, finished timbers, cedar is the best answer here. I tend to apply a finish - usually a natural oil of some sort - but only to prevent the wood from turning grey.

 

[smfcpacfp]

Why not consider cedar as an alternative to pressure treated lumber as the above poster suggested? It looks better from the get go, is readily available but it is more expensive.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

Why not consider cedar as an alternative to pressure treated lumber as the above poster suggested? It looks better from the get go, is readily available but it is more expensive.

Cedar fence slats are relatively cheap. They are thin, though; and may only work as a "veneer" of sorts.