Advice sought: planning larger build projects for the hobbyist mad scientist

[thesamhill]

I'm not an engineer of any type. I'm a hobbyist mad scientist though. I like making stuff. I generally have the tools I need for wood, electronics, steel, etc, and I know how to use them at the hobbyist mad scientist level.

But if the project I want to make is large or complicated enough that I can't keep the entire thing in my head all at once, I get lost and stuck halfway through.

My father in law is a retired EE who used to work on stuff like nuclear power plants. He designed and planned a deck for our house, which I'm sure was pretty straightforward for him because he just sort of did it. He showed up with drawings and materials lists and timelines and stuff.

I asked him about how he did all that, and he got a "does not compute" look.

(You know the look- it's the look you get when a brand-new player asks something like, "how do you play a song?" and to you, that could potentially be a hundred different questions and you can't even think where to start thinking. THAT look.)

I'll circle back with him eventually, but I figured I'd ask here too: What's your process for designing and planning your "mad scientist" creations? Guitars, sheds, stunt trikes with casters for wheels, whatever you make yourself but that you need to plan in advance so you can refer to the plan if your brain isn't in "think mode."

What are the main things that you need (materials lists, drawings, etc)? Do you use software? Things like that.

 

[dented]

Do I have the tools? That includes software if necessary. I look at projects around the house and I project the time it will take given the tools I have. The projects can be anything....yard, house, planters, bird baths, bird houses, artwork for the walls, music production, video production, (I use Sony Vegas) It's all if I have the tools for me. I really do not like buying tools that I might use once. But I do search garage sales.

 

[Peegoo]

@thesamhill I start at the end result (visualize the end product) and then work backward through all the steps to integrate the various parts. That leads me to the starting point, and I get started knowing how to get there. I rarely draw a diagram or work off a plan unless it needs to precisely fit into/onto something, or if it's a circuit--I develop a schematic.

This works pretty well for the majority of projects, but there are always little surprises and challenges. These are what makes 'making stuff' so much fun for me. I'm happiest when I'm solving a problem for myself or someone else.

Ultimately, it's not the end product (whatever that is) that has me hooked; it's the process to get there. In many cases, the biggest challenges involve materials and how to use them (metals, plastics, wood, adhesives, fasteners, etc.) for the best results.

Most of my motivation comes from fearlessness. I work safely, but I'm not afraid to fail.

There are some really great YT channels that are hosted by people that show then working through their process to discover new/better ways of doing something.

Here's one. Robert Murray-Smith is fantastic.

 

[StoneH]

I use PowerPoint and Excel for most of my projects. I already know how to use both programs, so there is no learning curve. If I wanted to build a deck, I would by Deck Software. I still use pencil and paper to sketch out ideas. PP lets me visualize the finished product. Excel is good for making calculations. Both are good for making parts lists. This is a dashboard I designed on PP and fabricated for my old boat.

This is an Excel sheet I am using to make calculations for the vinyl plank I am laying now.

 

[Skydog1010]

Large 1/8th inch grid paper and a HB pencil and several pink pearl erasers. Paper is 24x24 inches, leaves plenty of room for notes.

 

[MarkieMark]

Mad scientist? My "laboratory" scares most folks. The rest just don't get it.
My precious wife has come to expect miracles to be raised from the din of machinery, sawdust, grease and grime.
Tools? I have the tools. If I don't I get them. Within reason. (Reason varies)
I have the tools.

The vast majority of planning occurs "in my head."
When necessary, I do a rough sketch. If required, I do a detailed "blueprint."
I can read and create detailed blueprints, to whatever precision necessary. within an inch or within .0005"
I can operate a chainsaw or all the way to a machinists mill or lathe to make whatever I imagine.
Materials? Easy, just pad by a reasonable percentage.

The goal of perfection is always a challenge.
The facts of life are that a one-off attempt rarely achieves perfection. There is always going to be the thought of "well if I had it to do over"..
Developing the talent to get "very darned close" first try is a big step.

The limitations I hit are time, and of course space.
The larger projects in my imagination require a bigger workspace.
The tools already require a bigger barn.

I always thought the goal was to have the space.
A really flat surface to work off of,
All these tools.
A generous budget...

Time.
Time is the ever-present chase.

 

[MarkieMark]

What the heck is e building in there anyway?

 

[String Tree]

I'm not an engineer of any type. I'm a hobbyist mad scientist though. I like making stuff. I generally have the tools I need for wood, electronics, steel, etc, and I know how to use them at the hobbyist mad scientist level.

But if the project I want to make is large or complicated enough that I can't keep the entire thing in my head all at once, I get lost and stuck halfway through.

My father in law is a retired EE who used to work on stuff like nuclear power plants. He designed and planned a deck for our house, which I'm sure was pretty straightforward for him because he just sort of did it. He showed up with drawings and materials lists and timelines and stuff.

I asked him about how he did all that, and he got a "does not compute" look.

(You know the look- it's the look you get when a brand-new player asks something like, "how do you play a song?" and to you, that could potentially be a hundred different questions and you can't even think where to start thinking. THAT look.)

I'll circle back with him eventually, but I figured I'd ask here too: What's your process for designing and planning your "mad scientist" creations? Guitars, sheds, stunt trikes with casters for wheels, whatever you make yourself but that you need to plan in advance so you can refer to the plan if your brain isn't in "think mode."

What are the main things that you need (materials lists, drawings, etc)? Do you use software? Things like that.

I start with an Idea.
Then I start sourcing Materials.
I have never used Software, just what is left of my Brain.

 

[telleutelleme]

Flowchart, or decision loops. Tons of different types, but just something to organize your thoughts, steps. Visio from Microsoft is one I still use.

 

[raito]

I'm like the OPs dad, except I keep it all in my head. Might make a rough sketch sometimes.

 

[Peegoo]

What the heck is e building in there anyway?

It helps to have a workspace and a few tools. I have no more room for anything else...not even a screwdriver.

 

[gabeNC]

I was waiting for the Tom Waits reference. Great song/album.

 

[MAS Tequila]

Plan, what plan?

With me everything is always fluid and seldom in the correct order.

 

[archtop_fjk]

Usually pencil and paper is good enough. I’ve built work benches from 2x4s that way. But I make sure to have a bill of materials with all dimensions before going the Home Depot…

 

[carpenter]

Material and a location. And of course local and state building
codes.

 

[pipthepilot]

I think this is a great question and I see myself in this description

I'm not an engineer of any type. I'm a hobbyist mad scientist though. I like making stuff. I generally have the tools I need for wood, electronics, steel, etc, and I know how to use them at the hobbyist mad scientist level.

I'm definitely a visualist, I need to see my thoughts as images and diagrams to make sense of them. So for me, the first stage is always drawing.

For simple designs like guitars, I use Adobe Illustrator. I start by drafting the design to get shape and basic dimensions before turning the draft into a rendered design.

For example, recently, I've been working out a design for a bass guitar. The draft helps me make sure simple things like the truss rod won't interfere with the neck bolts or pop through the neck profile curve. This process also helps me choose components I'm going to use as I need to draw them to make sure they fit which also means, I'm creating the BoM as I draw.


Then I'll turn the drafting into an illustration to give me a feel of how it will look. I find this process really helps me to visualise how I'm actually going to build it.


For more complicated build projects, I use Fusion 360. For example, I've recently finished this design for a CNC router that I'm building and the complexity required 3d visualisation.



Sometimes, (and I realise this is a little OCD crazy ) but when I'm building something complicated for the first time I'll draw my own IKEA style assembly guide. For example, several year's ago when I built my first Guitar neck from scratch, I created this "How to Guide" below to visualise each step of the neck build.


And finally, there's my spreadsheets. When I research, I list everything I discover in a spreadsheet. I create all my parts lists, lists of tools I'll need, links to suppliers etc. I just can't help myself, I guess I'm a control freak .

 

[Red Ryder]

I just think about it awhile, have a couple beers and the next thing ya know

ya need another shop

 

[StoneH]

Here's another example of visualizing a project with PowerPoint. The black burst is rough, but it still helps. The hardware is snipped off the internet. The wood is a picture of my actual walnut blank. I can put any pickguard on that I want.

 

[jvin248]

.

The amount of planning is incurred by the complexity of the project.

Ice-storm broken tree needed to come down and my old saw wasn't going to be big enough. So I did some shopping because there are more of this same tree in the yard (think of the classic tree-lined long drive photos) so I expect to repeat this in future seasons like I have done one already two years ago. Then I start at the broken limbs to remove them in layers down to the ground. Meanwhile thinking how to rope up the remaining tree top so when the still standing portion comes down it doesn't swipe through the power lines to the whole mile of houses around here.

To full Arts 'n Charts for industrial engineering projects that take years to unfold.

It's often helpful to use a CAD program to design products, such as a guitar you want to build, because you can check the fit of mating parts, appearance, and simulate weight or other calculations like these load and stress analyses.

Because it's all an effort to avoid these kinds of problems.
Tacoma Narrows bridge. "Galloping Gertie".

As for the tree-project .... No idea how these guys managed this, other than good planning.

This one I expect, clever aim but a few things were missed in the planning.
... "Exactly how heavy is that Les Paul?"

.

 

[thesamhill]

Ok I'm not a super speedy poster so I am processing responses but just want to say thanks for all the great thoughts.

I generally have the tools and shop space I need. My problem with complex builds is that my head doesn't always full in the details with perfect accuracy.

For example- I am working on a recumbent drill bike. I just made it on the fly out of random parts. It works in that my daughter rode it for a 10-yard test drive.

However... I got the gears backward on the drill drive. For the pedals, the big gear is at your feet and little is at the wheel. Drills go faster than feet so the gears needed to be reversed, but I didn't process that until I started smelling that "cooked drill" smell. Ack

So now I have to take the drill drive assembly back apart and fix it. PITA and totally avoidable. Dangit

I might end up in a CAD program at some point but I don't want to be planning at a level of precision I can't accomplish in real life. Think Harbor Freight, not machine shop.... this is HOBBYIST mad science, remember plus I gotta play guitar in there too somewhere.

PowerPoint and Excel for most of my projects. I already know how to use both programs, so there is no learning curve.

Oh man that dashboard is sharp. Nice work!

Good call on Excel. I use it a lot for data stuff, so I'm familiar, but I love the flooring layout. Smart-

Are you making those drawings in PP? I'm pretty solid on PP but never did much with the shapes or smart art features. Or are you importing from Photoshop or similar?

Adobe Illustrator

Does this work well for you? I have Adobe CC through work and I've used AI a little bit for some graphics stuff but I never thought about using it for project visualization. I'd be interested to hear how happy you are with AI for this.

The draft helps me make sure simple things like the truss rod won't interfere with the neck bolts or pop through the neck profile curve.

Oh yeah, I think we're on the same page here. This is the kind of thing that happens- see above drill bike issue. I can't visualize the project in my head with enough accuracy to ensure the details are all ironed out.

I'll turn the drafting into an illustration to give me a feel of how it will look

That's awesome. Is that where AI is useful?

I'll draw my own IKEA style assembly guide.

That is glorious. Seriously my heart kind of skipped a beat there. I would love to be able to do that.

And the thing is, it sort of seems like overkill if you just look at it from there outside but... no way. I bet I spend as much time sitting and visualizing in my head as it would take to create that Ikea guide... Except the Ikea guide lets you make progress on days when your brain is not cooperating and you just want to have some specific steps to accomplish without having to "boot up" the whole project in your cranial visualizer.