To enter a formula for the dimensions we click the blue circle. We create a new file for each individual board. This Macro can be installed over the Addon Manager of FreeCAD.Īfter having saved the file with the spreadsheet under the filename Master comes the part that is quite cumbersome. We use the Alias Manager Macro to create aliases for these numbers so that we can refer to them by name later. For the box these are the material thickness, as well as the inner width, length and height. The first step is to create this spreadsheet with all the dimensions.

In the same way we could also change the material thickness and create tiny boxes as well as large storage containers. We only have to change the parameter in a spreadsheet and the box becomes square. The big advantage of FreeCAD is that it is fully parametric and you can change dimensions after finishing the design. For a more detailed comparison of different software solutions tale a look at our CAD for makers article.Īs an example we use this Japanese Toolbox design we use in a variety of sizes. A lot of the details are clearly more oriented towards products that have few but rather complex parts – not so much a woodworking project that mainly consists out of simple boards. The article contains quite a few fixes and workarounds that make the work with FreeCAD easier and more comfortable.įreeCAD is an open source software that is mainly geared towards mechanical engineers. In this article we give an overview on how we design woodworking projects in FreeCAD.

Freecad mac