There’s a reason why there are over a quarter of a million woodworking jobs in the United States. Whether you’re an amateur hobbyist or a woodworking business owner, making something functional with your own hands is incredibly satisfying. Unfortunately, there are some drawbacks to woodworking.
One of the biggest ones is the limitations of paper for woodworking designs. However, fear not. The rise of woodworking design software has caused a revolution in the woodworking community. Don’t believe us? In this article, we’ll be exploring some of the many benefits that come with woodworking design software. Let’s get started!
Six Benefits That Woodworking Design Software Provides
Once you get into more complicated woodworking projects a design plan becomes essential to staying organized. Since they’re necessary, then why not optimize the way they work with woodworking design software? In this section, we’ll discuss some of the benefits that come with making the switch from physical to digital woodworking designs.
1. Woodworking Design Software Saves Time
Drawing all of your woodworking designs out by hand can take a lot of time. What’s more, by the end of the process your hands will likely be sore from gripping the pencil for so long.
The worst part is that this hard work doesn’t even really pay off. For all your work, hand-making your designs will still result in a fairly rudimentary design. Woodworking design software, on the other hand, allows you to produce designs much more quickly.
More importantly, the designs are incredibly realistic. This allows your clients to get a more clear image of what the final product will be. So, not only do you get a better final product, but it takes less time too.
2. Woodworking Design Software Save Money
Before there was woodworking design software every designer used simple pencil and paper. Unfortunately, simple mistakes can lead to a lot of mistakes that require you to start over. As we mentioned, this can cost you valuable time.
And, as any business owner knows, time is always money. However, as we can see, a lack of design software also cuts into your supplies. As such, these types of programs can save you some serious bucks in the long run. If you want, then you can reinvest this money back into your business.
3. Woodworking Design Software Is Better For the Environment
Remember all the crumpled pieces of paper from the last section? It turns out those aren’t just bad for your business’s bottom line — they’re also bad for the planet. This doesn’t just apply to wasted scraps of paper. It also applies to wasted woodworking material. If your design isn’t; 100% correct, then you will make mistakes.
This means that you will need to start from scratch. Even doing this once wastes valuable and expensive resources. As such, investing in woodworking design software is much more ideal for a greener planet.
4. Woodworking Design Software Can Improve Your Business
If you use it right, then woodworking design software can also improve the sales of your business. One way it can do this is by giving customers a detailed 3D model to look at before you build it. Some programs can even provide a realistic rendering of what the final product will look like.
This helps ensure that the product is exactly what the customer wants. And, as we all know, a happy customer is likely to spread business through word of mouth. By sharing your business with their friends, family, and neighbors you can see a noticeable increase in sales.
5. Woodworking Design Software Makes Complicated Projects Easier
Certain types of woodworking projects require a lot more thought and work than others. One example of this is kitchen cabinets and other types of ornate furniture. Not only do these pieces need to be functional, but they also need to be attractive enough to fit into the home.
Woodworking design software is much better for dealing with these complicated projects than paper and pencil. The biggest benefit is that you make major changes according to the customer’s wishes without messing up the overall design. It also makes it much easier to follow steps simply and logically.
6. Woodworking Design Software Is Very User-Friendly
Unfortunately, this benefit does not apply to all woodworking design software out there. However, there are a variety of incredibly user-friendly programs. This is ideal if you want to take advantage of the benefits of design software, but are nervous you won’t be able to pick it up easily.
Most of the time you don’t even need to use a manual with these types of programs. And, if you do need help, then there are tons of tutorials online available. So, there’s no shortage of resources for learning.
What’s a Good Woodworking Design Software?
There is a variety of great woodworking design software out there. All of these generally cater to the professional community at a different price range. However, some of these programs are much more complicated than others.
As such, if you aren’t confident in your digital designing capabilities, then we recommend that you get a woodworking design software that’s easy to use. So, what types fall under this category?
We think SketchList 3D is a great option for this specific purpose. However, we still recommend doing your research so you know which software is the best fit for your specific needs.
Want More Content? Keep Reading
We hope this article helped convince you to give woodworking design software a chance. As you can see, there are lots of benefits that come with making the change. Just make sure that you choose a software program that fits your budget and tech skill level.
Then, get out there and start designing your next woodworking project today! Did you enjoy this article? If the answer is yes, then you’re in the right place. Keep exploring to find more topics that you’re sure to love.