PencilCADSketching woodworking plans on iPad
Most furniture starts as a sketch with sizes scribbled on it. On iPad that sketch sits on proper isometric paper, keeps a page for every part, and doesn’t end up under a pile of offcuts.
Start with the overall sizes
Fix width, depth and height first, from the space the piece goes in or what it holds. Sketch a plain box on isometric paper and dimension those three.
Break it into parts
Letter each part and give it a page with its finished size and grain. Draw to the real thickness: plywood sold as ¾ inch is often 23⁄32, so measure a board.
Detail the joints on their own pages
Draw each joint large on its own page, with the width and depth of every cut. Measure from a reference face, the one that goes against the fence.
Make a cut list before you cut
List each part’s letter, count and finished size, then lay the parts out on square grid paper. Leave room for the kerf, and place parts whose grain matters first.
Sketch first, then model if you want to
The sketch settles proportions and joinery before SketchUp, Fusion or Shapr3D, and is often the whole plan. For a router, see sketch to G-code for a CNC router on iPad.
Woodworking sketches in PencilCAD
Choose Isometric paper in More and CAD on the toolset chip beside the page count (or in Settings → Tools); tap the units chip at the top right to pick inches or feet and inches, down to 1/32. Pages save as you draw, More shares one as a PDF that prints at a true scale, and your iPhone opens it at the lumber yard.