There is so much to learn and know about good design. But pencils and paper and rulers and compasses are still viable tools in my world. For now, as you learn woodworking and seek to enhance your skills in that world, I would forego the additional learning curve of software mastery. My personal experience, though, is this: unless you are going to do a lot of drafting via software, you’ll spend hours trying to figure out how to manipulate the programs and neglect the design essentials. I’m also a tech guy and I use computers a lot. Tim Inman: I’m an old guy and I love to use drafting tools and paper. It is not a new book, but as a primer for designing kitchen cabinetry, it is very good. There you can find dimensions and advice. I found a couple of websites that have some reasonable dimensions for kitchen cabinetry, but I would personally recommend getting a book by Danny Proulx: Build Your Own Kitchen Cabinets. Also, there are free online libraries where you can grab other people’s drawings of hinges, doors, drawer slide hardware and so forth, and use them in your own designs.

On the flip side, your learning curve for SketchUp could be offset by the rich amount of instructional material available. I think there are some dedicated kitchen design software programs, but I’ve heard that they are pretty limiting (and, in truth, I have not used them). Rob Johnstone: While I am not an expert on design software, I think SketchUp is likely your best bet. Any suggestions for any Mac (Apple) programs? Also, is there a list on a website of the dimensions for all the parts (cuts) for standard-size cabinets? – Dennis Sullivan I’ve looked into SketchUp, but it seems to have a steep learning curve. Is there a software program that will help me with this? Currently I’m drawing my designs to scale on drafting paper, then figuring out a cutting list.

I’m fairly new to woodworking and enjoying making and designing cabinetry.

Best kitchen design software for mac