For Sketchup users - how do you do the grinds?

[averageiowaguy]

Hello,
I've recently started doing some 3D modeling of knives using sketchup. For some unknown reason, I cannot seem to make the bevels on the blades. I can make a square blade with bevels, but when I try to do bevels on a curved blade or cut a curve into an already beveled blank it won't let me. Are you using a plugin or am I fundamentally missing something within sketchup itself?
Thanks!
AIG

 

[P.Brewster]

I am not a sketchup user but the following link might help. Generally speaking, in 3D CAD there are two ways to make a bevel:
1. Use a dedicated edge chamfer tool (if applicable).
2. Use a 'sweep' tool that pulls a 2D curve along a 'path' (the path being another curve, edge, etc). This can get tricky because you need to 'subtract' the resulting solid/surface from your starting solid.

It looks like Sketchup calls their sweep tool "follow me." It also looks like a lot of people have difficulty with bevels on curved edges in Sketchup.
http://sketchupdate.blogspot.com/2011/10/right-way-to-use-follow-me.html

 

[aarongough]

As Patrick said, the sweep tool is probably the best way of doing this...

I used Sketchup for along time and in the end I ditched it because it was slow and fussy to model things. If anything needed changes down the line it was near impossible to nicely change a single feature, you'd end up remaking whole parts of the model.

If you're going to sink the time into learning CAD it might be best to spend the time on a system that's more suited for industrial design. I use Fusion 360 now (after using Solidworks for quite a while) and it's a really nice program. Meshes very well with the way I think. They have a free trial, and an offer where you can get a year free. It's $30 a month regular price... Well worth it if you're going to be doing CAD on a regular basis.

For what it's worth I still do my basic design on paper, the ideas just flow better that way. Then once I have something I think will work I scan it and then build a model based on the drawing, then tweak from there.

Here you can see one of my CAD models, bevels included:

I have used Fusion to make a number of fairly complex parts including my handle scales:

 

[averageiowaguy]

Thanks for the replies! I'm still learning. Hopefully I will get it figured out. I do all of my stuff on paper at first. I'm learning sketchup because at some point I will do a folder and I'm helping with a project for another knife company.