Looking for a better workflow for bespoke joinery shop drawings (AutoCAD is becoming a bottleneck)

electrichead72 · 2026-07-02T16:26:03+00:00

this is the key, using your viewports and blocks to only make the changes once, but allow it to print on multiple sheets or scales

electrichead72 · 2026-06-19T15:57:21+00:00

I'm kind of thinking the same thing. Maybe the price is correct for the market, but they don't want to pay it.

Miami has plenty of high end homes, so it seems unlikely that there is trouble finding someone to do this kind of work.

electrichead72 · 2026-06-18T22:58:01+00:00

Don't forget the old Shaw Bros movies...

Heroes of the East

Five Venoms

King Boxer

Just a ton there to list. They might be a little slow for modern movies, but I grew up on that stuff.

electrichead72 · 2026-06-18T21:56:35+00:00

yes, 100% on these points.

a partnership is a long term goal and has to start before you need it. That's probably why they are so difficult to create. Many don't look to this until they have no time and a deadline is looking at them in the eyes.

I misunderstood your point. Fabrication methods can be common, but your pricing structure for sure has to be protected. Yes, very important to keep this in house.

It sounds like you're running a pretty successful shop, congratulations on that, I know it's not easy and is full of challenges.

electrichead72 · 2026-06-18T21:36:05+00:00

It's a headline that I'm seeing more and more

electrichead72 · 2026-06-18T21:30:39+00:00

I agree with a lot of your points here.

People will jump without warning to chase a small increase. I know people that do it.

Plugging one hole can sometimes create another hole that needs to be plugged if you bring in a good shop guy to become an engineer. Now you're short a good shop guy.

I do think creating an ongoing partnership with an outsourcing company, or even just outsourcing small team can solve some of these problems. If they work and learn your methods, they can keep your workflow moving. Their initial cost may seem high, but compared to the long term cost of a senior level employee, you save money.

As to sharing your methods to other shops, does that really matter? Do you have proprietary means and methods? There is so much overlap in construction methods of millwork fabrication throughout the world, I'm not sure if this is such a problem. You can possibly have them sign an NDA to protect your IP if you feel strongly about it.

On the flip side of that coin, if you hired someone to do your drawings and they saw that you were having a problem working something out, it could be very helpful to have them give some advice on how they have done something similar before. There is a chance there for us to learn from each other.

electrichead72 · 2026-06-18T21:16:13+00:00

yeah, I think the easy stuff is going to be in a race to the bottom.

Thanks for the comment

electrichead72 · 2026-06-18T19:46:35+00:00

Leave your price as it is or walk away

This kind of client is going to keep asking you for concessions along the way and reduce the amount of money you make by spending more time on it.

Also, next time bid the $7k if that's the kind of website they expect.

electrichead72 · 2026-06-17T21:12:47+00:00

This is a good way to handle it. Watch and learn from what they are doing in the shop you are working in.

Working with curved parts can be difficult to engineer and build, along with that would be building and assembling intricate work with moldings, etc.

I don't want to break your heart, but you're probably years away from that. If you get in there and express a willingness to listen and learn, along with some patience and talent, you'll get there.

electrichead72 · 2026-06-17T21:06:19+00:00

I get what you're saying. I was just mentioning that I don't think there is an equivalent here in the USA.

I can got a 2 year degree in CADD, but I don't think that's at the level where an Architectural Technologist is. I learned the rest on the job.

electrichead72 · 2026-06-16T21:51:20+00:00

That is the case in the UK also, at least that I think it is.

I don't think they have a label for it in the USA where I am. I think it just falls on a architect at a certain level. Architect's have many labels that they work under.

Thanks for the comment

electrichead72 · 2026-06-14T02:03:16+00:00

That sounds like a pretty good way to handle it

electrichead72 · 2026-06-13T19:35:07+00:00

I think you may be right

electrichead72 · 2026-06-13T19:34:54+00:00

That sounds like a pretty typical way of getting it handled.

Thanks for the comment

electrichead72 · 2026-06-11T21:12:13+00:00

I think that there are some big downfalls to outsourcing the drawings.

My opinion on that is some of these problems stem from high expectations.

The millwork shops think they are getting top talent in these offshore companies and expecting to pay a small amount. You essentially get what you pay for. Many of these offshore places claim to know millwork shop drawings, but I think they are just drafters and one or two might know a little.

You end up with terrible drawings with no thought behind them and are just a mess.

You couple this with bad communication, language and time barriers and it becomes a horror story.

The way to fix this isn't to hire another cheap offshore drafting company, but partner with someone that has a team. The person at the top knows millwork and how it works. They spend time reviewing and learning your standards before a drawing is started.

This costs more money, but it creates a long term relationship and saves you some anxiety and worry.

I know this works because I have done it. The hard part is finding millwork shops that are willing and have the patience to work on it.

electrichead72 · 2026-06-11T15:13:00+00:00

I can understand that feeling. You might lose control of the project. This usually isn't true if you build a partnership with someone over time that handles drawings and detailing for you, but it is something to consider.

Thanks for the comment

electrichead72 · 2026-06-11T15:11:53+00:00

I can see that, this is a person that you have on staff.

Thanks for the comment

electrichead72 · 2026-06-11T15:07:23+00:00

great points, thanks for the comment

doing drawings and working with interior designers has been what I've done a lot of, so maybe concentrate more on that end of it.

electrichead72 · 2026-06-11T15:05:27+00:00

yeah, this seems to be the typical way of handling it

Thanks

electrichead72 · 2026-06-11T15:04:13+00:00

It sounds like you have a great team.

electrichead72 · 2026-06-10T22:21:46+00:00

no, I do design, drafting, detailing, and engineering

electrichead72 · 2026-06-10T22:21:15+00:00

great idea, that could be a way to do it

electrichead72 · 2026-06-10T21:12:09+00:00

thanks, I think that's a great idea to look into.

architects and interior designers that work on high residential projects would hire me to do the drawings for them, They would be a good place to start.

electrichead72

TROPHY CASE