Brackets Tutorial 2a: Reverse-Engineering a Bracket in Solidworks

Link to: Bracketage Main Page

Solidworks basic tutorial by Jim Bredt 20240606

This tutorial assumes basic experience with Solidworks. If you are unsure how to use the basic tools in Solidworks, then step through the From Zero tutorial

In this tutorial we will create a Solidworks design for an existing steel bracket. It is a corner brace from a modular(80/20) metal frame.

In the following section (Tutorial 2b) we will export the Solidworks data to a CNC plasma cutter and fabricate a duplicate.

When you load Solidworks you will see a dialog box like the one below.

Select "Part" to create a new design for a part.

Select "Extruded Boss/Base" in the "Features" tab. Select a plane to sketch on.

Change the drawing units to inches. Click on the () gear icon in the upper left corner of the window. Select the "Document Properties" tab. Make sure the units are set to "IPS" (Inches-Pounds_Seconds). The reason for this is we will be creating data for the Torchmate CNC plasma cutter, and that machine operates in inch units.