Woodwork Institute

[Scott Davis]

Our office just received the latest edition of the Woodwork Institute's Manual of Millwork. This publication used to be the Woodwork Institute of California, but now that has expaned to Arizona, Oregon, and Nevada. This company regulates standards for millwork, and in California we are required to follow these standards when designing/building public schools.

They have a great system established for casework where each different component is defined as a Type. For instance, 100 series cabinets are base cabinets without drawers. A 100 cabinet is a simple Open front cabinet with a shelf. A 101 is a cabinet with a single door and a shelf, and so on. So in the past we could simply draw a box in plan, tag it with a 155, and the cabinet maker knew that was an ADA Sink cabinet without a base.

Now for the best part: The new catalog states that ALL of the casework in the manual is now available as Revit Families! This is huge! The catalog has every kind of cabinet available. Although these specifically apply to standards established for these 4 states, I'm sure that everyone will benefit from this huge library of cabinets.

Well, the library is supposed to be available online, but I just called and is 'not quite ready yet.' It should be up in about 6 to 8 weeks, and also should be available on CD. The website is http://www.woodworkinstitute.com/home.asp

[Steve_Stafford]

Very cool info, I just passed it along in our office even though we're a little farther away..

[Scott Davis]

This "standard" is beginning to spread. It was California only for years, now its starting to become standard in a few other states. Maybe it will become a national standard eventually. New York, well it might take a while to spread that far east.....

here's a direct link to a PDF version of the manual, so you all can see how complete it is:
(the supplemental sections with the casework sections are not included yet.)

http://www.woodworkinstitute.com/2003manual.asp

[Steve_Stafford]

Actually we normally "wait" till you all in Caleeforneeyah come up with cool legislation and then we run around screamin-n-hollerin how great this cool new law in Caleeforneeyah is and how we'd be cahwayzee not to get in on it...so we pass it next...then the rest of the country looks at us like we're these great big loons...until the fever catches in their states. Next thing you know we're all driving 55....(some literary license involved in this here diatribe...hysterical accuracy is NOT assured)

overanout

[Dennis McNeal]

Hey Scott,

Why would architects get behind the new Woodwork Institute (other than free families)? Architectural Woodwork Institute has been around many years & is considered the industry standard.

Just curious,
Dennis

[Scott Davis]

Reading in the latest manual, the first Manual of Millwork was created in 1953. This particular manual has been around for some time. I don't know how much of it dove-tails with the Architectural Woodwork Institute. (do they have a web site?)

In California, public schools have followed the WIC (Woodwork Institute of California) standard for years. Now it has been adopted in 3 other states. We have used it just because of the nature of our work.

I'm curious to hear more about the Architectural Woodwork Institute, which I'm not so familiar with.

[bclarch]

(do they have a web site?)

www.awinet.org

AWI is a membership organization of manufacturers. woodworkers and allied trades. They publish quality standards that members are supposed to adhere to and construction standards which are often referenced by architects in their specs. They are a good source of information. Their publications are available for purchase by anyone but they are priced attractively for members but not as attractively for nonmembers. Can't really fault them for that I guess. You can check out their website for more detailed info.

The AWI's focus seems to be on broad scope standards and information, not on specific cabinet styles and types. I would not expect to see Revit families from them but they are still a good resource.

[Charlie]

The difference is WIC (formerly) supplies there standards free of charge to design professionals and AWI charges non-members a hefty fee. The Woodwork Intitute is more customer friendly. And it doesn't surprise me they are providing Revit families.

As someone who writes specs through out the country, you learn quickly that WIC pretty much rules in California, public and private.

[Scott Davis]

As someone who writes specs through out the country, you learn quickly that WIC pretty much rules in California, public and private.

and most likely why I was unaware of the AWI!

[Charlie]

I just went to the website and the families are there now! They seem to be pretty well constructed. I tried a sampling from several categories and each worked. So I can't say they are all there, but it seems like they are.

[bclarch]

Sounds like it would be useful to have these families on the RUGI and/or AUGI sites. Perhaps Jim Balding could contact them and see if they wouldn't mind allowing copies to be posted on these sites or at the very least a link. (I'm always willing to find work for others to do. Sorry Jim. :) )

[Charlie]

http://www.wicnet.org/manual_images.asp

Here's the link. Should have put it in my last response.

[czoog]

I just went to the website and the families are there now! They seem to be pretty well constructed. I tried a sampling from several categories and each worked. So I can't say they are all there, but it seems like they are.

got a link? I can't seem to find any families :(

[Scott Davis]

Look up :roll:

[Scott Davis]

Man, we must be bombarding their site downloading families.....it is sooooo slow!

[Scott Davis]

Sounds like it would be useful to have these families on the RUGI and/or AUGI sites. Perhaps Jim Balding could contact them and see if they wouldn't mind allowing copies to be posted on these sites or at the very least a link. (I'm always willing to find work for others to do. Sorry Jim. :) )

It's better to post links to these families. Let the author of the families be responsible for making any changes or updating if necessary. If we copy them to AUGI, then we may end up with an outdated/incorrect version if something changes.

[Scott Hopkins]

Nice Families! There are very well made, but could use a few more parametrics. For example the upper drawers on the base cabinets could have height parameters.

Does anyone know who made them?

[ajholland]

I tracked the web address listed in the content. Contacted the author(s) and received this response:

If there is any other Revit content you would find useful, please let us
know.

Bruce Madsen
AECcontent
a division of
Corlett, Skaer & DeVoto, Architects
www.AECcontent.com
415 693 9800

Sort of an open invitation :wink:

-AJH

[ajholland]

Hold off on those non-essential downloads! :shock:

Here's further info from Bruce:

I just checked the Woodwork Institute (WI) website and the data they are providing. It appears they are still using an earlier version of our data set. Most of the Revit families work fine, but we made some improvements that were incorporated later.

We will notify WI of the problem and ask them to update their website with the most recent data set.

To be sure you have the best Revit families to use in your projects, we recommend you check back at the Woodwork Institute website at the end of the month. They should have the most recent files uploaded by then.

Bruce Madsen

Maybe someone at WIC pulled the trigger too soon. This fits Scott's original info regarding the files.

A. Jay Holland
Almost Advanced User! :wink:

[Scott Davis]

Hopefully, the updated content offers Instance Parameters. All of the WIC families I downloaded today offer only Type Parameters. If I want a 100 series base cabinet 4' wide, then they are all 4' wide, unless I create a new type. We need some instance parameters to control h x w x d.

Other than that, it is a great resource for casework. Someone took some time in modeling all of these components, especially since our office uses these as a standard!

[Scott Davis]

Here's a screen shot from the 400 series of WIC cabinets, to give you a sense of what you are getting. There are 249 total new families for cabinets!

[Charlie]

Once these are updated they would make good examples to use for approaching manufacturer's with.

It would show them what they would have to do to provide families of there products. I'd love to see the name brand cabinet manufacturer's do the same thing.

[PeterJ]

The www.aeccontent.com link doesn't appear to go anywhere and there is no link from the CSD site.

I would be intrigued to know what they have to say for themselves.

P

[Allen Lacy]

Scott,
Is there something in the Manual of Woodwork that describes the each cabinet within a series, i.e., a100 cabinet is a simple Open front cabinet with a shelf, a 101 is a cabinet with a single door and a shelf, etc.?

[4christo4]

I've been following this post, very intrigued and I'm in the midst of a casework blitz on a project right now. So, visited the site and didn't find any families. Have they been removed already? Can someone steer me in the right direction?

Grazie!

Christopher

[ajholland]

I got it from Charlie:

http://www.wicnet.org/manual_images.asp

Try this link. If it doen't work go to www.wicnet.org, pick Services>Manual of Millwork>Manual of Millwork Cabinet Series Drawings.

-AJH

[Scott Davis]

Scott,
Is there something in the Manual of Woodwork that describes the each cabinet within a series, i.e., a100 cabinet is a simple Open front cabinet with a shelf, a 101 is a cabinet with a single door and a shelf, etc.?

Yes, In the printed manual, there are two "Supplemental Sections" (which I hope they post as PDF's on their site). Section S-1 is Casework Construction Details, which explains every connection/joint possible in cabinets. S-2 is called Design Series Elevations. This section has a 3D Iso view of every cabinet of each series. Some have a description, while others are self-explainatory. I would scan a page and attach it if I knew I wasn't violating any copyrights. This manual is very important, because typically if I need something, I look there first for the appropriate number. Then I could very easily change to the right cabinet in Revit with a quick change of the Component pull-down Menu.

[bmadsen]

The www.aeccontent.com link doesn't appear to go anywhere and there is no link from the CSD site.

I would be intrigued to know what they have to say for themselves.

P

Our network administrator is upgrading our network this week and next, so there may per periodic outages :oops: , but here are the links to the people who made the casework families, AECcontent:
www.AECcontent.com
which is a Division of Corlett, Skaer & DeVoto, Architects
www.CSDArchitects.com

[bmadsen]

GOOD NEWS!
The Woodwork Institute told me today that they will have the revised Revit families loaded to their website by July 15. Also by that time, they will have PDF files showing isometric drawings of each of the cabinet designs, with links back to the download page.

CLARIFICATION
The casework families do not have instance perameters so that casework schedules can be either instance-based or type-based.

[Dennis McNeal]

Here's the scoop on AWI.

When I was a young pup, I started drafting woodwork here on the east coast and AWI was the standard. I guess the nice thing about standards is there are so many of them :-)

Dennis

[Gerald]

I just wanted to clarify the relationship between WI (Formally WIC) and AWI. In terms of the WI Casework Design Series, AWI follows the WI Standard. In fact in the latest release of the AWI Manual they point to the Revit Content on WI's website. This is also true for the Canadian Workworking Institute.

Thus in terms of the Casework Design Series there is not a conflicting standard of significance here in North America. WI is the standard and anyone designing or bidding work can have complete confidence in its acceptance.

[Dennis McNeal]

Thanks Gerald!

[bmadsen]

Just to add to the details, the Canadian group is AWMAC, or Architectural Woodwork Manufacturers Association of Canada.

As Gerald said, the casework families from the Woodwork Institute are good for all of North America (except for Mexico).

[Scott Davis]

GOOD NEWS!
The Woodwork Institute told me today that they will have the revised Revit families loaded to their website by July 15. Also by that time, they will have PDF files showing isometric drawings of each of the cabinet designs, with links back to the download page.

Any update to the revised families? Went to the website to check on getting the latest, and the links to the Revit families are gone! Must not be updated yet.....

[bmadsen]

Any update to the revised families? Went to the website to check on getting the latest, and the links to the Revit families are gone! Must not be updated yet.....

They are all updated, and on the website on Tuesday last and also today at 2:30 PDT (USA)

Try this link: :idea:
http://www.wicnet.org/manual_images_series.asp?series=100

[Scott Davis]

In my browser, I have no link to the Revit files, as a series. See screen capture:

http://www.zoogdesign.com/forums/phpBB2/download.php?id=299

I have links to the DWG and DXF, but no RFA's. :?: :?: :?:

[JamesVan]

On the bottom of the page there are combo boxes with each RFA file listed and available for download. I guess they haven't created the ZIPs just yet... :cry:

[Scott Davis]

Yeah, I want 'em all! I guess I could download some individually for now, but thats really a waste when I will need to have all of them in my library. Hope they create the packages soon. I wouldn't even mind a ZIP of all series, organized into folders.

[mlgatzke]

I contacted them via email and asked them when they thought the "series" families would be ready - because they weren't showing on the site. They checked and found that the families had already been created, but the software they use to post to the site wasn't working correctly for them. They've now remedied the situation and the "series" families are now available - I've downloaded them already.