Do you know of any online drafting program? (in Off-topic)

I'm looking at building a raised garden bed when it warms up, and I don't feel like doodling a schematic on paper.

Do you guys know of a simple autodrafting site that won't require downloading software?

Hmm. I never heard of Google SketchUp before.
http://sketchup.google.com/product/gsu.html

Here's a youtube tutorial if anyone's interested:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCqr3ZJ8Igc

To anyone who cares, this is the garden box I'm going to build. I did the mock-up with Google's SketchUp, which was surprisingly easy to learn (after watching the tutorials). If any of you do weekend projects or just want to play with 3D modeling, it's worth checking out

That is pretty cool! Google is good at making things simple. I like simple plain things.

Looks great! Just the right amount of fancy for me :) If I may suggest, depending on where it will be put, rounding the top corners a bit could be a good idea.

You must use Mac.

can you make my kitchen or entire appartment? :p

Been there, done that... to my own home, at least. That was thanks to the easy to use "Punch! Home Design Pro" and bittorrent. It even printed out scaled sheets to make a model of the home. ;)

And as for rounding the corners, I thought about it. It's as easy as running a router over the edges, but it just didn't look right when I mocked it up. And I didn't say it earlier, but this garden bed is 10 feet long.

I designed a model of my apartment complex on Google Sketch-Up a while back. Great program

Fex,
If you've done all that, you may want to check out a program called Kerkythea. It's free, and it renders SketchUp into high quality. I've never touched it (as I'm just learning that these things exist), but the learning curve may be steep.

Thanks Demi, I will be checking this out later after supper tonight.

btw have you thought about the materials you plan on using? i would recommend cedar or hemlock. it realyl comes down to your budget and how long you want this piece to exist. both materials are great at resisting rotting from moisture. although they can be hard to come by without paying alot fo money. around here i woudlnt go to home depot, youll pay through the nose, but if you can take the time to go to a mill youll save and you can get ti cut to what ever dimensions you wish. at that point itll be rough but they might have a planner to round the edges and give it a smoother finish for a cost.

I actually intend to use pressure-treated wood, which should be more rot-resistant than redwood. I'll use a higher grade quality for the lip pieces so I can actually buy those smooth. (I don't fear chemicals leaching to plants, but I don't like sanding pressure-treated wood).

If I have enough cherry stain left in the garage, I'll just use that. Otherwise, I'm not sure which color I want. As for Home Depot, I already used them to create price points (online pricing).

Ignoring stain/woodglue, here's the breakdown:

Ball Top Posts = $3 x 4 = $12
2ﾔx6ﾔx10ﾒ = $8 x 6 = $48
1ﾔxﾔ4ﾔx10ﾒ = $4 x 3 = $12
4ﾔ x 4ﾔ Posts = $6 x 1 = $6
3ﾔ Wood Screws = $8 x 1 = $8
------------------------------------
Subtotal = $86
Est. Taxes = $7
------------------------------------
Total = $93

The garbled trash is just wood sizing.

well lining it out in that plastic screening is a must. Pressure treated lumber only retains the chemicals for a short period of time, I think around 6 months or so and even then you'll only be able to seal the outside.

Have you ever heard of hardi siding? They make hardi planks from as small as 4in. up to 12in. Its cement board and lasts a long time.