Drawn to a Bargain

[Tin Falcon]

Today I visited a rather large thrift store I pass by on occasion. On the way out I spotted one of these.

an Alvin brand portable drafting board with built in parallel.
23 x 31 .
It followed me home (after I paid the adoption fee)
something about paper and pencil . I do like computer parametric stuff but I learned to draw on a real drawing board. with triangles and scales.

Tin

 

[trumpy81]

Tin, that is a very nice looking draughting table. I wish I could have found something like that a few years ago. I'm now converted to parametric drawing, but I used to draw by hand once upon a time. I reckon it's often quicker to do it manually and just as accurate too.

There's something about the old skills that still appeals in my mind.

 

[thayer]

A very nice find indeed. Coincidentally (or is it "ironically"?), my drafting table is sitting under my laptop as I type this. I have a Mayline rule for it but have never installed it. Maybe it is time...

 

[Tin Falcon]

my drafting table is sitting under my laptop

I know the feeling these days my laptop sits on the dining room table . but if I am in the shop with it is is on the may-line drafting table.
Unfortunately most surfaces in my house and shop become shelves.I am hoping a portable board will not get too cluttered.
Tin

 

[gus]

I am still struggling with TurboCad---- the poor man's CAD with my faithful Staedtler mini drafting board which is by now 22 year old as backup.Recall my days drafting major air compressor layout plans with Ingersoll-Rand as a rooky engineer fresh from Technical College.
Please advise alternative to TurbCad as I found it not user friendly. Suspect it was not properly installed.

 

[Propforward]

Well, I learned drafting on the table with ink and square. In my opinion it's an important way to learn drafting, as you get a real feel for spacial interaction. However, I am MUCH quicker and far more accurate with CAD.

However, the ability to quick sketch something when in the shop is very useful. That portable board is a great idea. Got me thinking, it has. Often times I just use a white board in the shop - but I can see a real use for that.

May have to install CAD on the shop computer too. Thinking about it - don't know why I haven't done that yet.

 

[Tin Falcon]

Gus I use and like Alibre CAd. IIRC the hobby version is like $ 200 . I pay $99 a year to keep mine updated and for support. Once you learn the basics it is easy but a simple mistake can lock thinks up. if you do not know what to look for.
once you learn the pitfalls learn how to fix and edit out mistakes it is fantastic.
one you learn 3-d computer drawing you will not want to mess with 2d .

draft-sight is a free 2-d program
there have been lots of discussion on drawing programs here. Do a search. I will help you if needed.
BTW nice drawing board.
Tin

 

[Tin Falcon]

I do understand this drawing board is OLD technology.
But then again is my 1937 south bend lathe.

And I think there is something to be said for learning a bit of freehand drawing manual drafting and manual machining before diving into the modern computerized everything. I have nothing against modern methods. I have aliibre cad and have built a couple of cnc machines.
so this is a hobby it is all good. and i figured at least a few would appreciate the thrift store find.

OK sorry for the defensive tone. I should have realy read props post throughout before posting this.
I could have deleted this but like I said a hobby all good and I am human .

Tin

 

[aonemarine]

Gus, I have turbo cad and alibre cad. I hate the turbo cad!! Alibre is easy to use and learn and inexpensive. I love alibre. Nuf said.

 

[johnmcc69]

Those are some nice boards you fellas have.
Theres alott to be said about drawing on a
board, it certainly puts your math skills
to work. I use CAD just about everyday, but
when I'm offsite, it's pencil & paper. I have a
Notebook handy all the time to sketch any
crazy idea that comes to mind. I'm also
Thinking about digging out some old "LEGO"
Sets I had growing up to try some geartrain
& linkage ideas I've thought of. So...whatever
Works for you.

I bought a bunch of old tools from a retired
Toolmaker years ago & it had an old drafting
kit in it, probably 60 years old, I guess it's
Time to find a board to give 'em a home.

John

 

[Brian Rupnow]

I worked on a board for 33 years, and I loved it. Great big bugger of a board, 60" long x 48"tall. All on a self balancing mechanism, with Keuffel and Esser parallel track drafting machine. Our standard drawing paper was "E" size, 36" long x 24" tall. then I was forced to jump into computer world on perhaps the worst version of Autocad ever released---Autocad 13, which was their first version without the special pallette. i thought I would hate it, but it wasn't that fifficult---I just found it terribly hard on my eyes. Far too much clicking and picking to create all the different views. Then a few years later I made the giant leap to 3D Solidworks, which is just horribly, outrageously expensive, but since it was my company software and I owned the company, I was able to write a very high percentage of the cost off at tax time. It has a steep learning curve, but its wonderful!!! By inputting the math data as the solid models and assemblies are made, you don't have to do any 'drawing" per se.--The drawing views are all created automatically. There is even an automatic dimensioning capability, but no one uses it because the dimensions appear in weird, unusable places on the drawing. However, all you have to do is use the dimensioning tool, click the two surfaces you want dimensions between, and the computer will pull the math data fron the created drawing and pop the correct dimension in for you.--And if later, you decide to change some dimension in the model you created, the detail drawing and dimension will update automatically.---Great Stuff.

 

[Tin Falcon]

The mechanism on this board is pretty simple a couple of slides four pulleys some coated cable and a spring .
this a backside view

somthing that could be made . but for the price I paid for this one not worth the time or material to make one.
Tin

 

[gus]

Hi Brian,
Gus too slaved on the manual Tee Square drawing board and working O/T to get air compressor layouts out on time for site meetings.Later we bought those fancy drawing boards.In a way I dread it but now recalling those days I have happy memories.
The company was small and the Aussie Boss treated us fresh grads well and we slugged it out and grew to be a big company.The core team later rose to be senior managers and one to be M.D.Too bad went up the ladder too fast and Gus missed out CAD. New year Resolution---
pick up brush up TurboCad.

 

[Tin Falcon]

Gus: go to http://www.alibre.com/ click on the free trail tab on the top of the page. IIRC the hobby level is $200 now but if you are patent you may be able to get a $99 dollar deal.
Lots of folks here use it. so help is available.
Tin