TECHNICAL DRAWING TOOLS

Technical drawing tools are the tools used for technical drawing, including pens and rulers.
Drawing tools may be used for measurement and layout of drawings, or to improve the
consistency and speed of creation of standard drawing elements. Many of the tools used for
manual technical drawing are obsolete, where computer-aided drawing has become common.

DRAWING TOOLS

Pens
Traditional and typical pens used for technical drawing are pencils and technical pens.

Pencils in use are usually mechanical pencils with a standard lead thickness. General line
widths are 0.18 mm, 0.25 mm, 0.5 mm and 0.7 mm. Hardness varies usually from HB to 2H.
Softer lead gives a better contrast, but harder lead gives more accurate track. Bad contrast of
the lead track in general is problematic at photocopying, but new scanning copy techniques
have improved the final result. Paper or plastic surfaces do require their own lead types.



Traditional
already in the
1600s used ruling
pen.

Grafos-stylus.

A disassembled
Grafos and nibs
of different
widths.

Rapidograf styli
of different
widths: 0.35, 0.5
and 0.7 mm.

Rapidograf
stylus parts.
The head is
possible to
disassemble to
even smaller
parts



A parallel ruler -equipped drawing board. Drawing from an article published in a Norwegian
technical journal Teknisk Ukeblad in 1893. The article dealt with a new kind of vertical drawing
apparatus. The board was equipped with a lift mechanism, improving the ergonomy when doing
large drawings.

In most cases, the final drawings are drawn with ink, on either plastic or tracing paper. The pen
is generally Rapidograph-type technical pen, a marker pen that draws lines of consistent width
(so-called steel marker pen). The pen has an ink container which contains a metal tube, inside
which is a thin metal needle or wire, the soul. Ink is absorbed between the needle and the tube
wall, preventing an excessive amount of ink from being released. The needle has a weight and
by waving the pen back and forth the needle is released and the ink can run. Previously, the
tank was filled from an ink bottle, newer styli use ink cartridges.

Each line width has its own stylus. Width of the line is standardized: In Finland, the most
commonly used set is 0.13 mm, 0.18 mm, 0.25 mm, 0.35 mm, 0.50 mm and 0.70 mm. There
are their own styli for tracing paper and plastic, because plastic requires a harder pen tip. To
function well they require regular maintenance, the finest marker pens in particular.

Drawing board
The drawing board is an essential tool. Paper will be attached and kept straight and still, so that
the drawing can be done with accuracy. Generally, different kind of assistance rulers are used in
drawing. The drawing board is usually mounted to a floor pedestal in which the board turns to a
different position, and also its height can be adjustable. Smaller drawing boards are produced
for table-top use. In the 18th and 19th centuries, drawing paper was dampened and then its
edges glued to the drawing board. After drying the paper would be flat and smooth. The
completed drawing was cut free. Paper could also be secured to the drawing board with pins.
More recent practice is to use self-adhesive tape to secure paper to the board. Some drawing
boards are magnetized, allowing paper to be held down by long steel strips. Boards used for
overlay drafting or animation may include registration pins or peg bars to ensure alignment of
multiple layers of drawing media.

T-square
A T-square is a straightedge which uses the edge of the drawing board as a support. It is used
with the drafting board to draw horizontal lines and to align other drawing instruments. Wood,
metal, or plastic triangles with 30 and 60 degree angles or with two 45 degree angles are used
to speed drawing of lines at these commonly used angles. Also in use are a continuously
adjustable 0-90 degrees protractor. An alternative to the T-square is the parallel bar which is
permanently attached to the drawing board. It has a set of cables and pulleys to allow it to be
positioned anywhere on the drawing surface while still remaining parallel to the bottom of the
board. The drafting machine replaces the T-square and triangles.




Drafting machine
A drafting machine is a device which is mounted to the drawing board. It has rulers whose
angles can be precisely adjusted with a controlling mechanism.There are two main types of
apparatus: an arm-type parallelogram apparatus based on a hinged arm; and a track-type
apparatus which moves on a rail mounted to the top of the drawing board. The accuracy of the
arm type apparatus is better in the middle of the board, decreasing towards the edges, whereas
a track machine has a constant accuracy over the whole board. The drawing head of a track-
type drafting machine slides on bearings in a vertical rail, which in turn is moved along a
horizontal, top-mounted rail. Both apparatus types have an adjustable drawing-head with rules
attached to a protractor scale so that the angle of the rules may be adjusted.

A drafting machine allows easy drawing of parallel lines over the paper. The adjustable angle
between the rulers allows the lines to be drawn in varying accurate angles. Rulers may also be
used as a support for separate special rulers and letter templates. The rules are replaceable
and they can be for example scale-rules.

Drawing apparatus has evolved from a drawing board mounted parallel ruler and a pantograph,
which is a device used for copying objects in an adjustable ratio of sizes.

French Curves
French Curves are made of wood, plastic or celluloid. Some set squares also have these curves
cut in the middle. French curves are used for drawing curves which cannot be drawn with a
compass. Faint free hand curve is first drawn through the known points. Longest possible
curves exactly coinciding with the free hand curves are then found out from the French Curves.
Finally, neat continuous curve is drawn with the aid of the French Curves.

Rulers
Rulers used in technical drawing are usually made of polystyrene. Rulers come in two types
according to the design of their edge. Straight edge can be used with lead and felt pens,
whereas when technical pen is used the edge must be grooved to prevent the spread of the ink.

An architect's scale
Architect's scale is a scaled, three-edged ruler which has six different scales marked to its sides.
A typical combination for buildings details is 1:20, 1:50, 1:100, 1:25, 1:75 and 1:125. There are
their own rulers for zoning work as well as for inch units. Today scale rulers are made of plastic,
formerly of hardwood. A pocket-sized version is also available, with scales printed on flexible
plastic stripes.


Rulers and templates

Compass
The compass is used for drawing circles or arc segments of circles. One form has two straight
legs joined by a hinge; one leg has a sharp pivot point and the other has a holder for a technical
pen or pencil. Another form, the beam compass, has the pivot point and pen holder joined by a
bar, useful when drawing very large radius arcs. Often a circle template is used instead of a
compass when predefined circle sizes are required.

Templates
Templates contain pre-dimensioned holes in the right scale to accurately draw a symbol or sign.

Letter templates will deliver the text, as well number as letter characters. Diagrams are usually
of a standard letter shape and size to conform to standards of encodings (e.g. DIN or ANSI). For
example in Finland the series used is 1.8 mm, 2.5 mm, 3.5 mm, 5.0 mm and 7.0 mm. Except for
the very biggest ones, the templates are suitable for only technical pen drawing.

For drawing circles and circle-arcs, circle templates are used, containing a suitable set of holes
in certain dimensions, with suitable sized holes in them. Models are also available for other
geometric shapes such as squares and for drawing ellipses, as well as many specialized
varieties for other purposes.

There are also specific templates to provide user with the most common symbols in use in
different branches of designing. For example the architect templates can be used to draw
different sized doors with their "opening arcs", building and equipment symbols and furniture.
The templates also provide the symbols for thermal insulation.

Two methods of drawing smooth curves in manual drafting are the use of French curves or flat
splines (flexible curves). A French curve is a drawing aid with many different smoothly-varying
radiused curves on it; the manual drafter can fit the French curve to some known reference
points and draw a smooth curved line between them. A spline is a flexible ruler, usually rubber
or plastic coated with a metal "backbone", which can be smoothly shaped to follow a desired
curve and allows drawing a smooth line between initial reference points. Sometimes a spline is
temporarily held in position with small weights.