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1 ADrafting Dictionary
1 ADrafting Dictionary
Tools
Drafting tools are needed to lay out the different shapes and lines used to create drawings and
sketches. A basic knowledge of the available tools and how to use them will assist you in your
drawing.
The drafting board or table should have two parallel outside working edges made of either
hardwood or steel.
Most drafting table tops can be set at different heights from the floor and at any angle from
vertical to horizontal. Other drafting tables may not have the same adjustments and may be
limited to being raised only from horizontal to a low slope.
To reduce back strain, use an adjustable drafting stool when working at a drafting table. Tables
or boards should be a minimum of 1.2 m (4') in width and 0.9 m (3') in height.
T-square
The fixed head T-square is used for most work. It should be made of durable materials and have
a transparent edge on the blade. To do accurate work, the blade must be perfectly square and
straight; this should be checked regularly.
The T-square is used to draw horizontal lines and to align other drawing instruments. If you
are right-handed, you hold it tight against the left edge of the drawing board and move it up
and down as required. When you make close adjustments, your fingers should be on top of the
square and you should use your thumb to control the T-square’s movement (Figure 1).
When drawing horizontal lines, incline your pencil in the direction you are drawing the line.
Hold the pencil point as close as possible to the blade. Roll the pencil between your fingers to
prevent the point from becoming flat on one side.
Triangle
A triangle (set-square) is made of a clear plastic. Some triangles have rabbeted edges (Figure 2),
so that when you draw lines, the corner of the edge is set away from the paper to help prevent
smudges and ink blotches.
Triangle
Triangles are available in 45°-90°-45° or 30°-60°-90° combinations. For most work, triangles
should be about 200 mm to 250 mm (8" to 10") long. Triangles should be stored flat to prevent
warping, and not stored underneath other objects to prevent any pressure from causing them
to deform.
– 2D Drawing
Check a triangle for accuracy by drawing a perpendicular line, then reversing the triangle and
drawing another perpendicular line (Figure 3).
Triangles are used to draw vertical lines and other lines at set angles. Rest the triangle on the
T-square blade and slide it along the blade to the desired location. Draw the full length of the
vertical line in one pass if possible. Hold the blades of the T-square and the triangle together to
prevent any movement when you are drawing, and hold the pencil point as close as possible to
the triangle. You can also draw 15° and 75° angles by using both a 45°-90°-45° and a 30°-60°-90°
in combination. Figure 4 shows how triangles are placed to draw angles that are every multiple
of 15°.
90º
75º
60º
45º
30º
15º
0º
Figure 4 — Drawing angles with one or two triangles
– 2D Drawing Drafting Dictionary (Architectural Board Drafting)
Protractor
A protractor (Figure 5) is an instrument used to measure angles. It is typically made of
transparent plastic or glass. Protractors can be used for checking and transferring angles to and
from a drawing sheet.
Figure 5 — Protractor
Drafting machine
A drafting machine (Figure 6) is a device that is mounted to the drawing board. The drafting
machine replaces the T-square and triangles, as it has rulers with angles that can be precisely
adjusted with a controlling mechanism. 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 a variety
of accurate angles. Rulers may also be used as a support for separate special rulers and letter
templates. The rulers are replaceable and can be replaced with scale rulers.
Drawing pencils
Both wood and mechanical pencils are used for drafting (Figure 7).
Manufacturers grade drawing pencils using numbers and letters. These range from 6B (very soft
and black) to 9H (the hardest). From 6B the pencils progress through 5B, 4B, 3B, 2B, B, and HB,
and then to F, the medium grade. After that they move to the harder graphite: H, 2H, 3H, 4H, 5H,
6H, 7H, 8H, and finally 9H. The softer grades are used for sketching and rendering drawings. The
harder grades are used for instrument drawings.
Mechanical pencils do not require sharpening and are made to hold leads (they are actually
made of graphite) that are bought separately. Thin-lead mechanical pencils, with leads as small
as 0.5 mm, are available in different grades of lead. Most draftspersons use four or five different
mechanical pencils with a different lead in each. The pencils come in different colours so it is
easy to keep track of which lead is in each.
A metal erasing shield helps to confine erasures to the desired area. Erasing shields are made
from very thin stainless steel and have holes of various shapes to accommodate the sections to
be erased. Figure 8 shows two erasers and an erasing shield.
Templates
Templates (Figure 9) are available for many different trades. Templates incorporate cut-outs of
symbols and fixtures that are commonly used in that trade. These cut-outs make it easy to trace
shapes onto drawing paper.
Figure 9 — Templates
A spline or flexible curve (Figure 11) can be used instead of a French curve to draw most curves.
A spline is a plastic or rubber rod that is reinforced with metal. To use a spline, bend it to the
shape of the curve you need. The design of the spline lets you hold a pencil against an edge and
draw an accurate line without smudging. A spline cannot be used to draw curves that have a
very short radius because the spline will not bend tightly.
Figure 11 — Spline
– 2D Drawing
Compass
A compass can be used for drawing circles, bisecting lines, or dividing angles. For very large
circles you can use a beam compass. The four types of compasses are shown in Figure 12. Most
compasses can be fitted with leads, pens, or points.
Wing compass
Beam compass
When using the compass, tilt it in the direction of the line, as shown in Figure 13.
Dividers
Dividers (Figure 14) are used for transferring dimensions from a drawing to a measuring device
such as a ruler or scale. They are also used when scribing directly on material like metal.
Figure 14 — Dividers
Use a brush like the one in Figure 15 to clean your table prior to placing paper down and to
sweep away any debris as you are drawing. If you use your hand to brush, you could leave marks
on the paper. After sharpening a pencil, wipe off any dust that is clinging to the point of the
pencil to prevent smudging.
Scale rulers
Scale rulers let you draw diagrams at a reduced scale. They also let you obtain dimensions from
a scaled drawing. Scale rulers come in a variety of types to meet the requirements of many
different kinds of work. Most scale rulers have three edges and six different scales. The scales are
read from either end of the rule. A typical combination of metric scales is 1:20, 1:50, 1:100, 1:25,
1:75, and 1:125.
Because of the decimal basis of metric measurements, metric scale rulers are both applicable
and easy to use at any scale. Figure 16 shows the two scales from both ends of the same side.
Imperial scale rulers may be an architect’s ruler, a mechanical engineer’s ruler, or a civil
engineer’s ruler (Figure 17). The architect’s scale ruler is the most common, and is in inches and
fractions of inches. A mechanical engineer’s scale ruler comes in inches and decimals of inches.
A civil engineer’s scale ruler comes in feet and decimals of feet.
– 2D Drawing Drafting Dictionary (Architectural Board Drafting)
Drafting materials
The most common support for drawing is paper. Even though the original creative surface has
changed from the drafting table to the computer screen, on the work site drawings are still
primarily in printed form.
Drawing paper
There is a wide variety of drawing paper available in many sizes and of different qualities.
Good quality drawing paper is acid-free and will not turn yellow with age. Light-coloured
drawing papers are available in pale yellow or buff, but these should be used only when it is not
necessary to make copies.
Tracing paper
Tracing paper, which is transparent, can be used to make copies of drawings. It is thin enough to
allow the light of photocopy machines to shine through the unmarked areas, and only the lines
and figures will block the light. Materials used for tracing include tracing paper, vellum, tracing
cloth, glass cloth, and polyester film with a matte finish.
A4 210 mm × 297 mm
A5 148 mm × 210 mm
The 81/2" × 11" standard letter paper corresponds to 216 mm × 279 mm. You can buy precut
sheets that have a border and a preprinted title block in the lower right-hand corner. These are
available in many standard sizes.
If the paper you use does not have a border and title block, you will have to draw them in.
The left-hand border should be wider than the right-hand border and should be at least 50
mm wide to allow room for the prints to be bound. Figure 18 shows a title block with suitable
dimensions added.
TITLE
37 mm
Revisions
No. Date Drn. by Appr. by CLIENT
7 mm 1 16 mm
2
3 SCALE DRN. BY APPR. BY DATE DRNG. NO.
10 mm
4
35 mm 23 mm 22 mm 22 mm 34 mm
(Not to scale)
Figure 18 — Dimensions for title block
Paper rolls
Many grades of paper rolls are available in different widths that can be cut to any length
required.