You are taking me back to my youth when we still did manual drafting in our engineering office. The biggest kick I got was seeing the drafting dots tape for drawing hold down. I completely forgot about those. Some where I still have my drafting tools with my electric eraser. I like using CAD software much more these days, I've paid my debt on the drafting board. You need to get some velum for your drafting, it makes it much easier.
I grew up with a drafting table at the house, as my dad took 2 years of architecture and drafting in college. Unfortunately he did not follow that career, but he helped my brother and I indirectly as we both took drafting in high school. Eventually, neither of us followed that path either, so here we are, the cycle repeats itself. I hope that my daughter will enjoy mechanical things, or at least some technical or engineering hobbies. If not that, then something energy/environmental or farming related would be good as we will need lots of that in the future. Thanks for the trip down memory lane. Your grandfather would be proud.
Time has changed without computer just to calculate the coordinates will take not only time and hard to avoid mistakes that is detrimental when put into the machine for machining.
My apprenticeship started in 1965 as a draughtsman. Starting as a 5 year toolmaker then an extra 2 years specialising on draughting. No computers then just slide rules, different world then. Nice to see the old skills being used. Xx
My instructor for drafting had started in the 70's and taught us this! I bought a drafting table for home projects, absolutely love it. I work in many different computer programs for my job, but nothing replaces the looks of a handmade drawing!
we are still taught that method as a primary method, CAD comes in at certificate 3 three and onwards through diploma levels for civil engineering, and architecture. here in Australia.
When I trained as a Draftsman back in the 1980's, we had CAD but an Old School Master as our Teacher. Everyday we'd start the class by turning in a sheet of hand lettering. The standard was perfection. To this day I am grateful for that... and so are the people who need to read my handwritten notes.
I had a mechanical drafting class in high school. The teacher's standard was perfection. If I drew a line with two motions of the pencil instead of one that was points off. My teacher had eagle eyes. I still appreciate him to this day and wish I had put more effort into the class. I envy those that can draft like this fella in the video.
My high school had several drafting classes (we were just down the street from Boeing in Everett, Washington) and I never got a chance to take the classes because they were already filled up. I wonder what would have been different if I had been able to take those classes.
AKA the SpaceX way vs the space agency way. I think both approaches have their merits and it really depends on your project, environment and preference which is better for you. Is it something that's quick and cheap to make, or is it something that will cause a lot of pain if you need to redo it? How much information can you get from reasoning about your project and how much from just building it and seeing what happens?
@@InheritanceMachining Not true! It's what's taught to people. I use CAD for patent drawings and keep them illustrative looking like drawings from the early 1900s. New employees I often have to retrain on CAD to actually care about the end content and how it looks. What they learn now is "just get the idea across, the 3d will do the rest."
I got my mechanical engineering degree from India in 2018 and I had to learn to do this for 2 years (out of the total 4 year course)... It really helped me visualize objects in 3D in my head...
As a retired draughtsman it was a joy to watch you creating these drawings and brings back so many happy memories. It is definitely a lost art and something I was competent at but never quite got to the artist level that I envied so much. The introduction of CAD has certainly changed the industry and I became quite skilled with it, but I always missed the drawing board.
My father was an engineer and my brother still is. I grew up around technical drawing and even had a drafting class in high school. Your video bring back a lot of memories from a time long past. I really respect you being a machinist and doing your own drawings without a computer. It's a level of craftsmanship that you don't see anymore. Kudos to you!
I've seen the same thing as well. I'm pretty sure in the US drafting is rarely offered any more in High Schools. I'm glad I got the chance to learn it. Definitely a better designer because of it.
I am probaly a edge case, I am currently doing a master's in marine technology (ship design would be abetter name). I own a BSI book on drafting and love producing 2D drawings from 3D cad models and hand drafting. I've only done it fully on a few products during my placement, but love the end result. Making sure that all the dimensions are done in the best way and consistent with BSI8888. Althoigh I knew it was pointless as the tool makers would just use the 3D model, and the quality control department didn't know anything about drafting, or engineering in general, so would only read the largest number and complain if it was in spec.
@@InheritanceMachining it's barely taught in Plymouth's(UK) university. It was a 1 hour exam where you copied three already made drawing, and wasn't tought at all.
@@InheritanceMachining I actually learned drafting at Kettle Moraine Lutheran High School in Jackson, Wisconsin. Don't know if it's still offered today though.
The FB6 of the FH Aachen (Aerospace part of the university) still has technical drawing as a mandatory part of the CAD course in the first semester. I would even say that it is actually the main part of that, as the exam at its end tests the technical drawing. I feel quite lucky that they do that, and that I learned it because of that. The depth to which the course goes in terms of teaching is of course limited, but it very much gives you the idea.
A beautiful insight into the art of drafting. Thank you for sharing and letting us appreciate the skills that seem to be a bit lost to time. Its a pleasure watching you work as always!
A great look back into drafting and the conventions that go with drawings. Penmanship and line width and style was such an iconic feature of engineering drawing. Being a retired tool maker from auto industry, it was pleasing to reminisce.
I took 3 yrs of Drafting in HS (LD Bell class of 67); my teacher, Richard E. Perry was a stickler for hand lettering. No templates allowed, although we could use an Ames Lettering Guide to draw guidelines in 9H. Over the next 45 years, I was told more than once the reason I was hired was my lettering. Later on, I used Unigraphics, CADAM and CATIA, and they clearly are better, but they never gave me the good feelings of completing a manual drawing.
I had 2 semesters of Architectural Drawing in 10/11 grade in High School. My final drawing was my friend's US Ice Age Water Bong (circa 1980) and I got a B+. Helped me draw my own plans for Plumbing and HVAC/R systems I installed later during my career.
I took three years of CAD classes when I was in high school, and I still remember a fair bit of it. Seeing your drafting machine and pencil brought back old memories. I never did get the hang of the compass, but I'll just blame that on the equipment I was using.
As a german mechanic and engineer I drew like this during apprenticeship and study (Between 2010 and 2015). It helps you to think more in advance compared to CAE/CAD.
Great to see pencil drafting again. CAD doesn't replace it until we start with changes and revisions, and your discussion of the decision process clearly lays the foundations. What used to amaze me was how the practiced eye was able to recognise the unique "hand" of the individual draftsman. Thanks for this video.
Thanks! Yeah the revisions and figuring can be a real bear at times. I've taken to mocking up like I did in this video and it helps a lot. Funny you mention being able to recognize the draftsman by their work. I've noticed this within my engineering group at work as well
@@InheritanceMachining I used to could immediatly tell who in our "drafting pool" drew a machine detail yards away without seeing the signature. With CAD, it's more difficult but they still have a bit of individual character - but nothing like manual drawings. Sadly, because of signed Confidentiality Agreements, I didn't keep many of my own. I smuggled a few "masterpieces" out many years ago that my daughter has. I do miss creating that art.
@@worldsbestwatcher3735 Sounds like something I would do 😁 Don't worry I wont tell! My wife and I have on occasion framed old drafted prints and hung them in our house as artwork.
@@InheritanceMachining Awesome that you framed a few. Along those lines, another idea for decor is to frame interesting patent drawings for toilets and and such to hang in the guest bathroom, automobile or lawn mower patents in the garage, and so on. One peculiar patent drawing for the bathroom or garage is one that shows a hose going from the driver's lap to the carburetor of his car if you can find it.
I’m 25 and I have an obsession and deep admiration of vintage manual machinery. There’s just something beautiful about it, done with skill, no automation, no computers, just craftsmanship. I restored a 1926 South Bend model C 9” lathe and fell in love with it. The ability to make your own parts, exercise your creativity and let your ideas play out is something so satisfying. You have so much more pride in making your own parts on a manual machine that’s pre-WW2. A machine that’s still going strong to this day, a machine that was built to last. You don’t see this standard level of quality anymore. It is an art, a passion, a love for an age long gone.
I’m a current Junior Mechanical Engineering student who has only ever known CAD. It is so cool to see what drafting by hand actually looks like! Thanks for such an awesome video! Can’t wait to see more!
I was trained up on the board in the 70's. Encouraged to develop a style. Loved it. Finished my career with 3d modelling, but you couldn't tell one designer from another.
I don't want to sound disrespectful but it surprises me that a person of your age has an anime profile pic. Not that there is anything wrong with that, it just surprises me.
I am an engineer and learned both - manual and CAD...nowadays working complete with digital solutions its n wonderful to see those kind of drawings. Nicely done! If you see this you automatically respect good old drawings even more!
I started out with a wooden T-square and plastic angles, progressed to a wire-weighted parallel bar, progressed to a Zukor-Bieffe parallel movement - and from then onwards (possibly late 1990) progressed to computer AutoCad and Solidworks.
Which of the non-CAD systems would you recommend for someone looking for an upgrade on a T-square? I do draughting not only for its technical utility but also for the artistic quality of the drawing.
Ditto. Though in the mid '90's I found it more profitable to take people from A-B as a Black Cab driver.... ....MUCH more profitable and enjoyable too. Although most of my TD skills are lost I still retain the art of mirror writing and reading.
@@isaacmarkovitz7548 I would recommend the wire weighted parallel bar system, for it's ease of home maintenance and reliability, coupled with an adjustable square for those awkward angles. Simple & effective for both Right and Left handed people. HTH
Always enjoy when you Draft on a table and happy to see your finished drawings. As a Designer/Draftsman for the last 40 years, it makes me happy to see the skill you show.
Great video. I loved drafting way back in my youth. I still enjoy drawing simple plans from scratch on paper. This really makes one appreciate the folks who created everything from trains to bridges before computers were invented. Thanks for sharing.
I know right... i think about all the mechanical marvels that existed before electronics then think how they were also drawing by hand. Amazing. Thanks for the support!
My first job at an engineering firm a senior designer in his 60's always had his drafting board by his desk and designed everything on paper, then had the juniors convert them later (it sounds like a waste of effort but he was too valuable to force the transition to CAD). It was quite incredible to watch him do his magic although he was a major A-hole.
I'm glad I found this channel. I'm learning CAD / CAM software and simultaneously drafting by hand, the old-fashioned way. There is something peaceful about doing things by hand. Sure it takes longer, but you feel more connected to the project when you do so.
As a draftsman of over 30 years whom started out drafting on a table using a drafting machine, I really appreciate your channel. I still have all of my tools and I break them out from time to time at home when I need to convey some ideas to my better 3/4's. In a world that has become ever so increasingly digital with CADCAM CNC 3DMAX Sketchup (whatever that is), it's refreshing finding a content contributor that's not only manual matching but manual drafting, it really shows a commitment to the craft, and whats better still is your no slouch sir, good show and bravo!
Thank you! I use various CAD softwares as my day job so the cool factor has worn off a bit. I find the manual drafting the same kind of therapeutic break away from the screen as the machining itself.
When I first came to Canada (1979) my first boss was quite the draftsman. Had the same engine as you do. He would do electronic and mechanical drawings straight to ink on vellum so they could be blueprinted for the shop. If you corrected one of his drawings it had to be in red pencil and a copy was kept on file until he did the update. I had done basic drafting in school and the company paid for night school classes to update. Then along came the first PC's. I tried to get him to change to CAD but he said "I'm too old to start again. When I retire you can take over with CAD". The company paid for me to take a basic AutoCAD course at night school and I scrounged up an LT copy, which I still use, for electronic and mechanical drawings. I have basic sheet templates setup and can produce a working drawing, depending on complexity, in a relatively short time. The main thing I like about CAD is if you forget a dimension it's easy to go back to the file and get it accurately rather than guesstimating with "scales" and other devices. I still work from a paper print (pdf) and if necessary it can be "zoomed" to a more useful size if needed. Nice to see someone who can wield a pencil and associated tools with the required finesse. Thanks for a different view of the project. Helps to understand what your final destination will (might) be. Looking forward to the rest of the project and "sides". Regards from Canada's banana belt.🤞🇺🇲🤔🕊️🇺🇦🍌🇨🇦👍
Thanks for sharing, Ron! Ironically most of the work I did with my grandfather was though AutoCAD which I "learned" as an early teen. We had a printer as well so we could take the drawings to the machines. I didn't learn traditional drafting until high school but was simultaneously learning 3D CAD in another class. But I still found the board work interesting and therapeutic. Also built a respect for putting together good drawings. Anyway, thanks for watching and following along!
sir, thy english is most pleasant to observe, but thinkest thou that the average monad of peasantry even comprehends that a draughtsman is an olden form of draftsman?
@@camillosteuss I don't claim to be literate. Just not illiterate. I sometimes make mistakes and use the wrong spelling of the intended word as in this case. I must have been thinking of a beer in the current heat. My apologies. There, fixed, how Canadian.
@@ronwilken5219 No dude, why change it, i said it as a compliment, its nice seeing olden words used, modern english lacks the charm and depth of proper old english... Sure, it may be uncommon now, but its not wrong, its proper spelling, its just archaic, its commendable and a sign of culture, even if such signs can deceive... All the best
I was taught “Technical Drawing” here in England in the 1970’s at High School. I love to sketch out my ideas by hand, and consider the “old fashioned way” the most satisfying way. Inspired by this video I’ve just sourced a text book dating to the 1970’s and look forward to seeing what I learned ( and have since forgotten) in the 1970’s. And to take it a step further I have also located a Draughting Head and as a side project I hope to make my own draughting table. Thank you for the inspiration. 👏👏👍😀
Whoever said that old-school drafting was easy? I enjoyed your expertise in drafting skills. I used to draft but never at the level of detail that you possess. But at that time it was "good enough!" It paid the bills. I never conquered the CAD-CAM computer design since I didn't have to. I went on to repair tv's for 40 years.
50years..my grandfather was tool and die for Chrysler and Ford he taught me appreciation and ability...10 years ago I had to learn computer science and engineering ...AutoCad and Master Cam...getting certified in MFG.ENG.....Respect for you and your video...appreciate your efforts and abilities....the FOUNDATION OF OF MACHINE is this...math ABILITY is a must....I hand made obsolete gun parts and modifications for 40 years....thank you.
As an artist, the fact that your drawings will be made into something real and tangible is akin to magic to me. Your imagination made manifest by applying mathematics and science to art, add in some fudge here and there, and you bring drawings to life through sheer force of will and determination. Outstanding!
Wow, that brings back memories from when I was in school. I learned making technical drawings and shop drawings on a drafting table. Right after school when I started working in this field, I had to start using CAD programs. That was 27 years ago. Stil make these drawings for a living. Programs have evolved a lot, but it helps if you know the "old way". Nice work !! (sorry for my English, it's not my language :-) )
@@InheritanceMachining I'll second that. Back in the '80's and '90's it was actually quicker to do on a drawing board for one off pieces, but for structural drawings requiring multiple layers/levels the AutoCad program became infinitely faster and by programming in a few macro's to the AutoCad .EXE you could do wonders. By the time AutoCad 14 came out in the mid '90's it was the end of drawing board drafting and firms wanted to pay a pittance for what 'they' considered 'unskilled' computer work.
Like so many Mechanical Engineers of my era, I started my career as a Detail Draftsman. It was at a time just before 2D CAD entered most drawing offices. Long after CAD began revolutionizing the design and drafting profession, I continued to try to do at least some of my drafting work on the board for the sheer enjoyment of it. Nowadays, its impossible for me to do any drafting on a board, but I constantly get comments from young engineers on how my free hand site sketches look like artwork LOL, and my lettering on hand written notes looks like it is printed (A legacy of all those thousands of detail drawings I created back in the day). Aside from the technical aspect necessary for good drafting practices, it truly is a craft to be able to layout a drawing manually and have it look not only legible, but professional. Thanks for this video. It was a wonderful trip down memory lane.
As a kid in high school (many decades ago) I took a class on drafting in Industrial Arts. I still use many of the things to this day that I learned way back when. It’s good to see you sharing how to create such drafts so others can appreciate how it was done for so long (and the beauty of why to keep it around even now!).
So much skill, awesome video! I’m 62 and we had industrial arts in school, one elective was always drafting. Loved it, did it for a living after h.s. Until I discovered surveying and working outdoors. Drafting still has a soft spot in my heart! Anybody remember Leroy?
I was lucky enough, and I’m old enough, to be taught TD (technical drawing) at school aged 14 to 16 yrs old. I did love it too. This might inspire me to buy a old drafting table, no one wants them and there dirt cheap. Thank you for your inspiration. From across the pond!
Retired Mechanical Draftsman here. Good to see a drating table again. Nice drawings .. and i hesitate to critique, but could be much better by adhering to line quality conventions (heavy line thicknesses for object lines, medium for hidden lines, thin for hatching and center lines and the like). The border should be heaviest/thickest of all. Having four "lead holders" with various leads will do you fine. Center lines and section view lines have specific patterns. Using a lettering guide will improve the uniformity/appearance of the lettering. Man, as much as I loved going to CAD and it first came out, I surely miss the old manual drafting. I suspect I drew 5,000+ drawings in my career. I prided myself in having beautiful drawings. I think back on them all as works of art now. Good to see you carrying on the know-how. PS. If you twist the lead holder when drawing a line, it keeps the lead point sharp longer and provides a more consistent, good line quality. Thanks again. 👍
Thanks for the tips! I only have a couple pencils and holders so I might have to expand my collection to make that possible. I also had a little trouble getting thinner lines to appear on camera so had to resort to all heavy lines. Either way I still have a lot to learn here. Thanks again!
Man! I have no desire to be a machinist or own a lathe but I do enjoy learning how things work. Your videos make machine work so intriguing. Great job looking forward to the next upload.
0:29 - I started my college studies of mechanical engineering in 1996. Just in the period that the "industry" was going from drawing by hand to CAD. Nowadays, you just dont see students learn to make drawings by hand. So I really appreciate you learnt this! Having a drawing board available is a rarity.
This was awesome, Brandon! This is all so crazy for me to see, since I do all of my designing in CAD. I am going to share this with my Dad, though, as he's taught this stuff before. I'm sure he'll appreciate it even more than I did! I'm excited to see these parts get made! Keep up the great work.
I studied architecture in Germany "only" 15 years ago- we had to draw completely by hand the first 2 years... and after that we were allowed to use CAD... but we did not have actual classes on how to use it...
@@olik136 Yeah, I had to do a lot of multi-view drawings in Engineering, but nothing to this level of detail. I enjoy sketching stuff, but all of the symbols and such required in drawing actual prints would give me a headache! That stuff is bad enough on a computer... Haha!
Thanks Jay! I feel like I still don’t know much, at least compared to what I used to or people who used to do this for a living. I’d be curious to hear what he thinks!
@@InheritanceMachining I would say the main thing is that your line weights are off. We had to use "always sharpened" H6-H2 pencils to do the linework. The most important thing is that the outlines of objects you cut through are the thickest and the outlines of edges you just look at are thin. Hidden edges are dashed lines, if the edge is below the plane you cut through the dashes are big, if it is behind the plane the dashes are small. In theory you have to draw thicker lines by putting other thin lines right next to each others.. in practice most people press harder and use softer pencils for thicker lines. Some of these conventions might be different in the US- but this is what we got thought in the first week :) have fun drawing
@@olik136 thanks for the info! Some of this I wasn’t aware of. I mostly make the lines bold enough so they are visible for the camera. I also don’t have a wide assortment of pencils/leads at the moment
Before earning my ME degree at the age of 38 I worked as a machinist and also did quite a bit of drafting which I learned in school. These two skills gave me invaluable knowledge that was applied to everything I did as a ME.
Fascinating. I can appreciate the thought put into the drawings with the machining process in mind. Would be nice if everyone who made a print had that ability. Im very excited to watch this piece come to life.
Thanks. Being the person who will ultimately build to the drawings, you learn pretty quickly what dimensions are important. Same goes for designing around the tooling you have in the shop whenever possible
When I first started drafting in 7th grade we did everything by hand, then when I started CAD in 9th grade we started everything by hand before we did it on CAD. For anything that was high end I always finished it by hand but kept all of my cad drawings
@@tjboylan20 What do you mean saying finishing by hand? I mean, did you make the drawings one more time but using your bare hands or finishing like finishing a half-way made drawing on CAD?
Nice job as always. I'm so glad you started doing UA-cam. And showing as you go. It's so cool to see you develop your skills. Thanks for all you do and be blessed
I’m not even a native English speaker, just know a bit of English. I watched the full video without subtitles and hear I am; looking in the comments for an answer to the 536 questions I have on my mind right now! You’re so smart! Very good job.
Just found your channel and am quite enjoying it. I remember taking a traditional drafting course in high school and quite enjoyed it. Unfortunately everyone at the universities was moving towards computerized systems by then, one of the reasons I ultimately went into mathematics and not engineering; sadly, there was no escaping the use of computers in the professional world. I know they have made (some) things more efficient, but to me computers have destroyed the romance and appeal of engineering and the sciences.
Thanks. There's definitely been a lot lost in many regards during the transition to computers. I count myself lucky to have bean able to take a drafting class as well.
I too find myself very fortunante to have been able to take a drafting class in high school especially with it only haveing been a few years ago. Im looking at one of by drawing now and it was dated May of 2018. I had a very good teacher who I believe is the reason I'm now in college pursuing a degree in engineering. Unfortunatly he retired the same year I graduated so I'm not sure if the class is even offered anymore. I have that drawing framed in my dorm room and its what inspires me to keep doing what I'm doing.
Engineering is about efficiency, not romance, and CAD and other computer tools make our job simpler and easier. If you think manual drafting is in any way superior, you've never learned how to effectively use CAD software. That being said, pretty much every new design starts out as a hand sketch, so manual drafting skills still have an important place.
@@GideonMesser And that's why I became a mathematician, where creativity, ingenuity, and elegance are still valued above efficiency, simplicity, and productivity. I simply fundamentally disagree with your premise that efficiency has any virtue; I believe the virtue of something is decided by elegance and beauty and nothing else. Something highly inefficient and beautiful will always be superior to something highly efficient but ugly or mundane. This is why we mathematicians still force everyone to learn Euclidian Geometry, it's probably the most inefficient way to learn Geometry and it's amongst the most useless knowledge you will obtain in your mathematics education, but it's beautiful and elegant and that's enough.
@@costakeith9048 In some ways I agree, something was definitely lost when people began using computers to create engineering drawings. However you must remember that these are not pieces of art and must be used, not matter how much time you spend on them. I design rocket engines and you can only imagine what an assembly of the turbo machinery looks like on paper. It’s a near incomprehensible mess of lines and they take hours and hours to draw by hand. Being able to see an assembly or even a component in three dimensions has made my life a billion times easier, even the flight configuration diagrams we use now are much better computerised. Sometimes there is elegance in simplicity.
I learn how to draft in high school. I ended up going air force, then criminal justice/public safety and now in my middle age have made the decision to pivot. I am hopefully starting an apprenticeship in a high end tool room soon. I really enjoyed this! Thank you, good sir!
Currently watching this at my desk at work where I'm watching you on one screen and using AutoCAD on the other screen. I'm a draftsman (and, yes, I'm well versed with an analog drafting table, too). Keep up the great work!
I work for a building manufacturer and we use AutoCad and Tekla. But one of the maintenance man who just retired after 48 years was in charge of special projects and he did everything buy hand just like this. He even went through our entire facility and drew everything to scale including trash cans.
A week ago I acquired some of my grandpas (and great grandpas) old drafting pencils and templates and such, they were both engineers, and I’m looking forward to learning more about this process!!
As a civil engineer who also does a ton of machine work if it’s a personal project or a final project for a customer that i have time, I always take the time to hand finish all of my work. I have separate CAD drawings but I always do the floor plan by hand
@@InheritanceMachining for small companies doing residential construction in my area yes, but any large plans nothing is done by hand anymore. Everything we do commercially or for the city has a deadline of yesterday so we don’t have time.
How do you judge which project requires well-made drawings? Is it based on project complexity, or you do drawings for everything just for practicing with the pencil? In other words - are those drawings have any practical use for you? I mean, it probably takes more time to draw than to cut 🙂
It definitely depends on complexity. If I can keep a sketch on a notepad clean enough to read I'll just do that. I debated not drawing the screw and t-nuts on this project but did it anyway for consistency sake. The drafting machine makes the drawing pretty quick as well.
@@cchadwick7529 Are there any rules of thumb what "part or process" is "precision" enough to require a formal drawing? There are parts that look very complicated, but are trivial in manufacturing. Some parts look simple, but are extremely hard to manufacture. Some parts have tight tolerances, but are trivial in shape. Which of there absolutely requires a formal drawings to get a success (given that we always need 1 or 2 pieces as a hobbyists, outside of industrial processes, and we make drawings for ourselves)? I am curious in how each engineer make this decision. Because it is not obvious to me, and I have never done any formal drawings in my life. A random piece of paper, rough shape, random scale, precise dimensions - it always works. But now I am in doubts. Maybe I miss something.
It’s only my opinion but I find the process of drawing something out, regardless of how small, radically speeds up the machining process. You naturally start planning the tools/material/steps you’ll follow and become aware of the critical areas to watch. By the time you’re committing to steel you’re pretty much painting by numbers.
@@markhookey9940 I agree Mark. I use the same logic with my wood and leather projects as well. A little time at the drawing board can save hours of frustration and wasted resources ($) in the shop.
my papa…i have many of his prints framed, and his desk and most of his drawing gear. He could fix anything make anything from anything as a kid he was bigger than life, as an adult he was just as amazing. Miss you so much papa..
I was in the last class in my high school to have full technical drafting training just before we switched to CAD... I was fortunate enough to have "grown up" drawing, and still to this day will take pencil to paper to design whatever I'm building. There's something very satisfying about it. Glad to see you're keeping the tradition alive, and I'm totally jealous of your drafting table and machine!
As someone who builds and fabricating things from shop drawings, standard drawings and blueprints, I really appreciate well made drawings. The use of computers and CAD programs has made a lot of drafters lazy, they do a lot of copy and pasting and they frankly don't often have much of any real world, hands on experience. If you're the one who actually builds things based off of drawings, you immediately know when things are wrong and simply aren't going to work. Makes you want to march into their office and say, "Look at me: I'M the drafter now."
I've been doing drafting & design work for about 39 years. I started out working with a manual drafting table & progressed to CAD from there. I can't cay I miss drawing by hand, but it was more artistic.
Love this...my father who never trained as an engineer, was one. He was an inventor and drew like a engineer on his beloved drafting table...thanks for the memories...
I started machining in the mid-late 1970's and that's how I learned how to do it all manual. It is a lost art and not many people even know what a machinist is, nice job! But now I have to use computers and CNC to get parts out faster.
I started drafting in Jr. High School around 1972, went with Architecture in high School. Dropped it all once I got to College. I miss the old ways. Great VIDEO !!!
My stepfather was a patient artist and draftsman and worked by hand for over 50 years up until only a few months before his passing. I remember him spending so many hours at his table . It was a marvel to watch.
Great video ! I was a draftsman for about 35 years and retired for 6 years now. Started off on the board which took a while to produce real nice drawings. I was communicating what the engineer had in mind and how I could draw it so the machinist could easily understand it. Although I had a difficult time transitioning to CAD, it sure made things easier. Thanks again for taking the time to show this.
Thanks Paul. I always find it interesting to hear that draftsmen and engineers were separate roles back in the day. In modern times I think its pretty universal that engineers make their own drawings. At least in my experience
I learned technical Drawing in university. When i worked in a machine shop for 6 month i realized that it's all about tolerances :D If you are not in a 1/1000mm scale you have to include all the maximum tolerances or your workpiece might have some sides that are too thin or holes are to close to each other after machining it. I learned a lot in bringing my drawings to the machine. :D i think every engineer should do this for some time to really get some insight into the problems that can occur when not thinking about the guys that have to build your ideas :D.
I love this industry and I absolutely love your videos. I'm only 16 but I'm learning so much from your videos which I hope to use in the future When began my first project in my Machine Tool class, it was like love at first sight
You do beautiful mesmerizing work. It takes me back to design classes at engineering university about 1970. Sadly I was promoted so I could not continue this type of work myself but I enjoyed the work of my team and have done countless 'drawings' for my work on model boats! Nothing is wasted.
The very most favorite class I took in High school, was Mechanical Drafting. Using a pencil to draw all the diagrams and designs was such an enjoyable, and relaxing part of my school day. Great memories. Thank you so much for this video.😊
This was amazing. I'm a fellow machinist and my father was a draftsman but more on the architectural side, he got into it as autocad became mainstream. He bought a bunch of the older drafting stuff to play with like a drafting engine, all kinds of tilting tables and weird early digitizer tables with strange mouse dongles. Never really used it to do any serious drafting more just to admire. Until I watched this video I'd never seen one actually being used to draft something and wow, how incredibly satisfying. I'm pretty proficient in cad and always was confused why the different "projected views" were so rigidly forced into centerline alignment with eachother when making drawings until I saw you doing those projected bores... mind blown. Thank you.
Thanks! Yeah there are a few neat projection tricks like that. I didn't do it in this video but if you have a simple 3 view (front, top, side) drawing, you can draw a 45 degree line in the empty 4th quadrant to project features from the top view to the side view or vice versa
This is creating art, nothing less. I bought a drafting table/desk monstrosity with a Mutoh 25 years ago. It's been stored longer than I care to admit. Since then I've had to learn cad for work. This has inspired me to get the old desk out and get a design space of my own together. I even just ordered a new set of scales off of ebay (I hope they fit)
Manual drafting is an art and Brandon is an artist of the highest caliber. Well done, once again. My grandfather was an engineer/designer for western gear for many years and would draft designs this way. It's amazing to see the skill still alive.
I started out as a sheetmetal worker and learned drafting for that purpose. I love drafting by hand . I love the math and I love the look of a hand drawn print. Nice to see others appreciate the same.
Look at you show off. I graduated from college in ‘79 and I still believe if you can draft something then you are a better technician. The world you take for granted was made this way, and it works. The connection it creates in your mind is tantamount to invention…………..🤔
It was nice to see you using a conventional drafting table. I used to teach drafting back in 1974-1975. This video brought back a lot of nice memories. I remember my first assignment in my first mechanical drawing class: "Go home this weekend and play with your baby brothers building blocks." I remember thinking what is stupid assignment that was. On Monday morning, when the teacher explained to us about different views, and hidden features (depending on how you're looking at an object)...... It all started to make sense. When you use a drafting table, doing individual views of an object, you have to use your imagination in a very accurate form. You don't just have a computer generate the object in front of you. You actually have to do something that's not in fashion anymore...... You have to think!
In high school, before computers, I took three years of mechanical drafting as an elective. We did everything from, I think they were called projections (front, top down, and side), to complex 3D drawings. All using nothing but a T-square and triangles. Over the years I've used many CAD programs and have found the knowledge gained from those three years of "old school" invaluable in using CAD.
Many an afternoon (decades ago) was spent hunched over the board as a teen, most often with a selection of carefully sharpened pencils but occasionally with inking pens. There is a slow satisfaction in putting together a drawing manually that is absent when defining parametric models on a screen. For my meagre model engineering efforts of today, I have decided to stick with paper and (mechanical) pencils to muddle through the design process. Kudos for taking the time to do so yourself in the production of these wonderful projects that you share with us.
Having been taught the “by hand” way of drafting in high school and then in college using all CAD this takes me back to when i could fully flesh out an idea before i spent hours and hours trying to force something to work when i could have just spent a couple hours getting the dimensions right by hand.
I tend to find CAD is always faster, especially for assemblies of parts. But also with CAD I end up spending a lot of time making constant minute tweaks and adjustments that probably don't matter in the long run
I took drafting in high school and I really enjoyed the manual drawings we did, we also had computers so we did a mixture of CAD and manual drawing. I've been thinking of getting a drafting table to draw as a hobby.
Trained as a Civil Engineer in Australia in the late '80s. Learnt to draw on the boards, which was usually the most chill 3 hours of each week. Even ended up developing and selling CAD software. I now teach 1st year Engineering students and they have NO idea as to how to do drawing and basically no desire to learn. I just wish I had the time in the chock a block semester to show this vid. The way you explain your process is gold.
Thank you. I see this same problem in the younger engineers I've schooled and worked with. Most are eager to model very complex and elaborate designs but end up just slapping a drawing together. I try to impress that the drawing is the end result of all that effort so should be treated as such. But it's still a struggle.
I had mechanical drawing as a class in middle school. While I was not really mentally mature enough I enjoyed it. This was in the early 80's and in our class it was all done on paper with pencil. Drawing the name plate, the border.. everything. I carried it on into high school.
I am not an engineer but I love this kind of stuff. I have worked in computer repair much of my life and so having to think through issues is important. Seeing your thought process and thinking was fun to follow along with.
We had that at school in 90s and I loved it - precise drawing is fascinating and attractive. People had successfully developed planes and rockets w/o computers using only this method and math.
I remember I did this for a week in high school and I think I nearly blew my brains out as a 14 year old. As a machinist in the 21st century with a laptop and solid works I have absolutely nothing but the utmost respect for the old school draftsmen. Absolutely boggles my mind that literally everything from the atomic bomb to tanks to rifles to planes and battleships were all designed exactly like this. And then we're made on machines where people were constantly physically turning the handles and not just loading a program into the cnc and letting it run for a couple hours while you go work on something else. Absolutely insane. I have no idea how it was ever accomplished.
In the 1970s i learned the basics in scool in Germany. Those three years of "technical drawing" are one of the few things i learned in school that have benefited me throughout my life.
Drafting is an art. It has certain rules and laws that must be learned, and understanding them will allow you find success in mastering the art. Mastering the art will allow you to build whatever your imagination can create. I would imagine Michelangelo would be envious of your talents.
I work for a company in turbo machinery, and a lot of projects i go to we get pdf files with the original hand drawn schematics. You can imagine how many drawings there are for hust one turbine. It's amazing to see the consistency in the drawings, like modern computer drawing. Lots of respect for the old guys who hand drawn all those machines.
Thanks for watching everyone! Tune in on Friday September 2nd at 10am EST for the project build!
You are taking me back to my youth when we still did manual drafting in our engineering office. The biggest kick I got was seeing the drafting dots tape for drawing hold down. I completely forgot about those. Some where I still have my drafting tools with my electric eraser. I like using CAD software much more these days, I've paid my debt on the drafting board. You need to get some velum for your drafting, it makes it much easier.
Everything you said in the First 2 Minutes I full agree and thought the same way for 50 years.
Now they destroy it all 😠😭
I grew up with a drafting table at the house, as my dad took 2 years of architecture and drafting in college. Unfortunately he did not follow that career, but he helped my brother and I indirectly as we both took drafting in high school. Eventually, neither of us followed that path either, so here we are, the cycle repeats itself. I hope that my daughter will enjoy mechanical things, or at least some technical or engineering hobbies. If not that, then something energy/environmental or farming related would be good as we will need lots of that in the future. Thanks for the trip down memory lane. Your grandfather would be proud.
Time has changed without computer just to calculate the coordinates will take not only time and hard to avoid mistakes that is detrimental when put into the machine for machining.
looking forward to the making.
you and me both!
Not a surprise to see you here, although you always seem so busy...
My apprenticeship started in 1965 as a draughtsman. Starting as a 5 year toolmaker then an extra 2 years specialising on draughting. No computers then just slide rules, different world then. Nice to see the old skills being used. Xx
Thanks for sharing! Hoping to keep the trades somewhat alive along with manual machining
My instructor for drafting had started in the 70's and taught us this! I bought a drafting table for home projects, absolutely love it.
I work in many different computer programs for my job, but nothing replaces the looks of a handmade drawing!
It was still all manual when I graduated in 83! Only calculators had replaced slide rules.
@@drivestowork it was still manual in the early-90s before I got to high school. By the late-90s though CAD had taken over.
we are still taught that method as a primary method, CAD comes in at certificate 3 three and onwards through diploma levels for civil engineering, and architecture. here in Australia.
When I trained as a Draftsman back in the 1980's, we had CAD but an Old School Master as our Teacher.
Everyday we'd start the class by turning in a sheet of hand lettering. The standard was perfection.
To this day I am grateful for that... and so are the people who need to read my handwritten notes.
I had a mechanical drafting class in high school. The teacher's standard was perfection. If I drew a line with two motions of the pencil instead of one that was points off. My teacher had eagle eyes. I still appreciate him to this day and wish I had put more effort into the class. I envy those that can draft like this fella in the video.
My high school had several drafting classes (we were just down the street from Boeing in Everett, Washington) and I never got a chance to take the classes because they were already filled up. I wonder what would have been different if I had been able to take those classes.
B.S. 308...!
I have a computer for those notes. Handwritten notes are just more work for the poor bastard that has to copy or edit them.
@@jrshaul do you want a cookie?
I envy your discipline. I always "wing it", screw-up the part, rename it "prototype" and do it right the second time :D
Gotta replenish the scrap bin, i do the same.
hell, even when I do draw it out I occasionally screw it up 😂
I need to start drawing. Now I have no idea where I should make this hole.
🕳️
@@jakubkopec9313 😂😂
AKA the SpaceX way vs the space agency way.
I think both approaches have their merits and it really depends on your project, environment and preference which is better for you. Is it something that's quick and cheap to make, or is it something that will cause a lot of pain if you need to redo it? How much information can you get from reasoning about your project and how much from just building it and seeing what happens?
As an engineer it gives me so much joy to watch, I like the love which is put in hand drawings.
CAD definitely removes a level of investment compared to hand drafting. Glad you enjoyed it!
@@InheritanceMachining Not true! It's what's taught to people. I use CAD for patent drawings and keep them illustrative looking like drawings from the early 1900s. New employees I often have to retrain on CAD to actually care about the end content and how it looks. What they learn now is "just get the idea across, the 3d will do the rest."
I got my mechanical engineering degree from India in 2018 and I had to learn to do this for 2 years (out of the total 4 year course)... It really helped me visualize objects in 3D in my head...
As a retired draughtsman it was a joy to watch you creating these drawings and brings back so many happy memories. It is definitely a lost art and something I was competent at but never quite got to the artist level that I envied so much. The introduction of CAD has certainly changed the industry and I became quite skilled with it, but I always missed the drawing board.
That’s the biggest reason I draw by hand when I can. There is a lot lost when it comes to CAD. Thanks for watching
My father was an engineer and my brother still is. I grew up around technical drawing and even had a drafting class in high school. Your video bring back a lot of memories from a time long past. I really respect you being a machinist and doing your own drawings without a computer. It's a level of craftsmanship that you don't see anymore. Kudos to you!
Thanks! There will likely be times I do revert to a computer. But for these simple projects this way is more enjoyable for me.
I deal with a LOT of young engineers (
I've seen the same thing as well. I'm pretty sure in the US drafting is rarely offered any more in High Schools. I'm glad I got the chance to learn it. Definitely a better designer because of it.
I am probaly a edge case, I am currently doing a master's in marine technology (ship design would be abetter name). I own a BSI book on drafting and love producing 2D drawings from 3D cad models and hand drafting. I've only done it fully on a few products during my placement, but love the end result. Making sure that all the dimensions are done in the best way and consistent with BSI8888. Althoigh I knew it was pointless as the tool makers would just use the 3D model, and the quality control department didn't know anything about drafting, or engineering in general, so would only read the largest number and complain if it was in spec.
@@InheritanceMachining it's barely taught in Plymouth's(UK) university. It was a 1 hour exam where you copied three already made drawing, and wasn't tought at all.
@@InheritanceMachining I actually learned drafting at Kettle Moraine Lutheran High School in Jackson, Wisconsin. Don't know if it's still offered today though.
The FB6 of the FH Aachen (Aerospace part of the university) still has technical drawing as a mandatory part of the CAD course in the first semester. I would even say that it is actually the main part of that, as the exam at its end tests the technical drawing.
I feel quite lucky that they do that, and that I learned it because of that. The depth to which the course goes in terms of teaching is of course limited, but it very much gives you the idea.
A beautiful insight into the art of drafting. Thank you for sharing and letting us appreciate the skills that seem to be a bit lost to time. Its a pleasure watching you work as always!
Thank you as always, Charl! Keeping them alive along with the manual machining!
A great look back into drafting and the conventions that go with drawings. Penmanship and line width and style was such an iconic feature of engineering drawing. Being a retired tool maker from auto industry, it was pleasing to reminisce.
Glad you enjoyed it!
I took 3 yrs of Drafting in HS (LD Bell class of 67); my teacher, Richard E. Perry was a stickler for hand lettering. No templates allowed, although we could use an Ames Lettering Guide to draw guidelines in 9H. Over the next 45 years, I was told more than once the reason I was hired was my lettering. Later on, I used Unigraphics, CADAM and CATIA, and they clearly are better, but they never gave me the good feelings of completing a manual drawing.
The old ways may not always be the best ways, but they absolutely need to be taught and remembered. Loving all the content - big thanks!
Thank you! I agree. For me it more of a labor of love like the machining itself.
I had 2 semesters of Architectural Drawing in 10/11 grade in High School. My final drawing was my friend's US Ice Age Water Bong (circa 1980) and I got a B+. Helped me draw my own plans for Plumbing and HVAC/R systems I installed later during my career.
I took three years of CAD classes when I was in high school, and I still remember a fair bit of it. Seeing your drafting machine and pencil brought back old memories. I never did get the hang of the compass, but I'll just blame that on the equipment I was using.
As a german mechanic and engineer I drew like this during apprenticeship and study (Between 2010 and 2015). It helps you to think more in advance compared to CAE/CAD.
Great to see pencil drafting again. CAD doesn't replace it until we start with changes and revisions, and your discussion of the decision process clearly lays the foundations. What used to amaze me was how the practiced eye was able to recognise the unique "hand" of the individual draftsman. Thanks for this video.
Thanks! Yeah the revisions and figuring can be a real bear at times. I've taken to mocking up like I did in this video and it helps a lot. Funny you mention being able to recognize the draftsman by their work. I've noticed this within my engineering group at work as well
@@InheritanceMachining I used to could immediatly tell who in our "drafting pool" drew a machine detail yards away without seeing the signature. With CAD, it's more difficult but they still have a bit of individual character - but nothing like manual drawings. Sadly, because of signed Confidentiality Agreements, I didn't keep many of my own. I smuggled a few "masterpieces" out many years ago that my daughter has. I do miss creating that art.
@@worldsbestwatcher3735 Sounds like something I would do 😁 Don't worry I wont tell! My wife and I have on occasion framed old drafted prints and hung them in our house as artwork.
@@InheritanceMachining Awesome that you framed a few. Along those lines, another idea for decor is to frame interesting patent drawings for toilets and and such to hang in the guest bathroom, automobile or lawn mower patents in the garage, and so on. One peculiar patent drawing for the bathroom or garage is one that shows a hose going from the driver's lap to the carburetor of his car if you can find it.
That’s for sure. When I was in practice I could make new drawing on a board about as fast I could on CAD...not so much making changes.
I’m 25 and I have an obsession and deep admiration of vintage manual machinery. There’s just something beautiful about it, done with skill, no automation, no computers, just craftsmanship. I restored a 1926 South Bend model C 9” lathe and fell in love with it. The ability to make your own parts, exercise your creativity and let your ideas play out is something so satisfying. You have so much more pride in making your own parts on a manual machine that’s pre-WW2. A machine that’s still going strong to this day, a machine that was built to last. You don’t see this standard level of quality anymore. It is an art, a passion, a love for an age long gone.
I’m a current Junior Mechanical Engineering student who has only ever known CAD. It is so cool to see what drafting by hand actually looks like! Thanks for such an awesome video! Can’t wait to see more!
My pleasure!
I was trained up on the board in the 70's. Encouraged to develop a style. Loved it. Finished my career with 3d modelling, but you couldn't tell one designer from another.
That's....a good thing? Diagrams should be stadnardized.
I don't want to sound disrespectful but it surprises me that a person of your age has an anime profile pic.
Not that there is anything wrong with that, it just surprises me.
Anime or spongebob? I prefer the visual quality of anime. No offense taken.
@@bloodnivel70 Anime has existed for quite a while, at least anime as we know it today had started emerging around the 60’s and 70’s
I am an engineer and learned both - manual and CAD...nowadays working complete with digital solutions its n
wonderful to see those kind of drawings. Nicely done! If you see this you automatically respect good old drawings even more!
Much appreciated!
I started out with a wooden T-square and plastic angles, progressed to a wire-weighted parallel bar, progressed to a Zukor-Bieffe parallel movement - and from then onwards (possibly late 1990) progressed to computer AutoCad and Solidworks.
after youve gone to SW its hard to go backwards
That is a very familiar progression. Mine was much the same.
Which of the non-CAD systems would you recommend for someone looking for an upgrade on a T-square? I do draughting not only for its technical utility but also for the artistic quality of the drawing.
Ditto.
Though in the mid '90's I found it more profitable to take people from A-B as a Black Cab driver....
....MUCH more profitable and enjoyable too.
Although most of my TD skills are lost I still retain the art of mirror writing and reading.
@@isaacmarkovitz7548 I would recommend the wire weighted parallel bar system, for it's ease of home maintenance and reliability, coupled with an adjustable square for those awkward angles.
Simple & effective for both Right and Left handed people.
HTH
Always enjoy when you Draft on a table and happy to see your finished drawings. As a Designer/Draftsman for the last 40 years, it makes me happy to see the skill you show.
Great video. I loved drafting way back in my youth. I still enjoy drawing simple plans from scratch on paper. This really makes one appreciate the folks who created everything from trains to bridges before computers were invented. Thanks for sharing.
I know right... i think about all the mechanical marvels that existed before electronics then think how they were also drawing by hand. Amazing. Thanks for the support!
My first job at an engineering firm a senior designer in his 60's always had his drafting board by his desk and designed everything on paper, then had the juniors convert them later (it sounds like a waste of effort but he was too valuable to force the transition to CAD). It was quite incredible to watch him do his magic although he was a major A-hole.
My grandfather was a tool and die maker from 1946 until he retired in the 80's. I use to LOVE looking at this stuff and asking him about it all.
I'm glad I found this channel. I'm learning CAD / CAM software and simultaneously drafting by hand, the old-fashioned way. There is something peaceful about doing things by hand. Sure it takes longer, but you feel more connected to the project when you do so.
Exactly!
As a draftsman of over 30 years whom started out drafting on a table using a drafting machine, I really appreciate your channel. I still have all of my tools and I break them out from time to time at home when I need to convey some ideas to my better 3/4's. In a world that has become ever so increasingly digital with CADCAM CNC 3DMAX Sketchup (whatever that is), it's refreshing finding a content contributor that's not only manual matching but manual drafting, it really shows a commitment to the craft, and whats better still is your no slouch sir, good show and bravo!
Thank you! I use various CAD softwares as my day job so the cool factor has worn off a bit. I find the manual drafting the same kind of therapeutic break away from the screen as the machining itself.
When I first came to Canada (1979) my first boss was quite the draftsman. Had the same engine as you do. He would do electronic and mechanical drawings straight to ink on vellum so they could be blueprinted for the shop.
If you corrected one of his drawings it had to be in red pencil and a copy was kept on file until he did the update.
I had done basic drafting in school and the company paid for night school classes to update.
Then along came the first PC's. I tried to get him to change to CAD but he said "I'm too old to start again. When I retire you can take over with CAD". The company paid for me to take a basic AutoCAD course at night school and I scrounged up an LT copy, which I still use, for electronic and mechanical drawings. I have basic sheet templates setup and can produce a working drawing, depending on complexity, in a relatively short time. The main thing I like about CAD is if you forget a dimension it's easy to go back to the file and get it accurately rather than guesstimating with "scales" and other devices. I still work from a paper print (pdf) and if necessary it can be "zoomed" to a more useful size if needed.
Nice to see someone who can wield a pencil and associated tools with the required finesse. Thanks for a different view of the project. Helps to understand what your final destination will (might) be. Looking forward to the rest of the project and "sides".
Regards from Canada's banana belt.🤞🇺🇲🤔🕊️🇺🇦🍌🇨🇦👍
Thanks for sharing, Ron! Ironically most of the work I did with my grandfather was though AutoCAD which I "learned" as an early teen. We had a printer as well so we could take the drawings to the machines. I didn't learn traditional drafting until high school but was simultaneously learning 3D CAD in another class. But I still found the board work interesting and therapeutic. Also built a respect for putting together good drawings. Anyway, thanks for watching and following along!
sir, thy english is most pleasant to observe, but thinkest thou that the average monad of peasantry even comprehends that a draughtsman is an olden form of draftsman?
@@camillosteuss I don't claim to be literate. Just not illiterate. I sometimes make mistakes and use the wrong spelling of the intended word as in this case. I must have been thinking of a beer in the current heat. My apologies. There, fixed, how Canadian.
@@ronwilken5219 No dude, why change it, i said it as a compliment, its nice seeing olden words used, modern english lacks the charm and depth of proper old english... Sure, it may be uncommon now, but its not wrong, its proper spelling, its just archaic, its commendable and a sign of culture, even if such signs can deceive...
All the best
@@camillosteuss you're welcome. Thanks.
I was taught “Technical Drawing” here in England in the 1970’s at High School. I love to sketch out my ideas by hand, and consider the “old fashioned way” the most satisfying way. Inspired by this video I’ve just sourced a text book dating to the 1970’s and look forward to seeing what I learned ( and have since forgotten) in the 1970’s. And to take it a step further I have also located a Draughting Head and as a side project I hope to make my own draughting table. Thank you for the inspiration. 👏👏👍😀
Whoever said that old-school drafting was easy? I enjoyed your expertise in drafting skills. I used to draft but never at the level of detail that you possess. But at that time it was "good enough!" It paid the bills. I never conquered the CAD-CAM computer design since I didn't have to. I went on to repair tv's for 40 years.
50years..my grandfather was tool and die for Chrysler and Ford he taught me appreciation and ability...10 years ago I had to learn computer science and engineering ...AutoCad and Master Cam...getting certified in MFG.ENG.....Respect for you and your video...appreciate your efforts and abilities....the FOUNDATION OF OF MACHINE is this...math ABILITY is a must....I hand made obsolete gun parts and modifications for 40 years....thank you.
I love this! My coworkers and I happened across an old wooden box full of hand-drafted drawings of a rocket turbopump from 1958. It was so cool.
As an artist, the fact that your drawings will be made into something real and tangible is akin to magic to me. Your imagination made manifest by applying mathematics and science to art, add in some fudge here and there, and you bring drawings to life through sheer force of will and determination.
Outstanding!
Wow, that brings back memories from when I was in school. I learned making technical drawings and shop drawings on a drafting table. Right after school when I started working in this field, I had to start using CAD programs. That was 27 years ago. Stil make these drawings for a living. Programs have evolved a lot, but it helps if you know the "old way". Nice work !! (sorry for my English, it's not my language :-) )
Thanks! Yes the programs have come a very long way
@@InheritanceMachining I'll second that.
Back in the '80's and '90's it was actually quicker to do on a drawing board for one off pieces, but for structural drawings requiring multiple layers/levels the AutoCad program became infinitely faster and by programming in a few macro's to the AutoCad .EXE you could do wonders.
By the time AutoCad 14 came out in the mid '90's it was the end of drawing board drafting and firms wanted to pay a pittance for what 'they' considered 'unskilled' computer work.
Like so many Mechanical Engineers of my era, I started my career as a Detail Draftsman. It was at a time just before 2D CAD entered most drawing offices. Long after CAD began revolutionizing the design and drafting profession, I continued to try to do at least some of my drafting work on the board for the sheer enjoyment of it. Nowadays, its impossible for me to do any drafting on a board, but I constantly get comments from young engineers on how my free hand site sketches look like artwork LOL, and my lettering on hand written notes looks like it is printed (A legacy of all those thousands of detail drawings I created back in the day). Aside from the technical aspect necessary for good drafting practices, it truly is a craft to be able to layout a drawing manually and have it look not only legible, but professional. Thanks for this video. It was a wonderful trip down memory lane.
As a kid in high school (many decades ago) I took a class on drafting in Industrial Arts. I still use many of the things to this day that I learned way back when. It’s good to see you sharing how to create such drafts so others can appreciate how it was done for so long (and the beauty of why to keep it around even now!).
I relate to that. I use more of what I learned in HS tech classes, including drafting, in my engineering job than what I learned in college.
So much skill, awesome video! I’m 62 and we had industrial arts in school, one elective was always drafting. Loved it, did it for a living after h.s. Until I discovered surveying and working outdoors. Drafting still has a soft spot in my heart! Anybody remember Leroy?
Hell, yes! First used one in Jr. High drafting class about 1956.
I was lucky enough, and I’m old enough, to be taught TD (technical drawing) at school aged 14 to 16 yrs old. I did love it too. This might inspire me to buy a old drafting table, no one wants them and there dirt cheap. Thank you for your inspiration. From across the pond!
Go for it! Its very therapeutic
@@InheritanceMachiningAnd easier on the Eye's than a computer screen (causes less eye strain).
Retired Mechanical Draftsman here. Good to see a drating table again. Nice drawings .. and i hesitate to critique, but could be much better by adhering to line quality conventions (heavy line thicknesses for object lines, medium for hidden lines, thin for hatching and center lines and the like). The border should be heaviest/thickest of all. Having four "lead holders" with various leads will do you fine. Center lines and section view lines have specific patterns. Using a lettering guide will improve the uniformity/appearance of the lettering. Man, as much as I loved going to CAD and it first came out, I surely miss the old manual drafting. I suspect I drew 5,000+ drawings in my career. I prided myself in having beautiful drawings. I think back on them all as works of art now. Good to see you carrying on the know-how. PS. If you twist the lead holder when drawing a line, it keeps the lead point sharp longer and provides a more consistent, good line quality. Thanks again. 👍
Thanks for the tips! I only have a couple pencils and holders so I might have to expand my collection to make that possible. I also had a little trouble getting thinner lines to appear on camera so had to resort to all heavy lines. Either way I still have a lot to learn here. Thanks again!
Man! I have no desire to be a machinist or own a lathe but I do enjoy learning how things work. Your videos make machine work so intriguing. Great job looking forward to the next upload.
Im glad! Thanks for the support!
0:29 - I started my college studies of mechanical engineering in 1996. Just in the period that the "industry" was going from drawing by hand to CAD. Nowadays, you just dont see students learn to make drawings by hand. So I really appreciate you learnt this! Having a drawing board available is a rarity.
This was awesome, Brandon! This is all so crazy for me to see, since I do all of my designing in CAD. I am going to share this with my Dad, though, as he's taught this stuff before. I'm sure he'll appreciate it even more than I did!
I'm excited to see these parts get made! Keep up the great work.
I studied architecture in Germany "only" 15 years ago- we had to draw completely by hand the first 2 years... and after that we were allowed to use CAD... but we did not have actual classes on how to use it...
@@olik136 Yeah, I had to do a lot of multi-view drawings in Engineering, but nothing to this level of detail. I enjoy sketching stuff, but all of the symbols and such required in drawing actual prints would give me a headache! That stuff is bad enough on a computer... Haha!
Thanks Jay! I feel like I still don’t know much, at least compared to what I used to or people who used to do this for a living. I’d be curious to hear what he thinks!
@@InheritanceMachining I would say the main thing is that your line weights are off. We had to use "always sharpened" H6-H2 pencils to do the linework. The most important thing is that the outlines of objects you cut through are the thickest and the outlines of edges you just look at are thin. Hidden edges are dashed lines, if the edge is below the plane you cut through the dashes are big, if it is behind the plane the dashes are small. In theory you have to draw thicker lines by putting other thin lines right next to each others.. in practice most people press harder and use softer pencils for thicker lines. Some of these conventions might be different in the US- but this is what we got thought in the first week :) have fun drawing
@@olik136 thanks for the info! Some of this I wasn’t aware of. I mostly make the lines bold enough so they are visible for the camera. I also don’t have a wide assortment of pencils/leads at the moment
Before earning my ME degree at the age of 38 I worked as a machinist and also did quite a bit of drafting which I learned in school. These two skills gave me invaluable knowledge that was applied to everything I did as a ME.
Fascinating. I can appreciate the thought put into the drawings with the machining process in mind. Would be nice if everyone who made a print had that ability. Im very excited to watch this piece come to life.
Thanks. Being the person who will ultimately build to the drawings, you learn pretty quickly what dimensions are important. Same goes for designing around the tooling you have in the shop whenever possible
I just started a full-time job as a mechanical design engineer for lockheed martin space and I gotta say this is truly impressive!
That drafting table would be a salvation during mechanical engineering studies... Great video as always!😁
When I first started drafting in 7th grade we did everything by hand, then when I started CAD in 9th grade we started everything by hand before we did it on CAD. For anything that was high end I always finished it by hand but kept all of my cad drawings
@@tjboylan20 What do you mean saying finishing by hand? I mean, did you make the drawings one more time but using your bare hands or finishing like finishing a half-way made drawing on CAD?
It's a really nice thing to have even now. Thanks for watching!
@@GBWM_CNC i do everything on cad then I redo the drawing by hand
Drafting machine, lead holder, templates, compass... this is great stuff! Like seeing the design process before the machining.
Thanks! It's a necessary part (for me at least) so might as well share it as well.
Next will be split nib pens, raised edged triangles, and beam compass pens on Vellum for blueprints...will wonders never cease!
Nice job as always. I'm so glad you started doing UA-cam. And showing as you go. It's so cool to see you develop your skills. Thanks for all you do and be blessed
And thank you as always! Happy to share and learn from others along the way.
I’m not even a native English speaker, just know a bit of English. I watched the full video without subtitles
and hear I am; looking in the comments for an answer to the 536 questions I have on my mind right now!
You’re so smart! Very good job.
Just found your channel and am quite enjoying it. I remember taking a traditional drafting course in high school and quite enjoyed it. Unfortunately everyone at the universities was moving towards computerized systems by then, one of the reasons I ultimately went into mathematics and not engineering; sadly, there was no escaping the use of computers in the professional world. I know they have made (some) things more efficient, but to me computers have destroyed the romance and appeal of engineering and the sciences.
Thanks. There's definitely been a lot lost in many regards during the transition to computers. I count myself lucky to have bean able to take a drafting class as well.
I too find myself very fortunante to have been able to take a drafting class in high school especially with it only haveing been a few years ago. Im looking at one of by drawing now and it was dated May of 2018. I had a very good teacher who I believe is the reason I'm now in college pursuing a degree in engineering. Unfortunatly he retired the same year I graduated so I'm not sure if the class is even offered anymore. I have that drawing framed in my dorm room and its what inspires me to keep doing what I'm doing.
Engineering is about efficiency, not romance, and CAD and other computer tools make our job simpler and easier. If you think manual drafting is in any way superior, you've never learned how to effectively use CAD software. That being said, pretty much every new design starts out as a hand sketch, so manual drafting skills still have an important place.
@@GideonMesser And that's why I became a mathematician, where creativity, ingenuity, and elegance are still valued above efficiency, simplicity, and productivity.
I simply fundamentally disagree with your premise that efficiency has any virtue; I believe the virtue of something is decided by elegance and beauty and nothing else. Something highly inefficient and beautiful will always be superior to something highly efficient but ugly or mundane. This is why we mathematicians still force everyone to learn Euclidian Geometry, it's probably the most inefficient way to learn Geometry and it's amongst the most useless knowledge you will obtain in your mathematics education, but it's beautiful and elegant and that's enough.
@@costakeith9048 In some ways I agree, something was definitely lost when people began using computers to create engineering drawings. However you must remember that these are not pieces of art and must be used, not matter how much time you spend on them. I design rocket engines and you can only imagine what an assembly of the turbo machinery looks like on paper. It’s a near incomprehensible mess of lines and they take hours and hours to draw by hand. Being able to see an assembly or even a component in three dimensions has made my life a billion times easier, even the flight configuration diagrams we use now are much better computerised. Sometimes there is elegance in simplicity.
I learn how to draft in high school. I ended up going air force, then criminal justice/public safety and now in my middle age have made the decision to pivot. I am hopefully starting an apprenticeship in a high end tool room soon.
I really enjoyed this!
Thank you, good sir!
Thank you! Big changes take guts. Good luck to you!
@@InheritanceMachining I appreciate that very much!
Cheers!
Currently watching this at my desk at work where I'm watching you on one screen and using AutoCAD on the other screen. I'm a draftsman (and, yes, I'm well versed with an analog drafting table, too). Keep up the great work!
haha sounds like me! Thanks man!
I work for a building manufacturer and we use AutoCad and Tekla. But one of the maintenance man who just retired after 48 years was in charge of special projects and he did everything buy hand just like this. He even went through our entire facility and drew everything to scale including trash cans.
Wow thats nuts. I did think anyone in the production world was still do that
A week ago I acquired some of my grandpas (and great grandpas) old drafting pencils and templates and such, they were both engineers, and I’m looking forward to learning more about this process!!
That's great! I've dropped different segments on drafting in different videos you might like or find helpful
As a civil engineer who also does a ton of machine work if it’s a personal project or a final project for a customer that i have time, I always take the time to hand finish all of my work. I have separate CAD drawings but I always do the floor plan by hand
That's interesting... Is that a common practice in CE?
@@InheritanceMachining for small companies doing residential construction in my area yes, but any large plans nothing is done by hand anymore. Everything we do commercially or for the city has a deadline of yesterday so we don’t have time.
How do you judge which project requires well-made drawings? Is it based on project complexity, or you do drawings for everything just for practicing with the pencil? In other words - are those drawings have any practical use for you? I mean, it probably takes more time to draw than to cut 🙂
It definitely depends on complexity. If I can keep a sketch on a notepad clean enough to read I'll just do that. I debated not drawing the screw and t-nuts on this project but did it anyway for consistency sake. The drafting machine makes the drawing pretty quick as well.
@@cchadwick7529 Are there any rules of thumb what "part or process" is "precision" enough to require a formal drawing? There are parts that look very complicated, but are trivial in manufacturing. Some parts look simple, but are extremely hard to manufacture. Some parts have tight tolerances, but are trivial in shape. Which of there absolutely requires a formal drawings to get a success (given that we always need 1 or 2 pieces as a hobbyists, outside of industrial processes, and we make drawings for ourselves)? I am curious in how each engineer make this decision. Because it is not obvious to me, and I have never done any formal drawings in my life. A random piece of paper, rough shape, random scale, precise dimensions - it always works. But now I am in doubts. Maybe I miss something.
It’s only my opinion but I find the process of drawing something out, regardless of how small, radically speeds up the machining process. You naturally start planning the tools/material/steps you’ll follow and become aware of the critical areas to watch. By the time you’re committing to steel you’re pretty much painting by numbers.
@@markhookey9940 well said. I’m always designing around the tooling I already have. Do all the figuring up from then just execute
@@markhookey9940 I agree Mark. I use the same logic with my wood and leather projects as well. A little time at the drawing board can save hours of frustration and wasted resources ($) in the shop.
my papa…i have many of his prints framed, and his desk and most of his drawing gear.
He could fix anything make anything from anything as a kid he was bigger than life, as an adult he was just as amazing.
Miss you so much papa..
I was in the last class in my high school to have full technical drafting training just before we switched to CAD... I was fortunate enough to have "grown up" drawing, and still to this day will take pencil to paper to design whatever I'm building. There's something very satisfying about it. Glad to see you're keeping the tradition alive, and I'm totally jealous of your drafting table and machine!
As someone who builds and fabricating things from shop drawings, standard drawings and blueprints, I really appreciate well made drawings. The use of computers and CAD programs has made a lot of drafters lazy, they do a lot of copy and pasting and they frankly don't often have much of any real world, hands on experience. If you're the one who actually builds things based off of drawings, you immediately know when things are wrong and simply aren't going to work. Makes you want to march into their office and say, "Look at me: I'M the drafter now."
I've been doing drafting & design work for about 39 years. I started out working with a manual drafting table & progressed to CAD from there. I can't cay I miss drawing by hand, but it was more artistic.
I agree. I don’t draft because it’s better. Just more enjoyable to do it the old way (occasionally) Like manual machining
Love this...my father who never trained as an engineer, was one. He was an inventor and drew like a engineer on his beloved drafting table...thanks for the memories...
Thats great! My grandfather had a similar path as well. Thanks for watching!
Takes me back 35 years to my college drafting class. Loved that class!
Mine was high school but fun all the same. Like are class for tech nerds 😂
I started machining in the mid-late 1970's and that's how I learned how to do it all manual.
It is a lost art and not many people even know what a machinist is, nice job!
But now I have to use computers and CNC to get parts out faster.
I started drafting in Jr. High School around 1972, went with Architecture in high School. Dropped it all once I got to College. I miss the old ways. Great VIDEO !!!
My stepfather was a patient artist and draftsman and worked by hand for over 50 years up until only a few months before his passing.
I remember him spending so many hours at his table . It was a marvel to watch.
Great video ! I was a draftsman for about 35 years and retired for 6 years now. Started off on the board which took a while to produce real nice drawings. I was communicating what the engineer had in mind and how I could draw it so the machinist could easily understand it. Although I had a difficult time transitioning to CAD, it sure made things easier. Thanks again for taking the time to show this.
Thanks Paul. I always find it interesting to hear that draftsmen and engineers were separate roles back in the day. In modern times I think its pretty universal that engineers make their own drawings. At least in my experience
So refreshing to see a real engineer designing a real drawing instead of a cad special! Cad has its place but that’s usually production related 👍
Ah thank you so much! I agree, though there will certainly be some times when I'll have to revert to CAD for the sake of time and complexity
I learned technical Drawing in university. When i worked in a machine shop for 6 month i realized that it's all about tolerances :D If you are not in a 1/1000mm scale you have to include all the maximum tolerances or your workpiece might have some sides that are too thin or holes are to close to each other after machining it.
I learned a lot in bringing my drawings to the machine. :D i think every engineer should do this for some time to really get some insight into the problems that can occur when not thinking about the guys that have to build your ideas :D.
I find it beautiful when you draw by hand blueprints. Something peaceful about the drawing process and patience.
I love this industry and I absolutely love your videos. I'm only 16 but I'm learning so much from your videos which I hope to use in the future
When began my first project in my Machine Tool class, it was like love at first sight
You do beautiful mesmerizing work. It takes me back to design classes at engineering university about 1970. Sadly I was promoted so I could not continue this type of work myself but I enjoyed the work of my team and have done countless 'drawings' for my work on model boats! Nothing is wasted.
The very most favorite class I took in High school, was Mechanical Drafting. Using a pencil to draw all the diagrams and designs was such an enjoyable, and relaxing part of my school day. Great memories. Thank you so much for this video.😊
Glad you liked it!
I love the somewhat-recursive issues, like using the rotary table to round off the T-nuts that go in the rotary table
I was just thinking the same thing haha
This was amazing. I'm a fellow machinist and my father was a draftsman but more on the architectural side, he got into it as autocad became mainstream. He bought a bunch of the older drafting stuff to play with like a drafting engine, all kinds of tilting tables and weird early digitizer tables with strange mouse dongles. Never really used it to do any serious drafting more just to admire.
Until I watched this video I'd never seen one actually being used to draft something and wow, how incredibly satisfying. I'm pretty proficient in cad and always was confused why the different "projected views" were so rigidly forced into centerline alignment with eachother when making drawings until I saw you doing those projected bores... mind blown. Thank you.
Thanks! Yeah there are a few neat projection tricks like that. I didn't do it in this video but if you have a simple 3 view (front, top, side) drawing, you can draw a 45 degree line in the empty 4th quadrant to project features from the top view to the side view or vice versa
This is creating art, nothing less. I bought a drafting table/desk monstrosity with a Mutoh 25 years ago. It's been stored longer than I care to admit. Since then I've had to learn cad for work. This has inspired me to get the old desk out and get a design space of my own together. I even just ordered a new set of scales off of ebay (I hope they fit)
Manual drafting is an art and Brandon is an artist of the highest caliber. Well done, once again. My grandfather was an engineer/designer for western gear for many years and would draft designs this way. It's amazing to see the skill still alive.
Wow. Thank you so much! Its' really impressive the things people used to design without modern computers
Great to see you keep all your project drawings. It's a joy to see you working around problems, with patience & love.
They are like works of art! I could never get rid of them 😁
I started out as a sheetmetal worker and learned drafting for that purpose. I love drafting by hand . I love the math and I love the look of a hand drawn print. Nice to see others appreciate the same.
Look at you show off. I graduated from college in ‘79 and I still believe if you can draft something then you are a better technician. The world you take for granted was made this way, and it works. The connection it creates in your mind is tantamount to invention…………..🤔
It was an absolute joy to watch you measure, design and draw. Happy memories from my apprentice days.
So refreshing to see a REAL draftsman in action. One who will still function when others are waiting for a crashed program to be replaced.
It was nice to see you using a conventional drafting table. I used to teach drafting back in 1974-1975. This video brought back a lot of nice memories.
I remember my first assignment in my first mechanical drawing class: "Go home this weekend and play with your baby brothers building blocks." I remember thinking what is stupid assignment that was. On Monday morning, when the teacher explained to us about different views, and hidden features (depending on how you're looking at an object)...... It all started to make sense.
When you use a drafting table, doing individual views of an object, you have to use your imagination in a very accurate form. You don't just have a computer generate the object in front of you. You actually have to do something that's not in fashion anymore...... You have to think!
In high school, before computers, I took three years of mechanical drafting as an elective. We did everything from, I think they were called projections (front, top down, and side), to complex 3D drawings. All using nothing but a T-square and triangles. Over the years I've used many CAD programs and have found the knowledge gained from those three years of "old school" invaluable in using CAD.
Drafting, like typesetting, is a lost art. Thanks for bringing back memories.
I love this Table, just incredible to see how all this was done back in the Day without Computers.
Many an afternoon (decades ago) was spent hunched over the board as a teen, most often with a selection of carefully sharpened pencils but occasionally with inking pens. There is a slow satisfaction in putting together a drawing manually that is absent when defining parametric models on a screen. For my meagre model engineering efforts of today, I have decided to stick with paper and (mechanical) pencils to muddle through the design process. Kudos for taking the time to do so yourself in the production of these wonderful projects that you share with us.
Having been taught the “by hand” way of drafting in high school and then in college using all CAD this takes me back to when i could fully flesh out an idea before i spent hours and hours trying to force something to work when i could have just spent a couple hours getting the dimensions right by hand.
I tend to find CAD is always faster, especially for assemblies of parts. But also with CAD I end up spending a lot of time making constant minute tweaks and adjustments that probably don't matter in the long run
It's fascinating to look back on the old ways we used to make complex precise sketches.
I took drafting in high school and I really enjoyed the manual drawings we did, we also had computers so we did a mixture of CAD and manual drawing. I've been thinking of getting a drafting table to draw as a hobby.
A good manual machinist will always have a job. Helps to enjoy the work. Thaks for posting.
Trained as a Civil Engineer in Australia in the late '80s. Learnt to draw on the boards, which was usually the most chill 3 hours of each week. Even ended up developing and selling CAD software. I now teach 1st year Engineering students and they have NO idea as to how to do drawing and basically no desire to learn. I just wish I had the time in the chock a block semester to show this vid. The way you explain your process is gold.
Thank you. I see this same problem in the younger engineers I've schooled and worked with. Most are eager to model very complex and elaborate designs but end up just slapping a drawing together. I try to impress that the drawing is the end result of all that effort so should be treated as such. But it's still a struggle.
I had mechanical drawing as a class in middle school. While I was not really mentally mature enough I enjoyed it. This was in the early 80's and in our class it was all done on paper with pencil. Drawing the name plate, the border.. everything. I carried it on into high school.
I am not an engineer but I love this kind of stuff. I have worked in computer repair much of my life and so having to think through issues is important. Seeing your thought process and thinking was fun to follow along with.
Glad you find it interesting. Thanks for watching!
Seeing the drawings come to life was very satisfying.
We had that at school in 90s and I loved it - precise drawing is fascinating and attractive. People had successfully developed planes and rockets w/o computers using only this method and math.
I remember I did this for a week in high school and I think I nearly blew my brains out as a 14 year old. As a machinist in the 21st century with a laptop and solid works I have absolutely nothing but the utmost respect for the old school draftsmen. Absolutely boggles my mind that literally everything from the atomic bomb to tanks to rifles to planes and battleships were all designed exactly like this. And then we're made on machines where people were constantly physically turning the handles and not just loading a program into the cnc and letting it run for a couple hours while you go work on something else. Absolutely insane. I have no idea how it was ever accomplished.
In the 1970s i learned the basics in scool in Germany. Those three years of "technical drawing" are one of the few things i learned in school that have benefited me throughout my life.
Drafting is an art. It has certain rules and laws that must be learned, and understanding them will allow you find success in mastering the art. Mastering the art will allow you to build whatever your imagination can create. I would imagine Michelangelo would be envious of your talents.
I work for a company in turbo machinery, and a lot of projects i go to we get pdf files with the original hand drawn schematics. You can imagine how many drawings there are for hust one turbine. It's amazing to see the consistency in the drawings, like modern computer drawing. Lots of respect for the old guys who hand drawn all those machines.