Workplace & School

Drafting tables
Largely replaced by computer-aided drafting (CAD) systems
Drafting table

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There are 17 comments for this item.

Posted by CJ at 11:47 am (PDT) on Fri October 13, 2017   
@Al- I go back as far as you. While in highschool I saved money so I could buy myself a Mayline Drafting Board so I could practice at home. Wood with the metal strip on the left edge for the T-square and a lip on the bottom so penciles wouldn't roll off. Back then there were no such things as circle & oval templates. Just T-square, 30/60 & 45 degree triangles and compass. Also no fancy ink pens. Bottle of ink and having to adjust the wheel on the nib for various line thicknesses. I know you remember doing angled parallel lines using two triangles. LOL

I lived in Manitowoc, WI which is about a half hour drive from Sheboygan the home of Mayline.
Posted by Al at 6:20 pm (PDT) on Thu October 12, 2017   
I go back a little further than this board. This board has a drafting machine attached. I started with a Drafting Board, T -Square, and Triangles Fell in love with Drafting, became a draftsman, and eventually an engineer, I still have a drafting board set up in my home with T-Square etc.
Thanks for taking me back
Posted by chrisbroz at 8:48 pm (PDT) on Wed April 27, 2016   
Freddo30...I remember them...saw one on a secretary's deskyears ago...abaoiy as usefuil today as a DVD rewinder, though...
Posted by freddo30 at 4:11 pm (PDT) on Wed April 27, 2016   
I had a wonderful electric motor driven eraser which a skilled hand could wield like Rembrandt ... long rubber refills were pink and smelled good. Of course, a skilled draftsman rarely needed his ; I just liked mine - it had a hangar for the hook on the bottom edge of my board.
Posted by Duff at 9:37 am (PDT) on Fri April 22, 2016   
Sorry, Paul. There's nothing for sale on this site. But see the Gift Shop page for suggestions and links to other sites.
Posted by Paul Gordon at 11:16 am (PDT) on Thu April 21, 2016   
I want to buy this table! How much and how do I order it?
Posted by CJ at 6:34 am (PDT) on Thu October 22, 2015   
@Tommie - Thank you for NOT mentioning the "nightmare of all nightmares". Inking a fillet or a hidden circle. When I had drafting- we didn't have circle/oval templates yet.
Posted by CJ at 4:26 pm (PDT) on Wed October 21, 2015   
@tommie - And who can forget the pens for doing ink drawings. They had the thumb-wheel for adjusting the the space between the nibs to make the different types of lines.

@Duff - Thank you (sort of) for the development of CAD. Eliminated the the need of redoing an ink drawing because some idiot would bump the table or worse - not realizing a bit of ink got under the T-Square and left a streak on drawing. LOL
Posted by chrisbroz at 4:20 pm (PDT) on Wed June 10, 2015   
OK...I gotcha...I had/have a drafting set my late brother, Tim. used at Don Bosco Tech in Paterson, NJ in the late 60s early 70s...it had one of those pencils, along with a supply of leads...Still have the set minus the pencil...dunno what happened to it, but the dividers & protractors are still in like new condition...Gave the set to my w*fe who has more use for it than I do...

CB in FL
Posted by chrisbroz at 1:14 pm (PDT) on Wed June 10, 2015   
Mechanical pencils are still being made, but insteada rwisting the lead up you push the base to advance the 'lead' (which as we all know contains no lead (Pb) - it's a mixture of graphite and a binder)...seems to me that the 'lead' currently being used is of lesser quality, or the pusher advances the lead too far...I used one last month and kept breaking the 'lead' to the point where I just gave up!!!
Posted by Chuck Kopsho at 11:00 am (PDT) on Tue June 2, 2015   
Y'know? I haven't seen a mechanical pencil in eons. I guess they're still being manufactured. The table my dad had used it for home projects such as designing decks for the backyard.
Posted by Josy at 5:24 am (PST) on Mon November 24, 2014   
Where can I get some more information on this drafting table
Posted by Duff at 7:29 am (PDT) on Sun June 16, 2013   
Sorry (?) about that, Tommie. I was one of the original programmers responsible for creating AutoCAD. I trust it was a positive development Cool .
Posted by j007klein at 6:03 am (PDT) on Sat June 15, 2013   
This table is a bit more modern than the 6 foot Mayline table with elbow style drafting machine I used for many years... I STILL HAVE IT in the garage that I use to design bits and pieces for my hot rods. From the Mayline, we moved on to a single pedestal Hamilton electric height adjustible drafting table with auxiliary table and drawers. We also got the "new style" TrackMaster drafting machine as shown on the sample board. I STILL HAVE IT as well in the house that my wife uses the drawing table for her arts & crafts projects and the auxiliary table is our computer desk. I'll try and post pictures of both so we can remember the evolution of the drafting table into extinction! LOL
Posted by Davemus at 7:08 am (PDT) on Mon April 8, 2013   
I still have my french curves.
Posted by Duff at 2:08 pm (PDT) on Tue October 16, 2012   
Not sure what you mean by that comment, Abiy. If you're looking for a detailed drawing of this table, I don't have one...
Posted by Abiy at 12:46 am (PDT) on Tue October 16, 2012   
detail drawing of this drafting table

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