CHAPTER 1:

INTRODUCTION AND USE

OF
DRAWING
INSTRUMENTS
MEC 132 –
M EC132: C HAPTER
1 ENGINEERING DRAWING 1
CONTEN
TS
• 1.1 Box of instruments, T-squares, drawing board, set squares, compass and
scales
• 1.2 Type and grade of pencils and their use in drawing subject
• 1.3 Drawing paper: size and format scales and scale drawing
• 1.4 Line and application according to BS 308 and ISO

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OBJECTIVES
At the end of this chapter students should be able to:
• List the main drawing equipments.
• Discuss the use of different drawing equipments.
• Discuss the different line applications.

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Drawing
Equipment
The following equipment are recommended for the course :

◦ Drawing paper – A3 size (420mm x 297mm)

◦ Compass – large
◦ Mechanical pencils (grades 0.3mmxH, 0.5mmx2B,
0.7mmx2B)
◦ Eraser
◦ 30ox60ox250mm triangle
◦ 45ox200mm triangle
◦ Protractor – 150mm
◦ Ruler
◦ Masking tape
◦ Irregular curves – French or flexible types
◦ Circle templates
◦ Soft cleaning cloth
◦ Drawing board
◦ T-square

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 Figure 3 : Equipment used in technical
1 drawing
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 Drawing Boards & T-
 The left edge and right edge of a drawing board
Squares
has a true straight edge.
 For right-handed people, the left-hand edge of the
board is called the working edge because the T-
square head slides against it.
 For left-handed people, the right-hand edge of the
board is called the working edge because the T-
square head slides against it.
 The T-square is made of a long strip called the blade,
fastened at right angles to a shorter piece called the
head.

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 Drawing Boards & T-
Squares

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 Drawing Boards & T-
 Squares
The drawing paper should be
placed close to the working
edge of the board to reduce
any error resulting from the
bending of the blade of the
T-square.

 The paper should also be

placed close enough to the
upper edge of the board to
permit space at the bottom
of the sheet for using the T-
square.

 Drafting tape is used to

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fasten the drawing paper to
 T
Square
 A T-Square is a technical
drawing instrument used by
draftsperson.
 The primary purpose of the t-square is
to create horizontal parallel lines
 T-squares are typically wood with
clear plastic edges, but they can be
made of metal for cutting

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 Triangles
 Triangles are used to create vertical lines
 Triangles come in two forms, 30-60-90
and 45-45-90
 Basic geometry skills can help you create
other angles (a 30 on a 45 gets you a 75
degree angle, for example)
 Triangles are typically clear as seeing the
edge of the triangle is extremely
important to lining up your drawing
instrument (drawings must be precise!)
 Inking triangles are undercut (on one side
or two) so that ink will not smear
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Set squares
 Used for drawing lines at angle to the horizontal tee square blade. Vertical lines are drawn with
an upward stroke.

Drawing vertical lines

 Lines at the standard angles of 60°, 30° and 45° are drawn in the most convenient direction.

Drawing angled lines

 By using the two standard set squares of 60°/30° and 45°, a considerable number of useful
angles can be achieved.

Angles using set

squares  Set squares may also be used for drawing
parallel lines and lines perpendicular to
one another. To establish an angle of 90°
with a line which is at any angle on the
drawing paper sheet, the two set squares
may be used.
90° lines 90° lines using
using 30°/60° set
45° set square
square

Drawing parallel
lines
 All angle with respect to horizontal.

Drawn with 45° triangle Drawn with 30°/60°

triangle Combination of 45° and
30°/60° triangle
 French
Curve
 French curves are a template
that can create curves of
varying radii
 Hyperbolas, parabola,
eilipses and other shapes
are created using French
curves (although they take
some skill to master)
 Digital drafting has replaced
French curve use, although
most students are still
expected to understand how
to manipulate French curves
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 Flexible
Curve
 The flexi-curve is used as a last resort when a
French curve cannot approximate the c urve
 Flexi-curves can also be used to approximate a curve
in a rough drawing, and then a French curve is used
to make the curve accurate

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 Eraser
 Used to remove pencil lines and
s graphite smudges from a drawing

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 Compass

◦Used to draw circles

and arcs

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 Drawing
 High-quality drawing pencils should be used in
Pencils
technical drawing, never ordinary writing
pencils.
 Many makes of mechanical pencils are available
together with refill leads in all grades. Choose a
mechanical pencil that feels comfortable in your
hand.

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 Lead Pencil/Mechanical
Pencils
 Lead widths run from 0.03mm to 0.07mm
 Not as much control as the lead holder
 Pencil leads run from 9B (the softest lead) to 9H (the
hardest lead)
 Hard leads make very light lines, last a long time, and
also groove your vellum (9H are 41.5% graphite, 53.5%
clay and 5% wax)
 Soft leads make very dark lines, don’t last as long, and
are harder to erase (9B are 90.5% graphite, 4.5% clay and
5% wax)
 Standard pencils are #2 (HB), which makes them dark,
but also able to be erased completely

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Drawing
Leads The first consideration in the selection of a grade of lead is
the type of line work required. For light construction lines
and guide lines for lettering use a hard lead. For all
other line work, the lines should be BLACK. The lead
chosen should be soft enough to produce jet black lines but
hard enough not to smudge.
 9B, 7B, 6B, 5B, 4B, 3B, 2B, B, HB, F, H, 2H, 3H, 4H, 5H, 6H,
7H, 8H, 9H
(The American system – not used in most drafting/art supply
stores even
HARD
in America, has a different system of numbers
MEDIUM SOFT
1=B, 2=HB, 2.5=F, 3=H, 4=2H)
9H 8H 7H 6H 5H 4H 3H 2H H F HB B 2B 3B 4B 5B 6B 7B
Hard leads are used where Medium leads are used for Soft leads are used for various
extreme accuracy is required. general purpose line work in kinds of art work. These leads
Generally these leads are used technical drawing. are too soft to be useful in
for construction lines. mechanical drafting.
 Drawing Lead
Applications
TASK LEAD GRADE LINE WEIGHT
CONSTRUCTION LINES 3H, 4H, 6H THIN, LIGHT
VISIBLE OBJECT LINES H, F, HB THICK, DARK
HIDDEN LINES 2H, H THIN, DARK
CENTER LINES 2H, H THIN, DARK
DIMENSION LINES 2H, H THIN, DARK
EXTENSION LINES 2H, H THIN, DARK
LEADER LINES 2H, H THIN, DARK
CUTTING PLANE LINES H, F, HB THICK, DARK
PHANTOM LINES 2H, H THIN, DARK
LETTERING H, F, HB THIN, DARK

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 – LINE AND APPLICATION ACCORDING TO BS 308 AND ISO

 Table below offers some useful guidelines for which heights are appropriate to various uses.

METRIC, mm
USE
FREEHAND MECHANICAL

7 7 Drawing number in title blocks

7 7 Drawing title

7 7 Section and tabulation letters

5 5 Zone letters and numerals in borders

3 3 Dimension, tolerances, limits, notes, subtitles for special

views, tables, revisions and zone letters for the body of the
5 5 drawing
 Drafting
Pencils
◦ Don’t have erasers because standard pencil erasers are awful on vellum
and doubly awful for inking over (most drawings are inked after being done
in pencil)

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 Drawing
Paper

◦In this course, A3 white A

2
drawing paper is used.

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Figure 4 : Paper
sizes 2
0
 Layout of Drawing
Paper

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 Lettering
Technique
 Most engineering lettering is single-stroke Gothic font.
Lettering is drawn freehand and are drawn within
light horizontal guidelines.
Typically lettering is 1/8” high.
 All lettering uses upper case letters. Lower case
letters are
rarely used in technical drawings.
of the letters, composition and spacing, and practice.
 There are three aspects of good lettering: p.roportions
 There are six fundamental drawing strokes and their
and forms in basic lettering. Horizontal strokes are
directions
drawn from left to right, vertical strokes are drawn from
top to bottom, and curved strokes are drawn downward.

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 Lettering
Technique

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 General rules for lettering :-

◦ When lettering, always use as guidelines very light lines drawn with a straightedge. Do
not erase guidelines. Use your 0.3mm lead to make light guidelines.
◦ Do make the stroke of letters all vertically aligned or all sloping to the right. Do not
mix vertical and sloping characters!
◦ Do your lettering as the last step of your drawing because you will be using a lead
which
ca n lead to smudges.
◦ Make decimal points bold and clear. It is important that they be clearly visible.
◦ Remember, letters and numbers should be dark, use your 0.7mm (H) lead.
◦ Space guidelines (3mm) apart for whole numbers and letters.
◦ For fractions, space guideline (6mm) apart.
◦ The height of the overall fraction number must be double from the height of the
normal number and the fraction number must be ¾ from the number height. For
example, if the height of the number is 3mm, therefore, the overall height for the
fraction number is 6mm and the height for each of the fraction number must be 2mm.

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M EC132: C HAPTER 2
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 Ensure that numbers above and below the fraction line do not
touch the line (Figure 8) and are vertically aligned
(Figure 8b).

Figure 8(a)

Figure 8(b)
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 Method of
Dimensioning
•Projection lines and dimension lines are full, thin
lines.
•Dimensions should be placed outside the drawing
wherever practicable as shown in Figure 9.

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Figure 9 : Projection lines and dimensioning 2
9
lines.
 ◦ Dimensions should be preferable be placed just above dimension
lines and in such a position as to be read from the bottom or right-
hand edges of the drawing sheet.

◦ Dimensions should not be repeated on a drawing unless there is a

good reason for the repetition. It is important that the points of arrow
heads should touch the projection or other limiting line.

◦ A centre line, or a line which is extension of a centre

line, should never be used as a dimension line.

◦ Arrowheads must be easily readable and normally not less than

3mm long (Figure 10). It is important that the point should touch the
projection or other limiting line. Figure 10 shows the right way to draw
the arrow and its dimension.

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 Figure 10 : The right way to draw the
arrow
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 Example of dimensioning method of an object
:-

M EC132: C HAPTER Figure 11 : Drawing lines for 3

1
dimensioning 2
 END OF
CHAPTER
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