Mechanical drawing is entirely different from freehand drawing. In freehand drawing the artist takes a pencil and some paper and sketches roughly what he sees—whether it be a portrait, a landscape or a nude figure. In doing this he makes use of his creative ability—his artistic sense—as well as his knowledge of design and anatomy. If he is sufficiently creative and gifted, his drawing will be a "work of art" even though it will be far from an accurate representation of the real thing.

Now the draftsman is not an artist in the above sense. He is not supposed to be an artist, and he need have no artistic ability or knowledge of anatomy for his important profession. He never draws from nature because all his subjects are man-made things. Good draftsmanship is really accurate, neat, clear line representation of mechanical objects drawn solely for the purpose of enabling carpenters, contractors and mechanics to make these objects. A mechanical drawing of a large oak tree or a beautiful nude girl would be just as impractical as a rough and totally inaccurate sketch of a vital machine part. Anyone can be a draftsman if he is willing to work and apply himself to accurate precision drawing.

There is absolutely no doubt that the postwar period will make extreme demands on the draftsman. All branches of engineering, as well as architecture, are sure to spurt ahead as never before. Technical men are sure to be in great demand, particularly in the field of electronics and electronic machinery, and in the building field. In all fields, whether in engineering, architectural or machine shop work, the draftsman is a very important person, for he is the middleman between the engineer and contractor; the architect and builder; the designing engineer and the machine shop mechanic.

Like every other important profession, drafting or mechanical drawing has many branches. The architectural draftsman confines himself to plans, elevations and detail sections of houses or buildings; he has little to do with cog-wheels, cams, levers, nuts and bolts and other parts of complicated machinery. He must know how to read blueprints, draw plans, perspectives, elevations and section details of moulding, trim and interior woodwork.

The engineering draftsman confines himself to structural shapes such as I-beams, columns, plate girders, rivets and reenforced concrete design. He should be able to draw anything that the architectural draftsman can draw, but he does not need to know much about country house design or perspective drawing.

The mechanical draftsman has the most difficult job of all, for he must not only know a great deal about shop drawing, isometrics, tool design, belting, gearing and so on, but he must be especially precise in his work. His drawings of machine parts and tools must be accurate to the thirty-second, or sometimes the sixty-fourth, of an inch. These drawings are often done full-size and in great detail. The engineer designs a piece of machinery or a tool, gives a rough sketch of it, with all dimensions marked, to the draftsman who must represent it exactly as it will be when manufactured. His work is a pattern for the finished part, and he plays a vitally important role in engineering.

All draftsmen, regardless of what particular branch of drafting they are in, must know certain fundamentals. They must know how to use and take care of their instruments. They must know how to draw to scale, and to make accurate scale drawings from rough sketches. They must know how to read blueprints, how to lay out their drawings neatly, how to letter well, and how to make shop or working drawings.

In order to accomplish the precise work which good mechanical drawing demands, the student must have in his possession a number of important instruments without which he cannot do his work, any more than a dentist could work without the instruments of his profession. Some of these are shown on the next page and will be discussed in detail in this book. The student must also be willing to apply himself and work hard at the mastering of certain fundamental principles. You can do this if you really make up your mind to it, and, as a draftsman, you will certainly be in great demand, both now and in the immediate postwar period.

Obviously, it is impossible, in a book of this size, to give all the information about all the branches of drafting and mechanical drawing. Each branch would fill a good-sized book all by itself. All that we aim to do here is to introduce you to mechanical drawing, instruct you how to use your instruments correctly, and how to draw simple and elementary' designs, shop drawings, perspectives and isometrics, neatly and accurately, to any scale. After you have mastered the lessons and other instruction in this book, and have done all the problems satisfactorily, you will be a self-made and competent junior draftsman who should be able to get a job in the drafting department of any engineering or architectural concern where advancement is sure to be rapid.

Courtesy Keuffel 8. Esser Co., N. Y.

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