proper care and feeding of your drafting machine

Just picked up a 60" track mounted drafting machine and I have a question of some of you old timers
I cleaned the horizontal track very well so she slides smoothly but the up-down track is not smooth at all. I got the track clean but I am not able to get the 8 bearinged wheels clean without unstrining it and doing a real takedown. Am I opening a can of worms here?
The tracks were caked up with some petrified black ooze, I guess it's some kind of old lube. I won't ask about all the knobs and gizmo's on this thing I have never used one of these high falutin things. The dining table, T-Square, and trangles have sufficed so far but I'm to the point where a serious persuit of this madness requires the proper tools
Now to get my ducks done.................8

 

Personally, I'd ditch the machine and get hold of a parallel straightedge (like this http://www.draftingsteals.com/catalog-drafting---drawing-equipment-parallel-straight-edges.html ) they are much quicker to use and are less prone to 'slipping'. For angle use an adjustable triangle ( http://www.draftingsteals.com/catalog-drafting---drawing-aides-triangles.html ). As so few lines in boats are straight, your machine will only get in the way...sorry

As for cleaning up the machine, you could always wash the sticky stuff with a solvent and then re-lube. It would be worth a try before you go pulling it all apart...

 

Now Darnit Will.....Your bustin my bubble here I was lookin forward to slidin this thing all around wigglin this, turnin that, spewing all kinds of formulas for my someday customers. You know ....baffel em with BS
8

 

8, Will is right, pretty much. i used a simple board with a parallel rule for years, then threw out the rule, and much later was given a Vemco machine, 72". Lovely piece of kit, but a pain in the posterior to draw with it on the board. It spend so much time in "flipped up" mode that I gave the thing away.
However, I sympathise with you on the want for it, and for the fun they can be to restore and play with Try doing as Will suggest (clean and re-lube) but use something like Boeshield T9 instead of a traditional wet lube. T9 does wonders for my mt bike chain
Steve

 

Man.....This is all very depressing, I thought I had a good thing here. Well I'll clean her up and use it for what I can In the early stages of school. I know they were THE tool of choice 20 years ago. It's part of that "change" thing. Mr Gates did us well by bringing us Windows and all the tech and software that followed along with it. In all reality I would be a fool to not take advantage of N/A software. so much time can be saved and the accuracy is without rival. But I will stick to my guns and say I will use traditional drafting for preliminary work. Tho this to will probably change as I'm many moons from wrestling with customers about why you can't have 4 staterooms in a 36' boat And "Yes It does cost that much"
Keep em sharp -or- your mouse clean....whatever applies
8

 

That black goo is dried skin, skin oils and lube. It's really just decoration now, but does look pretty good with tastefully hung Christmas lights about it leaning against the wall on the back edge of your desk.

When I was learning this stuff, there was an old gentleman who showed me his fine set of quills and how to use them. He was so bummed when rapidographs took hold and forced him to change. I've since seen many changes and trading tools for newer tools isn't all that uncommon. Some folks can do it others can't. I'm glad he died before computers took over, it would have killed him.

I do have to admit, I miss the days when clients would look at our creations, knowing they where all hand drawn and we were gods. Damn I miss that . . .

 

Note that about 90% of boat drafting is the same kind of mechanical stuff that goes into anything else - shafts, flanges, pipe, etc., so the same kind of machine is useful. At this poiint it becomes more of a religious issue.

The ritual of lines drawing requires other equipment, but I have used a track machine and then gotten it out of the way and just used a honking big steel straightedge for lines.

Have fun with your machine.

 

Track drafters are useless for linesplans; they do, however, come in awfully handy for engine beds, shaft line drawings, cabinet layouts, electrical schematics, piping schematics, cabinetry details, machining details, steel or aluminum structural layouts, steering gear arrangements, stability graphs, etc.

Of course, such myriad details are rarely the purview of real designers - we only do the fun bits like lines & sailplans, right?

If you haven't realized it yet, my take on it is that you won't use it all the time but that when you need it, it is a good tool to have in your arsenal.

But then again, I do most of my work on this pile of plastic & electrical bits.

 

That there is the bottom line, 8knots.
If it can swing up out of the way when you don't need it, then it isn't going to do your "traditional" drafting any harm. i.e. keep it, use it, enjoy it, but be aware of its limitations.

Steve

 

Me being a real old traditionalist and NOT a designer just a sketcher and putzer, am comfortable with a Jacobs Straightedge and assorted spines, triangles and rules.
If I recall correctly, most drafting machines were used by the machinery layout folks although most all drafting tables seemed to be equipped with one.
My table just has that good old K&E Jacobs 60 Inch Straightedge and a nice Luxo lamp permanently attached to it.
It has been something to see the changes in a design/engineering office over the years.
From drafting tables to the first Digital Equipment computers and the paper tape machines for early CAM work to SGI workstations to Windows boxes.
I read the threads on the latest software and more than half the language goes right over my head!