DRAWING INSTRUMENTS AND MATERIALS
INTRODUCTION: The process of conveying ideas from one person to another in a form or manner that
can be easily understood by all parties is the simple definition of communication. Most communication is
carried out either orally (use of the mouth) or in writing. However, some ideas cannot be easily conveyed
by any of these means. Technical information is usually conveyed with the use of drawings comprising
different types of lines and points.
DEFINITION: Technical drawing can simply be defined as a standard way of expressing technical
information using lines, points, and instruments.
Technical information can be conveyed on drawing paper with the use of specialized instruments, all of
which have their specific functions. They include:
1. Drawing boards
2. Tee squares
3. Set squares
4. Pair of compasses
5. Pair of dividers
6. Protractors
7. Rulers
8. French curves
9. Scale rules
10. Pencils
11. Adhesive or masking tapes
12. Erasers
13. Stencils
DRAWING BOARD
Drawing boards are the surfaces upon which we place the drawing paper, and technical drawing is
carried out. It is usually made from high-quality wood and has a smooth, flat surface. Drawing boards
could also be made from light metals like aluminium or from plastic. They come in two standard sizes:
a. 585mm x 452mm (half imperial) used by students
b. 812mm x 585mm (full imperial) used by professionals.
CARE OF DRAWING BOARDS
1. Do not use pins on the surface of the board as they produce holes which eventually damage the
board.
2. Cover the board surface when not in use to prevent the settling of dust.
TEE SQUARE
The tee square is a T-shaped drawing instrument used to draw horizontal lines. It could be made from
wood or Perspex (a type of plastic). It is made of two parts: the stock and the blade. In use, the stock is
placed at the left-hand margin of the drawing board and slid up and down to make horizontal lines.
CARE OF TEE SQUARE
1. Handle with care to prevent distortion of the blade which can cause uneven lines.
2. It should be kept clean to avoid dirtying the drawing paper.
SET SQUARES
There are two types of set squares:
1. The 45° set square
2. The 30 °/60 ° set square
Set squares are used for making diagonals and vertical lines. They could also be paired up with
other instruments to make specific angles. Set squares are usually made from plastic or wood.
CARE OF SET SQUARES
1. Do not use blades or knives on the edges of set squares, which causes distortion.
PAIR OF COMPASSES AND DIVIDERS
Compasses and dividers are very similar-looking instruments used for specific purposes. A pair of
compasses has two “legs,” one of which is pointed for positioning, while the other “leg” has a slot in
which a pencil can be slotted in. Compasses are used to make arcs and circles. Some types of compasses
come with a pencil point already installed in them.
Dividers have a pair of pointed legs and are used for copying lengths and marking arcs and circles on
metal surfaces.
CARE OF COMPASSES AND DIVIDERS
1. Never use them to fight or play.
2. Carefully place them back in their cases after use.
PROTRACTOR
A Protractor is a drawing instrument used for measuring angles in degrees. It is usually made from
plastic. Its most common shape is that of a semi-circle, but sometimes appears in the form of a circle.
RULER
Rulers are instruments used for measuring the dimensions of objects. It is usually calibrated in
centimeters (cm) and millimeters (mm). When using a ruler, all measurements must start from 0mm. It
is usually made from plastic or wood.
SCALE RULE
A scale ruler is a tool for measuring lengths and transferring measurements at a fixed ratio of length; two common examples are an architect's
scale and an engineer's scale.
TEMPLATES
These are patterns of various geometrical shapes. They save the user the stress and time for drawing
such shapes. Thus, templates are labour-saving devices.
STENCILS
Stencils are also patterns, but of numbers and letters.
DRAWING PAPER
This is the surface upon which the actual drawing is carried out. The ideal drawing paper is the
cartridge paper because it can withstand rough erasing without tearing.
Drawing paper sizes A0, A1, A2, A3, A4
Paper size Dimensions (cm) Paper Area
Α5 14.8 x 21 cm 0.03108 m2
Α4 21 x 29.7 cm 0.0612 m2
Α3 29.7 x 42 cm 0.125 m2
Α2 42 x 59.4 cm 0.25 m2
Α1 59.4 x 84.1 cm 0.50 m2
Α0 84.1 x 118.9 cm 1 m2
Paper sizes for technical drawing
The paper sizes for architectural, structural, and mechanical drawing should be Α1, Α2, or Α3.
FRENCH CURVE/FLEXICURVE
These instruments are used to draw irregular curves as a result of their flexibility. They come in two
forms: the French curve and the flexi curve. They are usually made from Perspex, a form of plastic,
and come in various sizes.
PENCILS
Drawing pencils come in three grades: H, B, and HB. H pencils are hard and are used for visible
outlines, B pencils are soft and are used for construction lines, while HB pencils are in between the H
and B and are used for freehand sketching. B pencils are sharpened to chisel points, while H and HB
pencils are sharpened to conical points.
MASKING TAPE
This is used to hold down the paper to the drawing board while drawing. If it is unavailable, cello tape
or paper clips can be used.
SHARPENER
Sharpeners are used to keep the pencil tip sharp. It comes in two forms: the small manual sharpener
and the mechanical sharpener.