Thread: Old school Vs. New school

I prefer using pencil and paper, much easier to make changes and adjustments as you go, and you can always do little scribble ideas in the corner as they come to mind without having to figure out how to draw it on a program.

Count me as a pencil and paper guy as well, i work in IT so I enjoy getting away from computers, I also feel more connected to the work when doing it by hand.

Normally I rough every thing out, back of the envelope style and if its an important piece i'll draw it on a 3Dboard.... 3D Boards - perspective drawing made easy which is a great way to get a feel for the final piece, but not really for getting things drawn to scale.

I just bought a proper drafting board on ebay in the hope of doing some fullscale drawings in the future as well...


joez

I don't usually do a drawing of the work I intend to make,, just a rough sketch on whatever I find nearby, sometimes on a scrap piece of wood to get a general idea of my design and then I work out of my head. I have used the computer for simple designs but never made anything from those. I think the 3D boards are a pretty good idea but expensive for hobby work unless you do a lot of drawing.

I use both pencil and paper and Corel Draw.

The PC drawing is handy to get the "right" curve or proportion and make templates.

Pencil and paper are great for quickly putting down your ideas and measurements, a few calculations and I am on my way.

This is a very interesting line of thoughts.
You "young bloods" are supposed to be right into computers, if you listen to the general blurb on things, and here you are piking up a sharpened stick and drawing in the sand!
I worked in the kitchen manufacturing industry for a long time and you had to get a computer to do the drawings because every body else had one! To build a kitchen with the computers program, you had to individualise every cupboard separately which made producing a drawing very slow. With a pecil, paper, and scale rule a few measurements, a few lines, a little use of a calculator and there you had it! OK to do your elevations and cutting lists that was not as automatic as the computer but you had all the basic information you needed to start cutting out and manufacturing a job.
I have also noticed a job will start to jell in my head and come to a part I can't figure out, but by just sketching it out, free hand or to scale, the problem is sorted out out quickly.
Another point is that the stick and the sand is not restricted by power failures

It is interesting that the younger blokes prefer the pencil and paper method.
I use Turbo Cad and find it brilliant for quickly drawing to scale and having it still fit on the page.(automatic scaling). Also for repeditive things copy and paste is very fast.
Generally much faster to get an accurate drawing, and it is always on file, you don't have to be looking for the scrap of paper you did the drawing on.
Having said that I don't think you can bet the pencil and paper (scrap of wood) for quickly putting down that brainwave that just came to mind.

Pencil and paper tis easier!

Hi all,Im sorry if this is hijacking this thread, but can anyone tell me the name of the plastic sheet one would insert into an a4 pad that assists in offhand drawings?I saw a thread here awhile ago and i've lost track of what it is called and where to get it etc and i reckon it will be benificial when im showing stairs to a customer on site.

Look in this thread

Thankyou groggy,much appreciated,have just placed an order.cheers,Danny

a computer may give a better finish for a final rendering or sketch but in terms of speed theres no way it can compare with simple freehand drawing especially when your just brainstorming concepts, joints and proportions like a few people have already said.

hey bradford, i feel that growing up with computers and technology designed to make things easier and quicker for a person to do a task has made a lot of young people these days really impatient. So in a way we've sort of shot ourselves in the foot. I could be talking just for myself here but I feel like i don't have the time, let alone the patience to sit and learn how to use a cad program when i could easily pick up a pencil and paper and have my idea sorted in a couple mintues.

i really like the concept for the accu-line and for that 3d drawing board, i think i may have to put an order in soon.

i feel for the kitchen side of cabinet making, cad drawing is a life saver. its is fairly quick to draw (there are pre-drawn drawers, cupboards, overheads etc etc for you to choose from and just put in the specs for sizes), but the automatic cutting lists are fantastic. provided you have a cnc you can have a kitchen from paper to construction within a day or two. Again thats a pros and cons situation though. Yes you pump out more work quicker, but it means people lose jobs. Whic i spose for a business owner that isn't too bad cause there's less overheads etc.

Sorry went off topic a little. Cad is good for somethings but not for others, in my opinion.

i dont draw.

its in my head then i put it together.

i change things as i go so if a drew it it wouldnt look anything like the pictures anyhow.

Yeah Spencer I think you are right on the money.
Complex CAD programs take a long time to learn and in that time you could turn out a lot of drawings with pencil and paper.
I always do some sort of stetch of what I'm trying to do, although it usually changes a bit before I get to the end product. It's called product development