Old Drafting Tool?

It would be interesting to know what spacing the graduation lines have.

Before drafting arms there were parallel bars (not sure that's the right name) that was attached to the drafting table that run up and down the drafting suface on cables and always stayed parallel to it's origin. I haven't seen one in years and I'm not sure if the item in the picture is the same thing.

@jaro I think you have nailed it.?ÿ

BStrand - Look on the underside, it should be hollow, with slots on the end for the cable and there are (may?ÿ have been ) wheels inside.?ÿ I used one of those for years in the late 70s and early 80s.?ÿ

Ken

@bill93

Feet/inches according to my buddy; also added a picture.

I've seen similar in flooring/ sheet vinyl shops.

As JaRo stated, there was such a thing as a parallel bar, but this doesn't look anything at all like the ones I ever used or saw. The parallel bars I used also never had measurements on them, and I never saw one longer than maybe 36" at the most. I'm not saying it's definitely not a parallel bar, but I would bet money that it's not. How big would that drafting table have to be?

Looks like my memory is tainted. Apparently they start at 36" wide and run up to 60". At least that's what I found with a quick search. Still seems wide to me.?ÿ The bar didn't run from edge of table to edge of table, at least not for our setups. You always wanted to have a buffer for drafting supplies and breakfast tacos at the edges.

Would be handy in a fabric store where material is sold by the yard as it is reeled off the bolt.

Posted by: @holy-cow

I think I've seen the cutting tables with a fixed guide or groove that they follow.

I asked my buddy and he said there are no grooves or slots on the underside or the ends.?ÿ I may swing by and take a look at it in person eventually.

Considering what I see. I see a steel lined upper edge to run a sharp blade along. Inches and feet and longer than 3'. Most likely a parallel rule, for artists, printers, students and the like. I have a 4' parallel bar on a 3'x4' drafting board with plastic edges, no cutting allowed and no dimensions. I have a 2'x3' plastic board from my student days with a locked in Tee square. Have a pantogram parallel rule setup, unmounted and several 5'-6' unmarked parallel rules I removed from drafting tables many years ago.

Hand drafting is like cursive writing, too many people have no idea that these are the best ways to understand the concepts of what you are doing.

Paul in PA