Tin Falcon
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I started this rather than hijacking the other metric plan thread that was already wandering a bit. And brought this quote over by John Stevenson.
First of all I fully admit blueprint reading can be confusing for the newby. Print standards change from time to time and country to country.
And as john pointed out many imperial prints are in fractions. Many of the great me designers leaned this style of drawing. Rudy Kouhoupt , Elmer Versburg , Philip Duclos etc. the other thing That irritates me is when there is more than one reference point on the same part.
OK enough rant. How do we as home machinist deal with this confusion without removing the reminding hair on our heads or throwing parts across the shop because the print was read incorrectly, and we just spent a bunch of time making beautiful scrap.
1) Learn the various languages of prints. Buy a book or two on engineering drawing of various vintage,or Download old books on PDF. and read them.
2) convert dimensions to usable ones with a chart or calculator.
3) Take a file card and sketch your own print for each part made to your liking. In other words translate the print to your own language.
4) The card method will allow you to note any changes you have made as well. You may have decided to use aluminum instead of steel or the material dimensions may have changed to to material on hand vs what the print called for.
5) the card also allows for real dimensions like tap drill sizes and true ream sizes. Prints are notorious for putting a 1/4 inch shaft in a 1/4 inch hole. what is really needed is a .250 shaft in a .251 hole.
6) the card can be placed near the machine and the original print can stay clean.
Hope this helps and reduces frustrations.
Tin
What sends me ballistic is getting MACHINING drawings in fractions ? WTF ? have you ever seen a lathe or mill with fractions on the dials.
Some people may know in their head what 23/64's is but I don't.
With imperial there are always two dimensions, fractions and decimal, with metric there is only decimal, you NEVER see 6 1/2mm on a drawing, it's always 6.50mm
JS.
First of all I fully admit blueprint reading can be confusing for the newby. Print standards change from time to time and country to country.
And as john pointed out many imperial prints are in fractions. Many of the great me designers leaned this style of drawing. Rudy Kouhoupt , Elmer Versburg , Philip Duclos etc. the other thing That irritates me is when there is more than one reference point on the same part.
OK enough rant. How do we as home machinist deal with this confusion without removing the reminding hair on our heads or throwing parts across the shop because the print was read incorrectly, and we just spent a bunch of time making beautiful scrap.
1) Learn the various languages of prints. Buy a book or two on engineering drawing of various vintage,or Download old books on PDF. and read them.
2) convert dimensions to usable ones with a chart or calculator.
3) Take a file card and sketch your own print for each part made to your liking. In other words translate the print to your own language.
4) The card method will allow you to note any changes you have made as well. You may have decided to use aluminum instead of steel or the material dimensions may have changed to to material on hand vs what the print called for.
5) the card also allows for real dimensions like tap drill sizes and true ream sizes. Prints are notorious for putting a 1/4 inch shaft in a 1/4 inch hole. what is really needed is a .250 shaft in a .251 hole.
6) the card can be placed near the machine and the original print can stay clean.
Hope this helps and reduces frustrations.
Tin