The different types of lines in technical drawings serve specific purposes. Hidden lines indicate edges that would be obscured from the current view. Center lines specify the center of circular objects. Extension lines extend dimension lines to the edges of the object. Break lines show where sections or cuts are taken.

1. CADD 125
BOARD DRAFTING
Lesson 1 – Intro & Drafting Basics

2. Lesson 1 - Drafting Basics
A. What is drafting? Introduction & Supplies
B. Lettering
C. Border & Title Block
D. Alphabet of Lines
E. Measurement Systems (Units)
F. Drawing Scale
G. Standard Sheet Sizes

3. Lesson 1 – Objectives &
Vocabulary
Lesson 1 Objectives Lesson 1 Vocabulary
(We will focus on these objectives for this lesson) (You may click the word to find it in the lesson)
Lettering Section Line
 Master Lettering  
 Border  Guidelines
 Create a Border  Title Block  Scale
 Learn the Linetype  Alphabet of Lines  Units
 Visible / Object  Imperial / Arch.
Alphabet Line  Engineering
 Learn the  Hidden Line  Metric
 Centerline
Measurement System  Dimension /
 Drawing Scale
 A Size - Letter
 Practice Reading Extension Line
 B Size - Tabloid
 Leader Line
Scales  Phantom Line
 Learn the Standard  Cutting Plane
Sheet Sizes

4. Introduction & Supplies
Greeting students!
In this class, you will learn the basics of Board
Drafting. This will teach you the basic concepts of
drafting and will prepare you for your future computer
based drafting courses.
When we draft, we are drawing representations of
objects clearly so that the object can be created or
modified and clearly understood. Because of this, our
drawings must be ACCURATE. There are certain
tools we use in drafting to help us with the
appearance and accuracy of our drawings. You will
need to purchase some of these tools for this class.

5. Introduction & Supplies
 You will need:
 Technical Drawing book (purchase either in the bookstore or used online for big
discount!)
 1 Combination scale - Scale must have Architect 16 and (1/8, 1/4). Engineer 10
and 50. Mechanical 1:100 and 1:500 measurements.
(Will have a “D” on it if purchased at David Art Supplies)
 Two mid-size drafting Triangles - (30/60° and 45°)
 6”+ Bow Compass – Do NOT buy the cheapy ones with a golf pencil!!!!!
 .3 Pencil & .7 Pencil & HB lead for both
 Erasure shield & White Eraser
 Cream Art Tape OR Drafting Dots
 Binder or 3 Prong folder
 Clear sleeves for documents
 Circle Template
 Cleaning brush
 Dry Erase Pad
 Protractor
***ALL OF THIS IS ON YOUR SYLLABUS!
***You can expect to spend about $175 total on these supplies.

6. Notes about this Class:
 The object of this class is not only to teach you skills needed in your
future career, but it will also help prepare you for the responsibilities
that will come along with that career. There are certain rules and
requirements that you must meet to succeed in this course. (All of
this is on your syllabus!)
 Although you may not get a salary for these classes, you are given
a grade. Therefore, your attendance & participation in class directly
affects your grade.
 Attendance is a MUST. You will be docked 2 points from your FINAL
GRADE for each unexcused absence, and one point for every excused
absence. You will also be docked 1 point for every time you arrive late or
leave early, so BE ON TIME!
 You MUST participate in class. We will have
homework, quizzes, fieldtrips & class discussions through out the
semester. You are expected to participate in these activities.
 ALL Assignments are REQUIRED. You will NOT pass this class if you
do not complete all assignments timely and accurately. If you get all A’s
on your assignments that you turned in, but only turned in 20 of 40
assignments, you did not successfully complete this course!
 There are NO EXCUSES for missed deadlines. If it’s not on time, it’s
not graded. You will be given ample time to complete assignments

7. Course Breakdown:
 You will be graded as follows:
 DWG average 50%
 Final projects 10%
 Mid-term exam grade 10%
 Final exam grade 10%
 Quizzes 5%
 Resume & cover letter 5%
 Syllabus test 5%
 Class participation & surveys 5%
Total 100%

8. Lesson1-A – Drafting is…
Imagine you’re just thought of a new
design for a tennis shoe. You try to
explain it to your friends, but the more
you say, the more confused they seem
to be.
Finally, you pick up a pencil and draw
it. Voila! You’ve just found out the
purpose of drafting! One of the best
ways to communicate one's ideas is
through some form of picture or
drawing, and drafting is the formal art
of drawing an object.
As a drafter, it is your job to
determine what information needs
to be shown on the image and how
to portray it.

9. Lesson1-A – Drafting FAQ
 Do I have to be an artist or be able to draw?
 No, drafting and “drawing” are two entirely different things. There are many highly
trained drafters who can not “draw” much more than a stick figure. While it’s true
that drafting is an art, it is not a requirement that you are able to “draw.”
However, drafting takes a lot of time and dedication to master. The drafting
program is designed to take you step by step in the drafting and design process.
 Why am I drafting on a board and not a computer?
 Drafting concepts are best taught on a board so that you can focus on learning
the basics before you concentrate on learning the computer program. You can’t
know what to tell the computer to do until you understand what it is you are
doing.
 What does a drafter do?
 A drafter draws plans for everything man-made from floor plans, air
planes, tools, highways, etc. When you graduate from the drafting program, you
will be considered an entry level drafter. Your job mainly will be to make changes
to drawings that have been already drawn, known as red lines or mark up
drawings. Like any other profession, the pay varies, depending on location and
the company you work for. Normally the pay ranges from $12.00 to $30.00 per
hour depending on your experience, knowledge of programs and specialty.

10. Lesson1-B – Lettering
 It’s a fact: Many of us have horrible handwriting. (I
do!)
Why is handwriting important? Imagine you
misread your doctor’s directions and you take 9
pills a day, when you were supposed to take 4
pills a day. Can you see where that would be a
problem? What about if the engineer misreads a
dimension and builds the pieces of a bridge too
short? Would you drive over it? Handwriting /
Lettering is important because not only does it
make your drawing look professional, but it needs
to be clear and easy to read to avoid costly
mistakes.

11. Lesson1-B – Lettering
 As you can see on your
handout, we need to use
(mostly) straight lines and nice
round letters.
 Take a few minutes and look
over the Lettering guide.
Then, practice using the given
guides.

12. Lesson1-C – Creating a Border
 The border tells the reader necessary information about the drawing
such as what the drawing title is, the drafter, when it was drawn, the
revision number, the scale of the drawing, etc. ALL final drawings
must have a border. Start by drawing a 10.5”x8” box (1/4” in from
all sides)
8”
10.5”

13. Lesson1-C – Creating a Border
 Looking at your border, you’ll see that there is another
line along the bottom of your border that separates the
text area from the drawing area. Let’s draw that
one, next.
8”
3/8”
10.5”

14. Lesson1-C – Creating a Border
 Now we need to fill in the remaining lines &
text.
8”
TITLE NAME SCALE DATE % MOD
10.5”

15. Lesson1-D – The Line Alphabet
Question: What are all of When drafting, it is necessary
these crazy lines I see? to show all aspects of an
object. Sometimes, those
aspects are not immediately
apparent from the outside. For
example, although we can see
the hole in a tire from the front
view, we can not see it from
the side view. In drafting, we
use different linetypes to
denote features like this.
Answer: We use different
types of lines to denote
where a feature is located
and what the feature is.

16. Lesson1-D – The Line Alphabet
 A LINETYPE is the type of line used when drafting to denote a
feature of an object. The types of lines most commonly used in a
drawing are as follows: (In order of Lineweight (thickness))
 Cutting Plane Lines
 Thick and dark / 0.9mm / 2 Dashes  Dimension, Leader & Section
 Used for section cuts. SUPER Lines
THICK.  Thin and dark / 0.3mm / Continuous
 Used for dimensions, hatching, etc.
 Visible / Object lines
 Thick and dark / 0.7mm /  Center Lines
Continuous
 Thin and dark / 0.3mm / 1 Dash
 Used for all cutting planes/edges.
MUST BE THICK & DARK.  Used to show the center of
symmetrical or round objects.
 Hidden lines  Construction/Guide Lines
 Thin and dark / 0.5mm / Dashed
 Thin and light / 0.3mm / Continuous
 Used for cutting planes and edges
that are hidden from outside view.  Used to line up objects, lines, etc.
So light, can’t see them at arm’s
length.

17. Lesson1-D – The Line Alphabet
NOW Guide Lines
YOU
TRY! Hidden
Dimension
Center Lines
Lines
Can you find Lines
the Object
Lines?
Guide Lines?
Center Lines?
Hidden Lines?
Dimension Object
Lines? Lines

18. Lesson1-E – Measurement
System
 Method of measuring an object
 US Units: (Based on units of 12 –
inches, feet, etc.)
 Imperial / Architectural – (Fractions of an inch –
9½”)
 Engineering – (Decimal inches – 9.5”)
 International: (Based on units of 10)
– (Centimeters cm, Millimeters mm, etc. –
 Metric
9.5mm)

19. Lesson1-F – Drawing Scale
 Visually: how close or how far you are from an
object. Actually: the mathematical change in size of
an object. For example, a 5” object drawn at half
scale (1:2) would be 2.5” on a page. Used to fit
large objects on page.
 Imperial / Architectural Scale – Example: ¼” means it’s 48
times smaller than actual size. ( ¼” / 12” = 1/48)
 Engineering / Mechanical / Decimal Scale – Example: 50
means it’s 50 times smaller than actual size. (1 / 50 = 1/50)
 Metric Scale – 1:10 means it’s 10 times smaller than actual size.
(1 / 10 = 1/10)

20. Lesson1-G – Standard Sheet
Sizes:
 Because sheet sizes vary depending on what
we use them for, it’s necessary to have standard
sizes. (Just like with everything else!) All use ½”
margins
 A Size – 8.5” x 11” “Letter size” (Closest Metric Size
A4)
 B Size – 11” x 17” “Tabloid size” (Closest Metric Size
A3)
 C Size – 17” x 22” (Closest Metric Size A2)
 D Size – 24” x 36” (Closest Metric Size A1)
 E Size – 34” x 44” (Closest Metric Size A0)

21. Lesson1 – Review Exercises
MOD 1: HANDOUT “Lettering Practice”
(No supplies - Done on handout)
MOD 2: HANDOUT “Borders and Linetypes”
(No supplies - Done on graph paper)
MOD 3: HANDOUT “Measuring Scales”
(No supplies - Done on handout)
Lesson 1 – THE