Heading into retirement, I have a T Square, drawing board and drafting tools I don't think I've used in 35 years. With the advent of CAD I suspect these things are obsolete as typewriters today. But do they have any value or are they just trash can fodder?

Find a place to give them to a kid so someone can learn how to draw. All kids still draw.

My daughter is an Architect...she has drawing board in her home office, Doubt it gets used for work much but it is a nice decorative touch. I'll bet you can find someone that wants it.

If you were closer I would be interested. If it’s a quality draft board there is a market for it, some nostalgia to those and some still use them. The Craigslist route is useless for something like that but check out some forums and you may find a value and avenue to sell.

I was a draftsman for years until I learned Autocad then we were forced to learn Pro/E which is now CATIA. I still have all my drafting equipment and hundreds of drawings in tubes that will probably be thrown out one day, sad but true but beginners still need to learn manually before heading to the world of make believe. I taught drafting for a year but hat was in 1987, I doubt it is taught anywhere anymore...

If it pivots from horizontal to angled, it could be re-purposed as a "craft table".
Always like drafting tables, and I knew an illustrator who always used one.

Someone will buy it so don't toss it. The ones I have seen are taller than a normal desk so they require a taller chair.

Nope, nothing fancy, just a plain board, small, not for architectural use, for mechanical drafting mebbe 24" x 30"?, and standard T Square. Tools were bought at the college book store, pretty standard Stadler stuff, some from the '70's, some '80's. At least it's not chinesium, I think?

Sorry I can't help but know how you feel. I retired two years ago, started my career as a draftsman on the board in 1972. Switched to CAD in 1983. I recently moved and found my old mechanical pencils, scales, templates, leroy lettering sets, etc.

Hate to throw it away but can't find anyone who wants it.

The old draftsmen here will remember eraser shield, scum-x, pencil pointer, Good times. Jim

Sounds like the common equipment I used in drafting class, id think not hardly any value other then to one whos into it who probably has the basic hands on stuff already.

I still have all that stuff too, bought a modular desk system and it has a drafting board built-in. All of that is under the board, haven't looked at it in almost 20 years. Must have 60-70 mechanical pencils of different lead sizes and probably 1000 pieces of lead...LOL

It is, just hate to throw good stuff out. Should've done it decades ago.

That's what I learned drafting on back in HS, still do it that way on the few things I need to draw up. Easier for me to dredge up 38 year old training than learn CAD.

I don't, however, have the tools to do it much. Been looking though.

I don't, however, have the tools to do it much. Been looking though.


There ya go

I have an older copy of Autocad on my laptop and haven't even brought it up in 3 years, guess I just don't design anything anymore...

Imagine a complete, top of the line bar-and-rail drafting machine, with degree-indexed rotating "square head," plus pivoting table, with the borco vinyl surface covering (which was $100 by itself back in our day) .. was happily given to me by a local civil engineering firm who just wanted the darned thing gone from their office..

In that sense a T-square and table, triangles, architect and engineer's scales no longer have a dollar value.. maybe some good Schaefer compasses, dividers, or circle oval hex templates, can have *some* usefulness.

A daycare center might enjoy the templates..
You *could* ask your local High School Vocational-Technical department, but they likely have already switched to digital..
...you could try a senior center (if they have someone with the background and the space) or a youngster really wants to draft by hand.

I hate to say it, but hand drafting is gone from educational and commercial use, except for us dinosaurs.. I'm 56 and still enjoy handdrafting my drawings..

..but everything can be done better digitally at a desk with a keyboard and mouse, or drawing tablet and stylus..
- Art

I could tell who did the drafting on a drawing by the style of hand lettering without looking at the initials in the revision block, CAD changed that. Also, the annual performance review had a evaluation of line work and lettering.

Stick it on craigslist or whatever site like that is most common in your area before throwing it out. You never know who might want it. I've seen some at people who do drawings and artwork so you never know. Our office had some really nice ones that got chucked 15 years ago or so during a renovation.

I'll be 56 next month. Not sure things are done better digitally. We had to do the work to figure it out, today not so much, it's more akin to doing arithmetic with a calculator rather than learning how to cipher in your head.



I will admit my penmanship really improved once I took drafting classes.

Drafting-
First class of the day in 7th grade. Instructor showed the whole class once how to do something and you were on your own. No checking or have TA on hand, just "here you go" . If you sat there and did nothing all class all semester, you got a D.

This day and age, I would have said "F" this teacher and learned everything on Youtube by a person who cared enough about teaching to post a video.