I thought the 'paper space trick' for scaling details was just a weird drafting school thing

My boss in Tacoma made me try it on a set of foundation plans last week, and it saved me like two hours of math. I mean, I was sure it was some old timer thing that didn't work with modern software, but it's actually legit. Anyone have other old-school drafting tricks that still hold up?

4 comments

4 Comments

taylor.brooke3mo ago

My dad's 1980s scale ruler still works better than my CAD software.

sandragrant28d agoMost Upvoted

Had a buddy who still uses his grandpa's old hand-cranked drill from the 1940s. It's this rusty thing that looks like it belongs in a museum, but he swears by it for pilot holes in soft wood. Says it never strips screws and he can feel exactly when he's hit the right depth. Tried his cordless drill once for the same job, ended up with a mess of splintered wood and a stripped bit. That simple old tool just has a feel to it that the fancy stuff can't copy.

murray.pat3mo ago

Right? What other old school stuff have you found that still works?

dylanrodriguez3mo ago

Yeah, it's funny how much basic stuff holds up. I feel like we're seeing a real back-to-basics move in a lot of things, @murray.pat. Simple tools, fixing things instead of tossing them, that kind of vibe.