Is there any helpful info on hand drafting plats?

I took a drafting trainee job at a land surveying company. The plats are done by hand. Is there any books or web sites that would help me. I have the basics down...like angles. My problem is the multible curves and how to plot them. I saw a book listed on the internet by Wattles (Drafting Practices in Survey and Engineering Offices) Would this book help me?

 

[tim216]

It probably would have alot of information that is used in the civil survey field. Most other books that I have personaly are vocational textbooks and they only touch on the civil surveying end. As you are new to the field I would ask alot of the old timers for help and guidance, and practice,practice, practice and beg for cadd !!! You couldnt pay me to ever hand draft again.

Hope this helps you out.

Tim

 

[CEE]

There should be some templates in you office for drafting curves. I would pick the brain of any drafters in your office. You should also use standards for text heights (test height is typically one tenth the scale if I recall correctly).

Lettering guides for hand lettering plans and a standard template for titles are essential. I am sure you are aware that hand drafters in our field are a dying breed (my Dad is one and I formerly was). AutoCAD has taken over and there is no turning back.

A good hand drafted plan is beautiful and I loved preparing them until being asked to change the scale forcing a start from scratch to create a new plan. Once plans become complicated with many notes, hand drafting becomes too time consuming. I do not miss licking erasers!

I agree with Tim that you should beg for CAD and a plotter to perhaps become the person that brings the firm into the 21st century!

 

[JasonSr]

I would imagine that you have a chord distance, bearing, and radius labeled or given. You could then draw them with a protractor, engineers scale and compass. As one of the previous posts said, you can also use a scaled circle template. Hope this helps you.

Jason Sr.

 

[KRSServices]

I didn't think hand drafting was done anymore. For basic needs I suggest Autocad LT. Failing that, the first step in solving your problem is to get a good understanding of how curves are laid out in the field and the relationship of various curve formulas (ie. P.I., chords, arc length, BC, EC and intermediate points, radius, etc.). Next get a good compass, protractor, scale and calculator. A really good booklet I own is called "Circular Curve Computations" and was developed by a surveyor for surveyors and drafts persons. It was available a number of years ago from N.A.I.T., but I doubt it now. This manual has eeryting thing you needed to know about curves, including spiral curves, and more. KRS Services

http://www.krs-services.com