McKinley High School - Nugget Yearbook (St Louis, MO)

Page 14 text:

...gy I4 jig. THE CARNATION MECHANICAL DRAWING A W RAFTING may well be called a science in some ways, an art in others and a branch of engineering in another, but, figuratively speaking, it is a mode of expression that may well be compared to a shorthand system. It is a method of ex- pressing accurately our ideas regarding form, shape, size, rela- tion and construction of things. It therefore gives a student pre- cision and enables him to express himself much more clearly and exactly in scientific matters, when description is necessary. ln fact, a good mechanical drawing can convey, at a glance, an idea more accurately than a half-hour of oral description. Be- cause of this fact, mechanical drawing is better adapted to the working out of complicated machinery. Mechanical drawing, from the standpoint of anyone who has studied it, is nothing more than applied descriptive geometry or geometry that deals with the representation of solids in space. To make it more clear, let us imagine two planes, one horizontal, the other vertical, intersecting in a straight line, called the ground line, and forming four right diethal angles or quadrants. An object may be placed in either one of the quadrants and its form or outline projected perpendicularly to both planes. The form drawn on the horizontal plane will then be called the top view or 'plan, and the form drawn on the vertical plane, the side view or elevation. Due to the fact that a drawing must be in a single plane fthe plane of the drawing paperl, the vertical plane must be imagined as being rotated about the ground line as an axis until it coincides with the horizontal plane, form- ing a single plane. A practical draftsman sooner or later discards these complicated mental processes for simpler ones that meet his purpose just as well. Another branch of drawing, architectural, is more or less of an art because success in that branch is attained not only by hard study, but with talent as well. The latter is probably the reason why there are so few good architects. A machine drawer, although he needs little or no talent, has to have a liking for his work, and must study as well. His work is not as artistic as an architect's. A mistake by either is apt to cause serious trouble by a loss of time and consequently money. A good illustration is that of a concrete building in the east that tumbled before com- pletion either because of faulty material, faulty workmanship, or faulty architecture. lt was never determined who was to blame, but it could have been the fault of the draftsman as well as of anyone else. Not a nail is driven, a girder put in place, or any kind of construction work done today without the help of the architect. I-Ie is the one who starts the construction work and it may well be said, Around him the work revolves. G. K. PATTON.

Page 13 text:

THE CARNATION ...ggi I3 MACHINE SHOP

Page 15 text:

THE CARNATION Nagy 151s , , , I MECHANICAL DRAWING CLASS