What is a drawing?

A drawing is a document that describes the part/assembly in an orthographically projected format. These were the reason draftsman were here. They were time consuming and an engineer’s time was much more valuable than doing grunt design and detailing.

This document was used to convey the information to manufacturing. It was in a standard format that was developed over centuries. When done correctly stood alone without a need for any additional information, explanation or clarity.

There was also a standard procedure for handling the drawings. The draftsman would work with an engineer or designer or develop the design himself/herself. He/she would actually do the design on a layout (a drawing with no set standards) then do the part drawings or give the layout to other draftsmen to create the part drawings. The drawings had to be detailed to meet a certain standard. Even though the draftsman may have had decades of experience it still had to be checked.