Hi Jon,I use Claris Draw which is , admittedly, getting a little dated (it hasn't been supported for years). But I like it because I know it so well. One feature I like particularly well is the ability to create layers within a single drawing. For example, when I design an RSG disk I create a layer for the disk, one for the hub, and another for a metal flange which goes on the face of the disk and then I print each layer separately. After machining, everything bolts together perfectly (assuming my machining skills were up to the task).
I think the biggest obstacle to this scheme is finding a printer with a wide enough bed to accommodate some of your larger components. Before I retired I had access to some HP printers which handle output up to about four feet in width. I suppose one could use one of the commercial printing services but then you would have to find a compatible drawing application that would maintain the precise dimensions of your original drawing.
It would be interesting to hear what tools others on the list use to prepare and print mechanical drawings.
Dave Pleasanton, CA At 02:29 AM 12/1/2007, you wrote:
----- Original Message ----- From: "Dave Leddon"I do all of my layout work for this sort of thing on the computer using a drawing program and then print the finished template which I then use as a drilling/cutting guide. The first time I did this I was surprised to learn that the printed output had an accuracy greater thanI could measure by hand.Hi Dave,That is an excellent solution, and it sounds like something I would like to try. If you don't mind me asking, what drawing program did you use for the layout?Thanks, Jon _______________________________________________ Tesla mailing list Tesla@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx http://www.pupman.com/mailman/listinfo/tesla
_______________________________________________ Tesla mailing list Tesla@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx http://www.pupman.com/mailman/listinfo/tesla