The theme of the standardization of methods in the drawing room is one which is of vital interest to all who are connected more or less directly with this line of work. There are so many leaks possible in the drafting department of any firm, so many ways in which time may be saved by having a way to do things and a place to put them, that a few words upon this topic cannot fail to interest many.

Of course, good light and the least possible amount of noise and confusion in the room during working hours are a foregone conclusion, while the equipment and size of the quarters devoted to this branch of the business must necessarily depend upon the size of the company. Beyond this, however, the way in which the drawing room ministers to the wants of the factory, and the accuracy and speed with which the drawings are turned out, depend greatly upon the efficiency of the system and the "long headedness" of the chief.

About the first step in any good system is the adoption of a number of general rules, governing the production of any new work, which may be easily blue printed and handed to any new man on his arrival, thus giving him a line on the general way in which the work is desired to be gotten out. These data may conveniently cover such points as sizes of drawings, methods of dimensioning, limits to be used on the work, methods of indicating various finishes, styles of lettering, cross sections, etc. In some drafting rooms they have gone a good deal further than this, and have what may be termed data sheets. These, in addition to the above, comprise a list of the stock of steel in the various sizes, shapes, and qualities, carried by the firm; stock patterns; examples and explanations of the various formulas in use in the shop; and, in general, a collection of data relative to the firm's work, which the draftsman or designer might spend much valuable time in looking up.

On account of the fact that everyone, no matter how careful, will occasionally commit errors, an efficient checking method is essential to good work. The best method to follow is this: The chief explains to the draftsman, by sketch or verbally, what he desires, and the drawing is made under the supervision of the chief who gives it his approval as regards design. It is then submitted to the superintendent, the chief engineer, or someone who is in the last instance responsible for results. He either approves it, or orders such changes as he thinks advisable, and the drawing is returned to the draftsman for alteration, if necessary, or, if not, is passed to the checker. The drawing is then thoroughly checked by him for accuracy as to scale, dimensions, and mathematical calculations. If any corrections are found necessary, the drawing is again returned to the draftsman, who makes the necessary alterations and returns it to the checker, receiving his approval on same. The drawing then goes to the tracer, who makes the tracing and returns the original and the tracing to the checker. If any corrections are necessary on the tracing, the tracer makes them under direction from the checker, who finally approves the tracing. It is then ready for the blue print room, and any errors which show up later are held against the checker. This system is very thorough, and the errors that will occur are few and far between.

Another feature of value is the grouping of the various blue-prints covering the manufacture of a certain machine, or a number of machines of similar character, in bound packs or books, located at various points throughout the plant. This obviates the continual replacement of lost prints, which consumes so much time where loose prints are used. Each book is receipted for by the foreman who has the work covered by it in charge, as are also the new prints made necessary by changes in design or dimensions. A record of the location of these bocks is, of course, kept in the drawing-room, and a man is detailed to keep them up to date. There should be an exception to this rule in the screw machine department, as the prints of the parts should here be mounted on boards and shellaced, the operator having one of these cardboard mounts on his machine where he can refer to it. The mounts not in use are kept in a cabinet for that purpose, where they are easily accessible to the foreman of the department in planning his work. In this connection it might be well to note that all the prints necessary to go into any one department are those referring to operations performed in that particular part of the works, and the drawing room is generally the only place where a complete set of prints is available.

A good system of handling and recording the changes made on drawings is rather difficult to devise. The following system, however, will prove satisfactory. If the change is a slight one, as for instance the change of a dimension, the tracing is changed, the date of change being noted in the lower right-hand corner, and the various prints are changed by the man in charge of that work. If the design is changed, a new tracing is made, the old one marked obsolete, new prints made and put in the books, and the new tracing filed with the old one. In each case a record of every change is made in a book kept for that purpose, and as the parts are all arranged numerically, it is very easy to refer to this record to find the details of the change in making repairs or filling orders for old parts.

It is remarkable what a number of drawings will accumulate in the course of a few years, when old designs are being constantly brought up to date, and new machines being added to keep abreast of the times. Owing to this fact, it is necessary to have a number of cabinets, with drawers made to fit the different sizes of drawings. In these drawers the tracings are filed, as has been said, according to numerical order. One should also install a card index giving the exact location and size of the drawing of the particular part sought, and in case the number of the part is not known, a cross index to give an alphabetical classification. As an auxiliary to this index one should have a smaller one in which are grouped such tools as bits, reamers, special drills, counterbores, etc., which is a great aid and convenience to the designers in making up similar tools, or, as often happens, in adapting the old tool to a new part. In most drafting-rooms there are, of course, two distinct divisions, one for the design and production of the drawings covering the machines themselves, and one for the design of the tools necessary for the economic production of these parts. In the former department the data utilized can for the greater part be found in the standard mechanical works or the trade catalogues. In the tool designing department, however, the data is mostly compiled from the book of experience, of which there is no authentic edition.

The following general instructions are intended to be, for the most part, or with minor changes, applicable to the practice of the average drafting-room, and, for that reason, are usually confined to principles. Disagreement will often be found with those which are not principles, but they represent excellent practice. They are condensed as much as possible into a few words, as the object has been to state them so concisely that it would require but a few minutes to hurriedly read the whole and to thus make it easier for a beginner to read them every day, or for a checker to glance them through, occasionally, for pointers that might have slipped his mind.