Vitruvius's Drafting Templates Collection

Pick the link below to view an image of Vitruvius's drafting templates collection. The image is scaled so that when viewed full size the templates appear life size (when viewed on a hundred pixels-per-inch monitor).

Note that these templates are not some sort of eBay-purchased antique-mongering, these are images of the actual templates from a box on a shelf to the right of my monitor; templates that I have personally used repeatedly over the last thirty-five years.

The IBM GX20-8020-1 and RapiDesign #452 MIL-STD-806C I used many many times to generate E-sized drawings of designs, back in the '70s. The steel erasing guide is a wonderful tool when used with a motorized rotary eraser, and the 35°16' isometric ellipses on the RapiDesign #77, when used with isometric graph paper, are just delightful.

There are are also two templates that I have from my father's university days in architecture, in the early 1950's. The second one, "French Curves with Radii", has markings on the curve edges showing the radius of the curve, in inches, at that point. A zoomed sub-image is included. The little bubble-like things are risers that keep the edge off the page so ink doesn't flow along it when using mechanical pens. Overall an excellent instrument.

And then of course, not to let you down dear readers, we have the visual punch line, the TimeSaver #26, my favourite.

View Template Collection
 (You may have to click the image for full size.)