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Shots of Old-School Pre-CAD Drafting Pools

First-round draft pics

By Rain Noe - November 2, 2018

in Design Business

I actually liked being a CAD jockey, despite the fact that I spent the best hours of the day peering into a monitor. Due to poor corporate planning I accidentally wound up with my own office and later, office with a window. I worked alone and was free to solve drafting problems in peace.

What I can't imagine is if I'd had to work in one of the drafting pools that antedated CAD. Back in the day they instructed you on how to work at tilted drafting tables, as you can see in this shot of a classroom from decades past. The student at right has demonstrably absorbed one of the crucial lessons for office life, which is how to embody bad posture.

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Some companies liked to ruin their workers' posture even more by dispensing with tilted worksurfaces, as you see here. This company also adopted an earlier practice where only people in blue shirts were allowed to touch the compasses. Oh how I hated those azure-wearing, arc-drawing jerks, who thought they were so superior.

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I like this shot (of what I'm guessing is a European drafting pool) as select members of the staff have been given Drafting Coats that seem to have some kind of waist belt.

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This company encouraged their workers to lie right on top of the desks. As per the "lava" rule, once on the desk, you were not allowed to touch the floor until the end of the day. So workers often had to roll down the length of the worksurface to retrieve pencils, coffee and documents. If you happened to roll off of the desk, you were fired on the spot.

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In any case, here are some more photos of old-school drafting pools. Happy Friday!

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Donald Jones

6 years ago

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Look Ma. No cubicles.

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Mike O'Brien

6 years ago

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Super cool! So I dont really understand the whole "lava" rule where the employees cant touch the ground until the end of the day. I assume its o ensure productivity but what if you had to use the restroom, and rolling up and down the draft tables with a cup of coffee seems like a quick way to ruin a drawing

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steve hassler

6 years ago

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cool. brings back memories. thanks for this.

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Juan Cano

6 years ago

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These are great, thanks! Not sure what's nuttier, the two men laying on the mega giant blue print, or the two-tier drafting table. I can imagine dropping a triangle and stabbing my workmate below.

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