Found out the average drafting table in the 1950s was set at a 45-degree tilt, which is way steeper than I ever use.

I was flipping through a 1958 drafting textbook at a used bookstore and saw a diagram showing that setup, and now I'm wondering if anyone still works at that kind of angle or if we all just got lazy with our flat screens?

3 comments

3 Comments

tylerj222mo agoMost Upvoted

Remember seeing my grandpa's old drafting table set up like that. He was a mechanical engineer and swore by the steep angle, said it kept his posture straight and his lines true. Tried it once with a modern board and my pencils just kept rolling off. Makes you wonder if the shift to flatter surfaces came with CAD or just cheaper furniture.

faith_thomas2mo ago

Your grandpa was onto something! Steep angles really do help with posture and line quality. The pencil rolling is a classic issue though. Try a strip of that rubbery drawer liner material along the bottom edge of your board. It creates a little barrier that catches rolling tools without messing up your paper. I've also seen old timers use a thin piece of wood tacked on as a ledge.

rileym962mo ago

Yeah, tylerj22's grandpa was right. We traded good posture for not chasing rolling pencils.