Continuing my backlash against CAD

I am still very much on the traditional pencil and paper design method, and it was recently suggested by Joe that I check out Accu-Line.

To quote from their website:

The ACCU-LINE Drawing System is a patented micro-grid surface that simply slips under a piece of paper and provides a sub-surface template in which a pencil or pen-tip follows in a dead straight line. The same way the stylus in an old record player follows the groove in the record it’s playing.

The Accu-Line drawing surface is embossed with more than 2,500 of these microscopic pyramids per square inch and more than 237,000 per sheet of A4 size paper. These pyramids force the point of your drawing instrument to travel in a straight line within the groove between them.

When I got my slate, I was a bit dubious – I could feel the pattern, but would it really have any effect on a pen running over the paper surface?

Accu-line

Short answer – simply: “Yes”
Longer answer: “Yes, and would you like parallel lines handdrawn perfectly 1mm apart or 2? Very cool.

Both the A4 and A3 slates came on aluminium clipboards (the “Tool Kit” version)- this is definitely a product designed to be used at the coalface – to be used in front of a client, sketching up an idea and yet nailing precise lines without waving a ruler everywhere.  I’m about to make up some toy kitchens, and was explaining to the person wanting one of them what my vision was – the Accu-line would have been perfect in that situation.

They have some other complementary products: a compass/protractor combo

And templates

So continue the rebellion against computer drawings, pick up a pencil and create without restrictions!

(Ok computer design can be very creative, and there are programs such as Sketchup that do work, I just like the physical design process!)

I’ll be using the Accu-line shortly when I further plan out the toy kitchen.

Rockler Catalog

Got a Rockler catalog in the mail and it has been quite an eye-opener going through it – there are rather more accessories, jig components and aids for woodworkers than I was aware of.  I’m sure I could have found them on their website, but it is a completely different experience getting to flick through a real catalog (some still exist in the world!)

Anyway, this isn’t intended to be an ad or anything.  Just wish there were more of these products available down under.

Oh, and they are offering a $15 gift card with an order over $60 with a special code from the back of the catalog (only until 7 Oct 09)

Advertising in AWR

As recently spotted in the Australian Wood Review:

Cool huh!