Tried that paper cone trick for blueprint folds and it saved me 45 minutes on a single set

I was working on a set of MEP drawings for a church remodel near Portland last Tuesday and the CAD file had like 18 sheets. After 3 years of doing it by hand and guessing where to fold, I finally watched a 4 minute video from an old school drafter. He showed using a paper cone as a guide to get consistent folds every time. I tried it and my first fold was off by maybe 1/8 inch at worst. My boss even noticed the difference and asked what changed? Anyone else got weird tricks that actually cut down your repeat work?

4 comments

4 Comments

susan_bell1mo ago

Hold on, is saving 45 minutes on folds really that big a deal?

sarah_mason15d ago

A rolled up magazine for aligning drill bits? That's wild, I gotta try that trick myself.

christopherwilson15d ago

Hold on, is saving 45 minutes on folds really that big a deal?" - for a single set of MEP drawings, yeah, that adds up fast if you do multiple sets a week like I do.

nancythomas1mo ago

Funny enough I learned that trick from an old machinist who used a rolled up magazine to align drill bits.