Greetings all!

Who wants to be a teacher today?

I’m on bed rest for at least 3 more weeks and I’ve decided to become an Architect, Electrical Contractor and Electrician. :)

So toward that end, I picked a 17 X13 “Leonard” Storage room that had been appended to the garage side door via a small tunnel type entrance. The garage is an “East” facing entrance. The shed is a North facing entrance.

My goal is to teach myself how to determine the correct proportion then determine the correct ratios to scale image down for a paper size.

I really do not want assistance on doing my little project for me. I would like to educate myself so that I can draw a reasonable plan and submit for necessary permits. I picked up some freeware CAD software.

I am having fits just trying to understand how a triangular ruler works. For example, I want 1 ft. to equal ½ inch. In theory that would mean that the resulting image would be approximately 8.5 ft. X 6.5 ft. then I want the proportional values to be able to transfer the image to the 8” X 10” page.

Who wants to be a teacher today?

Go to the book store at a campus and buy an architect's scale.
That should solve your problem.

Am sorry to hear you are on bed rest for another few weeks. At least your mind has not been on bed rest! AS for your real question - I would need to get to that book store and purchase an architect's scale.

Best of luck to you!

There are 2 types of "triangular" rulers.
Architect's scale: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Architect's_scale
Engineer's scale: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engineer's_scale

They both are for making scaled drawings.

Shy Green eyes,

So far I've been , "Flat backing it" for three weeks now. On the up side there is more pink on my skin than blue. I've been able to sit up and move around the house, providing that I call my wife and let her know where I'm going and when I get back. Potty breaks do not have to bee reported.

My wife has released me from building a Victorian Dollhouse from Tongue depressors. I may now seek any help and I can now purchase a kit if I saw a need too.

I meet with the doctor tomorrow AM, for a follow-up. The last reading on me, was a Pulse-Ox of 92%. At it's worst I was at 87%.

So far, it looks like I will not be able to Umpire baseball for this season,

My lady intensely dislikes me to have vacant time when I'm not well.

Hence to the re-work on the shed. Electrically speaking, there is not a single item that meets criteria of "Code"

Making a Victorian Doll House from tongue depressors... that would try my patience, not to mention my skills. A kit it would be. Lol.

Glad to hear you are getting better. Sorry about the not umping baseball this season. That is tough. A pulse ox of 92% is not shabby. Will keep that in my prayers - that you regain your health 100%.

I have purchased an Architect's triangular ruler.

Basically, I figured that the range 2/1 would allow me to draw the 16 ft. as an 8 inch line.

Mathematical speaking, I cannot find or employ the scaling I want. I am using a 1ft.= 12 inch. Ruller. This is where I lose site of my apple and end up flailing out for ay usable ratio and proportion. If I wasn't 61now, I just totter off and wonder around in my emptying mind.

On my Architect's scale, the 1/2 is on the same face and edge as the 1 but starting at the opposite end.

okay... if you want the maths of downsizing once you have drawn it big... I can help.

A lot of architects come in my copy center to do this. Draw it big... reduce to the size you want.

If you draw it big (say 18 x 24) and shrink to and 8.5 x 11 (regular page size)... you would reduce by 46% on a copier. If I need to explain, I gladly will.

I have no idea if this helps with scaling issue, lol. Sorry

Side Note: Hope you feel better soon donf!

RPG -

Actually, I woke up at 03:30 and said, Hot Damn, I got it. I actually have to READ and UNDERSTAND what I've just read! What a concept!

What I was doing was looking at the fractional representation on the ruler and treating it as just that, a fraction.

What I should have been reading is it as a ratio statement. For example the "1/2".

In fractional math if I multiply 16 by 1/2 then I get 8. Pretty good for a lunatic.

But that is not what I'm reading. I'm a rational statement that says 1 foot is two inches. Or a 1:2 ratio, not a fraction.

The inside length of the wall is 16 feet. So to reduce the size to 8 inches on paper, I multiplied the 16 X 12 to get the inches, then divided by 24 to get a 1 ft. : .5 ratio.

All four sides fell immediately into place and I saw the "Golden Rectangle," (6.2... ) from grammar school! Dah, Head Slap!

Now I ask you, please did I finally scale it down mathematically correctly and I have I related the solution in proper terms?

Or do I still need to stay on the cough syrup and other stuff?

LOL... That's where my knowledge comes from as well Don, copiers, lol. So, I don't know the "engineering" aspects of it.

On paper... yes, you kind of have it right... remember.. on the machine everything is by proportions.

So to get the 16 foot to 8"..would be like this..............16 x 12=192 (inches)....now to get the 192" to 8"......8 divided by 192=.041...which would mean put the copier on 4%....

now the toughy...if you remember the machine will only go as low as 25%....
to resolve this.....double shrink..........take the 16' and reduce to say 36" or 48" then take that one and reduce to the 8" you want
The problem I would have would be to figure the engineering scale out, lol


Have I confused you yet, lol... can I borrow some syrup, heehee

I would get your ruler and look at the spacing on the lines of each scale, lay across paper and have it so the lines within the 10" of length of paper for a 17' building, and have so you have 17, 34, or 68 little line up paper.Actually marks on the ruler, don't have to draw the lines.
For 17 lines, each would equal 1 foot
For 34 lines, each would equal 6"
for 68 lines, or marks on the rule would equal 3".
The paper is 8X10, and not 8 1/2 X 11? Good Luck