Chapter 1 BLUEPRINTS When you have read and understood this chapter, you should be able to answer the following learning objectives: Describe blueprints and how they are produced. Identify the information contained in blueprints. Explain the proper filing of blueprints. Blueprints (prints) are copies of mechanical or other types of technical drawings. The term blueprint reading, means interpreting ideas expressed by others on drawings, whether or not the drawings are actually blueprints. Drawing or sketching is the universal language used by engineers, technicians, and skilled craftsmen. Drawings need to convey all the necessary information to the person who will make or assemble the object in the drawing. Blueprints show the construction details of parts, machines, ships, aircraft, buildings, bridges, roads, and so forth. BLUEPRINT PRODUCTION Original drawings are drawn, or traced, directly on translucent tracing paper or cloth, using black waterproof India ink, a pencil, or computer aided drafting (CAD) systems. The original drawing is a tracing or “master copy.” These copies are rarely, if ever, sent to a shop or site. Instead, copies of the tracings are given to persons or offices where needed. Tracings that are properly handled and stored will last indefinitely. The term blueprint is used loosely to describe copies of original drawings or tracings. One of the first processes developed to duplicate tracings produced white lines on a blue background; hence the term blueprint. Today, however, other methods produce prints of different colors. The colors may be brown, black, gray, or maroon. The differences are in the types of paper and developing processes used. A patented paper identified as BW paper produces prints with black lines on a white background. The diazo, or ammonia process, produces prints with either black, blue, or maroon lines on a white background. Another type of duplicating process rarely used to reproduce working drawings is the photostatic process in which a large camera reduces or enlarges a tracing or drawing. The photostat has white lines on a dark background. Businesses use this process to incorporate reduced-size drawings into reports or records. The standards and procedures prescribed for military drawings and blueprints are stated in military standards (MIL-STD) and American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standards. The Department of Defense Index of Specifications and Standards lists these standards; it is issued on 31 July of each year. The following list contains common MIL-STD and ANSI standards, listed by number and title, that concern engineering drawings and blueprints.

Reading a blueprint is like reading a road map. It tells you exactly what you are required to build. Read it wrong and you will build it wrong -- and that can be expensive. This book explains how to read and interpret all types of electrical drawings and diagrams used in residential and commercial construction. There are details on electrical floor plans, lighting layouts, and schematics showing single line and block or power-riser diagrams for wiring circuits. Learn how to lay out an electrical project, what to look out for in dealing with construction specifications and drawings -- especially in terms of today's technology, how to use an engineer's scale for developing and reading site plans, and how to make up and use panel board, connected-load, and other schedules.

Experience has shown that when maintenance operators can understand and properly use blueprints and schematics they have little difficulty in correctly interpreting and using plant unit process drawings. Blueprint Reading bridges the gap between available training materials and the information water and wastewater maintenance operators need to know. It covers basic principles of blueprint reading and deals with principles and applications of schematics and symbols. Each chapter presents essential, practical knowledge vital to understanding and interpreting plant operations and that enhances the reader's ability to properly maintain plant systems.

Beginning with a general discussion of the uses and kinds of blueprints, the text explains the language of a blueprint--lines, sections, symbols, dimensions, conventions, notes, and titles. Technical sketching is described and illustrated. Ways are suggested by means of which anyone can produce correct and attractive sketches. The sections on wiring and schematic diagrams are fairly extensive in accordance with the increased training demands in electrical and electronic equipment and in order to acquaint operating personnel more rapidly with the symbolic notation now being standardized throughout the armed services. Sections on welding, structural, and architectural symbols are included to help the ratings concerned with these subjects and to introduce them to standards now established in these fields. An index, a list of useful references, and a list of abbreviations are included as aids to the trainee using this book.

This fully-illustrated guide offers a quick and easy visual reference for installing electrical systems. Whether you're installing a new system or repairing an old one, you'll appreciate the simple explanations written by a code expert, and the detailed, intricately-drawn and labeled diagrams. A real time-saver when it comes to deciphering the current NEC.

Produce accurate estimates for nearly any residence in just minutes. This handy manual has the shortcuts and tables you need to find the quantity of materials and labor for most residential construction. Includes overhead and profit, how to develop unit costs for labor and materials, and how to be sure you've considered every cost in the job. Written by an expert in the field.