I've been looking everywhere on the web for a solution that will give me the ability to figure out the scale of a drawing where the scale of the drawing is unknown. I need to know the scale so I can determine deminitions that are not given. The basic dementions are given on normal views of the drawing, how tall the side of the building is, ect. Does anyone out there have any ideas how I can win this fight. Thanks in advance to those who can help.
I don't think you need to know the exact scale. I think you can just use proportions.
For example, let's say that you measure the length of one of the given dimensions as 1 inch and that dimension shown on the drawing is 8 feet. So any other place you measure 1 inch on the drawing will also be 8 feet.
Also, if 1 inch is equal to 8 feet, then 1/8 inch would be equal to 1 foot.
Well, first off, the drawings you are using will have a scale on it, or it will say "not to scale". I'm not sure what kind of drawings you have, ie: are they "scaled drawings" which will give you the scale, are they simple drawings or photographs, with dimensions given, but are "Not to scale", or photographs, where the photographer as given the dimensions, or maybe a picture in a magazine or publication, that may tell you some basic dimensions, but are "Not to scale".
I'm thinking the best place to start, is for to explain/show what type of drawings your working with. The most common types of "scale" rulers are, the architects rule, a three side ruler with different scales on it, any where from 3/32"=1' to 3"=1'. 1/4"= 1' works good for "O" scale trains and most house plans are drawn to this scale. Then there is the engineers ruler, which looks the same, 3 sided, only the scale will read from 1"=60' to 1"=10', used for "site work" drawings. Then there is the good old Walthers metal ruler that has the different model railroad scales from "TT" scale to "O" along with inches marked to 1/32" and "mm".
Mike.
EDIT: Maxman's reply, submitted while I was typing mine, is also a great way to get started, with approximate sizes, probably close enough for building model buildings, as, who's going to know. If it looks proportionate, it's probably good to go !
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Hi Jon:
Maxman's suggestion is very good. I would add a bit to it. For example, if there is a "man door" in the drawing or photograph then it can be used to scale the drawing. A "man door" is simply a standard sized single door, as opposed to a freight door for example. Single doors are normally very similar in size. A typical door will be 80" to 84" tall and 32" to 36" wide. Sizes haven't changed much in the last couple hundred years, although if you are modelling the 1800's/early 1900's the door knobs will be closer to the ground than those from the 1950's on.
For modelling purposes the few inches variation really doesn't make much difference, so if you use 34" x 82" as the door measurements you can get a pretty good idea of what the size of other things are.
For scratch building purposes, 34" x 82" in HO scale equals .39" x .94" actual size. HO is 1/87 actual size so 34 divided by 87 = .39". Or, to put it in the simplest terms possible, 1" in actual size equals 87" in HO or 160" in N. I hope I'm not being too obvious here. It is not my intention to talk down to you.
Hope this helps.
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
Scale is the ratio of length in the drawing to length in the real world. Simpliest and most general way of expressing scale is a pure ratio, like 1:87. Ratio means units are the same on both sides, inches to inches, feet to feet, apples to apples. You measure the drawing with an inch rule (at least in the US of A). The real world dimensions are ofter in feet (say a 40 foot box car). To get the ratio you have to convert feet to inches or inches to feet, your choice, so that both the length on the drawing and the real world length are in the same units. Then form the ratio (a fraction) by placing the smaller number atop the fraction bar and the larger number below the fraction bar.
For example, a drawing (or photograph) of a 40 foot box car. Measuring the drawing yields 2.87 inches for length. The 40 foot car is 480 inches long. So the ratio is 2.87/480.
Not elegant you say? Ought to be 1:something? No problem. If you remember fourth grade fractions, you ought to remember that you can divide top and bottom by the same number and the ratio stays the same. So divide top and bottom by 2.87 and obtain 1/167 0r 1:167 as it's often written.
So you can now measure the drawing in real inches with an ordinary ruler and obtain the real world measurement by multiplying by 167. Don't forget that the pure ratio does not convert units. Measure the drawing in inches, and multiplying by 167 gets you real world inches. For the typical model, we work in scale feet, not scale inches, so a division by 12 inches per foot us usually required. To draw or build a model in say HO scale (1:87) you divide real world demensions by 87 to make them HO dimensions. Or, use an HO scale ruler that in marked in HO feet and inches, it's easier than dividing. Building in some other scale rather than HO, no problem, use a scale ruler for that scale.
David Starr www.newsnorthwoods.blogspot.com
Bear, want to thank you for your reply. And please don't worru about double dutch, as I'm married to a dutch lady, so I a, awaire of what you mean. Again thanks I'll give your idea a wherl