how do you read a engineering drawing?

Answer 1

You have plenty of answers but may I respectfully add reading and understanding are two different things.
Many draughtsmen have found this out to their cost when their drawings fail to work!
When you look at a drawing and see any two components touching, your mind should automatically have many questions to ask.
Where are the stresses?
Does it move? Radially or Linear?
Should the Materials be different at this point.
How is it lubricated?
What finishes are called for?
Does it need case Hardening
Can the two pieces be fitted again after assembly?
Which of the two will wear first? Can you improve this?
Now you are beginning to read drawing and after more experience what you are looking at will now work first time.
A few years of practical will work wonders.
Good luck.

Answer 2

1st and third angle drawings (technical drawing), refered to in other answers, are pretty well self explanitory and don't really take a genius to figure out.
I think you must be referring to a real engineering drawing which doesn't have elevations and plans but a mass of lines and numbers which can be extremely confusing? For example a cross section of a gearbox showing all items assembled and in place as it would be operating if in use. If this is the case then unless you know exactly how the gearbox is assembled and how all the components fit inside it (you stripped or built it) then you will really struggle without having experience of reading these kinds of drawings.
If all items are numbered then there will be a parts list with descriptions, quantities etc this would enable you to identify each item, maybe you could highligh each item a different colour to seperate them form one another, simplifying the drawing a bit.
All drawings should be done to British Standards so you could find a reference book identifying all lines, internal threads, external threads, centre lines, hole centres but this would probably confuse you even more.
I would recommend finding someone who has experience in reading these kind of drawings and get them to sit down and explain how to identify each part by the differnet cross hatching, what pieces move, what pieces are fixed, where bolts are etc. Hopefully your drawing isn't too complex and with a bit of guidence you will get a grasp of it and then move onto more complicated drawings.
However if it is a basic technical drawing (1st and 3rd angle) you should manage in a few mins.
If i can help, email me drawing, sitting in Canada just now with 10 days to kill.

Answer 3

There are two types of commonly used Engineering drawing. 1st and 3rd Angle Projection. Generally the US use 1st Angle and the rest of the world use 3rd Angle. Easiest way to remember how to view the drawing would be to (for 3rd Angle) place the plan view (from above) on the top of an imaginary upturned bowl, side views will be what you see if you slide the plan view down the side of the bowl. 1st Angle the plan view would be at the bottom of a bowl, side veiws what you would see if you drag the view up the inside of the bowl.

Answer 4

you will find certain characteristics similiar for a broad range of engineering applications on most engineering drawings ,company name date etc you will also find descriptions ,tolerances,dimensions and materials,special requirements etc having read these details you will be able to decipher the plan more easily in most cases of small components and applications the 1st angle 3rd angle element will not be relevant ! engineering drawings have their own british standards used to be bs308

Answer 5

You spread it open on the dining table and use a magnifying glass and work you way from top left hand corner to the bottom right hand corner......

If you have difficulty doing this then your dining table is too small or you lens is too weak.......

Answer 6

Left to right and top to bottom.

Answer 7

Look at it.