Heard a guy at the supply house say all new hires should start on manual boards

He was adamant that learning CAD first makes you sloppy with fundamentals. In my experience, starting on software lets you grasp concepts faster, and you can always learn manual techniques later if a specific job needs it. What's the best way you've seen to train someone fresh in the door?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_piper2mo ago

Is sloppy drafting really that big of a deal anymore? Most shops send everything out for CNC cutting now. Learning on CAD gets a person useful way faster, and you can always teach them to hand sketch a detail if a site needs it.

cameron7637d agoMost Upvoted

Respectfully disagree. Spent a summer fixing framing layouts because someone's CAD drawing had a 3/8" gap that wasn't supposed to be there. CNC machines just cut bad math faster. Hand sketching teaches you to think about how things actually fit together before you click send.

the_sean2mo ago

Sloppy drafting shows a lack of care that CAD can't fix.