Drawing board – Drawing table

The drawing board is a technical drawing assistance tool composed of a set square (or pair of orthogonally constrained rulers) mounted on a goniometer that allows for angular rotation.

The drawing board was until recently an essential element in the studio of architects, engineers and surveyors. The drawing board is in fact the work surface on which ideas were realized and transformed into projects. The drawing board is a large table that can be positioned in various ways, both horizontally and vertically.

An essential tool in a drawing board is the "arm", made up of two elements joined by a joint, one end is fixed to the upper part of the drawing board, the other by means of a circular element with the function of a goniometer holds two lines that form a right angle.
In older drafting machines, the movement of the group was ensured by a system of parallelogram arms that allowed the teams to be kept in position during the movement of the group. The arms were then balanced by a system of counterweights or springs.

With the advent of CAD and software of all types, first of all Autocad, the old drawing board has been partly supplanted. The drawing board is however almost always present in the studios of many architects, more as a piece of furniture than as a real work tool. In fact, very beautiful drawing boards have been built in the past that manage to infuse greater style and class into the office, of particular value are those in wood and cast iron. Although they may be less used, drawing boards are always on the market for those who need a large surface to draw, design or graphically express their ideas.
Source: https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tecnigrafo