Drafting Compasses/Dividers Combination Tool for Drawing & Measuring

Drafting Compass/Divider Two Tools in One

A compass comes with a shoulder needle in one are and graphite lead in the other, plus an extra needle point. With the lead inserted it is used to draw circles and arcs. Simply adjust the compass width/spread (distance between needle point and lead); place the needle point at the center where the two center lines intersect; rotate the compass by twisting the thumb and forefinger to produce the circles line. Keep the lead sharpened to a chiseled point to produce even thickness lines. Generally soft lead (F or HB) is used in compasses, so circles are drawn as dark object lines

Replace the lead with the extra shoulder point to create a divider which arms form a point at the end when closed. Use it to compare drawing element sizes by opening the divider points across one then compare the distance against the second element or a scaled ruler. Measure distance on a map or drawing by opening the divider points to a set scale then plot the scale over the map using the divider to determine a distance, plus divide a line into segments using a divider