Drafting Tables: Choosing The Best For Your Needs

Drafting tables are very specific pieces of furniture used in professional applications.  Usually, they are required equipment for architects, engineers, artist, designers, city planners and other professionals that need a solid base to design and sketch out plans in their office.

But because there are a wide variety of drafting tables available, with prices ranging from $100 up into the thousands of dollars, it can be a little overwhelming deciding on a table that will best fit your requirements.  In this article we will outline some basic tips for choosing the right table for your profession and workspace.

When you begin looking for a drafting table, your number one consideration will be space.  Consider the size and layout of the room or office where you will be using the table.  If you are using it in a home office, for example, you will most likely need a smaller size than if you have a professional studio or office available to you.

Size is also important when considering the type of work you will be doing on the table and how often it will be used.  For occasional use and smaller projects, small to medium-sized tables will probably fit the bill.  But if you are involved in complex architectural or engineering projects, you may need a very large and fully featured table in order to do your best work.

Your second consideration will involve what you are using the table for specifically.  If you work heavily with graphics, and you will be sitting most of the time, a smaller table may be fine, and you probably will not need an adjustable tabletop.

Smaller drafting tables usually only allow for a single range of motion adjustment in angling the surface toward you.  And because they obviously take up less space, there is also the possibility of having greater access behind the table in order to do frequent adjustments.  This can be a real plus if you are new to using a drafting table, because most users will need to experiment with different angles in order to find the adjustment that fits their working style precisely.

But if your job requires that you stand as well as sit while working, a larger table with a multi-adjusting top will probably suit you better.  These types of tables normally have a foot controlled peddle that releases the top for immediate re-adjustment.

As well as being able to adjust the angle of the stable surface, you can also adjust the height, and reposition the work surface anywhere from perfectly horizontal to perfectly vertical.  This greater degree of flexibility is ideally suited to professionals who often stand when they work.

Artists, for example, who often work standing up, we'll find that larger tables with a full range of motion adjustment should suit their working style perfectly.

After deciding on the type of table you need, the Internet will be your best resource in comparing prices and features in a side-by-side method.  This will help you to get the exact drafting table and you need, at the best possible price.