http://www.cadalyst.

com/cad/autocad/how-draw-good-looking-bolts-from-trenches-tutorial-11188
Here are step-by-step instructions or drawing bolts and nuts or e!ploded assemblies" These instructions are designed to help you make an e!ploded assembly with bolts that look like threaded bolts" #ou will be drawing bolts rather than inserting them rom an online catalog" $t will e!plain how you can make a bolt%s threads look like bolt threads& with e'enly spaced sections" #ou will be drawing a bolt that is "()-*+!*" ,et ,naps to at least *-*. or *-/(" Draw a *0 long line and o set it *-10" ,et 2D3ode to /" ,et 4unning 5snaps with 6ode on"
*" Di'ide the top line into ** (gi'es *+ points)"

AutoCAD: How to Draw Good-Looking Bolts (From the Trenches Tutorial)

(" 3ake a circle rom the rightmost node point to the one 7ust to the le t o it"

/" Draw a line rom the center point down to the 8uadrant point o the circle"

1" 9se grips to mo'e the end point up to the middle"

The last two steps will gi'e you the 04oot& which is one-hal the distance between two crests0 this is needed to make a proper looking tooth" :rase the circle and the 'ertical line" )" ;opy the top lines node points to the end o the 7ust created line"

." 3o'e the bottom node points to the right one-hal the distance between the two node points" 9se 03id between Two 2oints0 on ,naps to do this" ;opy the le tmost node point to the le t one-node spacing so that you ha'e one more node point on the bottom line" #ou now ha'e two sets o node points& with the bottom set one-hal the distance to the right"

9se a pline to go rom the upper-right line end and <ig<ag your way to the le t end" #ou will now ha'e the upper crest and root o the threads" =" 6ow erase all the node points on both lines> the only thing le t (on the top) is the <ig<ag pline"

?" 3irror the pline to the bottom line" 6otice that the plines% crests touch the same way on the upper and lower lines"

@" :rase the lines& lea'ing only the two plines" 3o'e the bottom pline to the right one-hal the distance between two points" 9se 03id between Two 2oints0 to do this"

*+" 6ow draw three linesA The irst one two crest lines in rom the le t The second one rom root to root 7ust to the right o abo'e The third one rom crest to crest 7ust to the right o abo'e

**" 6ow you can see that they are misshapen" Be will now shape them correctly"

*(" Delete the rightmost line& lea'ing one crest line and one root line" Draw a line rom the le t crest to the third crest o'er (three crests long) and draw a line rom the le t root to the ne!t root"

*/" 9se the grips to mo'e the endpoint o the irst line to the midpoint o the bottom root line"

*1" :!tend this line to the top crest line" This shows that the crest points need to be mo'ed to the le t so that they will be in the middle o the root spacing"

*)" ,tretch CLL o the crest points rom the crest point 7ust to the right o the e!tended line to the end o the e!tended line" HintA ,tretch all the points& then remo'e the 'ertical line so that it stays where it is"

2er orm the same se8uence or the bottom section" :rase all the nonessential lines and copy all the 'ertical lines and ill in the blanks to make it look like bolt threads" $t is now necessary to ad7ust what we ha'e 7ust created" *." 3o'e the whole assembly rom the le t crest point to a snap to the right" $ you don%t& it will be o somewhat and will a ect placement" 6ow draw a 'ertical pline rom below the le t bottom lines (dimensionally 'ertical to the top crest point) up past the top crest point& then to the right *0 and down past the whole assembly" This will help to read7ust e'erything to *0 long"

*=" ;opy the crest-root lines to ill in the blanks"

*?" Trim all e!cess lines to the *0 long re erence line" 6ow you should see properly spaced bolt threads"

5nce you create one and understand the concept& the process is really 8uick" #ou can also use scale and re erence to 8uickly make other si<es (with the same number o threads per inch)" Draw the 3atching 6ut 6ow that you know how to make good-looking bolts& try this method to make the nuts to match" C" Draw a circle o the correct height according to a bolt chart"

B" 3ake a si!-sided polygon in the center o the circle and use $nscribed to go up to the 8uadrant o the circle" To the right o the polygon (and in line with the circle)& draw a rectangle the same height as the circle and gi'e it the correct width" 6ow draw lines rom the two midpoints o the polygon across the rectangle" This creates the lat sides o the bolt head" Trim the rectangle out"

;" 5 set the rectangle (in this e!ample only) *-/(0"

D" Draw an C4; on the le t side& rom the irst intersection point on the inner rectangle and lat side o the bolt line& to the middle o the le t line back to the bottom intersection point on the bottom rectangle and lat o the bolt line"

:" ;opy the arc rom one endpoint to the other" Then copy it rom the other endpoint to the other end" 5ne-hal o the Crc will e!tend past the bolt head on each side"

F" Trim the arcs back"

G" :rase the center rectangle& then T4$3 the two Bolt 0Flat0 Lines to the end o the arcs"

H" 5n the right side o the threads& draw a line rom the bottom crest up *-10 (*-10 bolt)" Draw another line rom the midpoint o this line beyond the end o the threads" This gi'es you a place to put the bolt head"

$" 3o'e the bolt head rom the middle o the right side to the intersection o the bolt threads and erase the two construction lines"

DoilaE #ou ha'e drawn a good-looking nut to match your good-looking bolt"