The compass consists of a pole with a few moving parts attached to it. The wingnuts allow for easy adjustment of the compass, to draw circles with diameters of varying size.

A speed square can replace a compass for drawing small circles, but a beam compass is the preferred tool for drawing large circles. Attach trammel points to a shop-made beam like a 1x1 piece of wood.

This leg for a drawing compass has a brass top, which is jointed, and steel pen points with a brass screw for adjusting the width of the pen line to be drawn. At the turn of the 20th century, ...

This leg for a drawing compass has a brass top, which is jointed, and German silver pen points with an adjusting screw. Loosening the screw increases the width of the pen line to be drawn. At the turn ...