beam compass
noun Drafting.
a compass having adjustable legs, set perpendicular to the paper and sliding along a horizontal bar so as to permit the drawing of large circles.
Origin of beam compass
First recorded in 1775–85
Words nearby beam compass
beale street,
beam,
beam aerial,
beam antenna,
beam brick,
beam compass,
beam engine,
beam fill,
beam hole,
beam lights,
beam mill
Example sentences from the Web for beam compass
The beam-compass, Fig. 208, consists of two trammel-points running on a beam which may be made of any convenient length.
Handwork in Wood |William Noyes
British Dictionary definitions for beam compass
beam compass
noun
an instrument for drawing large circles or arcs, consisting of a horizontal beam along which two vertical legs slide
Also called: trammel