machining book?

[Steve W]

Can anyone suggest a good book for learning some basic metalwork skills?

Steve

[michaelm]

Lindsay's Technical Books has got a lot of just that:

http://www.lindsaybks.com/

Lindsay specializes in reprinting good references on older technologies. He also carries some current titles. I've been buying books from him since at least 1980, maybe longer. You didn't mention any specific area of interest, but I've gotten good books from him on just about everything under the sun. Check it out. HTH.

[Bent]

We can't do without books on any subject we want to learn about.
Let's not forget the internet as a learning tool as well. Since I am getting a milling machine and know next to nothing about it, I checked on youtube and found this Crash course: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U99asuDT97I
8 installments. Some might say it's more advertising than teaching but they do show the basics of cutter selection, clamping, safety. Worth looking at.
Another site just chanced upon now, shows promise: http://electron.mit.edu/~gsteele/mirror ... tro.html#5
That one's worth checking out.

Now that I'm in between projects, maybe I will take a trip downtown to the library one day and look up some good books there. I'll report back to y'all.
Remember: the library's free

[Bent]

I went to the library today to look for a book on machining. I was rather surprised to see that the supply of such books is not plentiful at all! After spending an hour looking and choosing, I came up with one bok that I borrowed and can recommend to you.

Modern Machining Technology by Richard Baril. ISBN 0-873-2580-0
The library ID is 621.902 Bar

The book covers Lathes and milling machines plus abrasive machines, boring machines, etc. It takes you from the basics to a bit more advanced.

[Steve W]

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll see if I can get that on Amazon since they are so fast. I have a pickup book arrving from them.

I don't have a mill but I want to learn how to use and be safe with tools like a drill press, grinder, and miter while using them on metal.

Thanks,

Steve

[bobby burns]

I went trade school and trained as a machinist right after high school, 28 or so years ago. The text books were plentiful, but pretty hard to read and really get anything out of. The Machinery Handbook is I think the name of the most common one used. The books are most useful for finding formulas and reference charts and such. There is a lot of planning in good machine work. Learn to draw, get good at geometry, fractions, decimal conversions, and plan EVERY cut before you even pick out your material. One cut made out of sequence can make it hard to hold the part for a later cut. Learn all you can from looking at jigs other folks have made, and decide why you like them, and what you would change. Some designs features are determined by the function, some by the look, some by tooling available, some by the material. Think about all these things when you start drawing a part. Go through the process in every detail in your head. Change everything you can see that make make it better, or easier, faster, cheaper, etc. If you can't see it work on your head and on paper, it ain't gonna work when you start cutting it out. I read books and magazines all the time, and get some ideas, but there is no way to learn that beats experience. After you make a part, think about what you can do to make it better next time. If in the middle of making something, you find a small flaw in the design, scrap it, and use what you learned to make it better.
Make friends with an old machinist, and pick his brain about stuff. Show him your parts and ask questions, and remember what he tells you.
Sorry for the long post, Hope there is something helpful in there.

[bobby burns]

There is a character in my area named Gene Horner who builds great mandolins and fiddles. I remember reading an interview with Gene one time. At the end of the article, the author asked Gene if he had any advice for anyone who was thinking about building an instrument. Gene said, "Quit thinking about it, and roll up your sleeves and get to work". I know we all like to talk about it and think about it and read everything we can get our hands on about it. I'm glad we have this forum and the SGF to serve us in that way. But when it comes right down to it, most of our knowledge and success as builders comes down to how much time we spend doing it. I think about Gene's advice pretty often.