I've been lurking for a month or so in order to educate myself about the mills/lathes, etc.. out there. I have only casual experience with lathes and mills. I need machine tools in order fabricate parts for a couple of automotive projects I'm working on. I've got a very small shop space. Before I make a decision about what tools will work for me (or if the ones that are small enough to fit are useful to me), I need to familiarize myself with machining procedures, equipment features and what to look for and/or avoid when buying equipment.
I've been able to track down definitions for some terms and procedures mentioned on this and other newsgroups, but it would be nice of there were a single source for much of this. Are there any books that you would recommend that would give me an intro course on lathes/mills/machining in general?
Start with "How To Run A Lathe" by South Bend Lathe Works. It's in reprint and you can order it from Powell's Books:
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- the reason I suggest you buy that book is that you will read it again and again.
Then I suggest you go visit your library and reserve most of their books on machine shop technique. I am fond of a pair of books by Burghardt. Those can be found cheaply on ebay. Most of those books are full of pictures which will give you sort of an idea. They will also make you want a whole bunch of machinery! While at the library, look for videos by Rudy Kouhoupt or the "Machinist Bedside Reader" series of books from Guy Lautard.
The third category is actual machine shop class textbooks. This is actually a fairly small field. Look for:
the 2-volume set by Moltrecht "Machine Tool Practices" by Kibbe et al "Modern Metalworking" by Walker
I also suggest you start looking for back copies of "Home Shop Machinist", "Projects In Metal", and "Model Engineer's Workshop". Any one issue might only have a nugget or two but over a couple of decades there has been a tremendous amount of value. A good price for back issues is face value - sorry, that's tough when you're buying but good when you're selling.
Another interesting bunch is the old "Shop Notes" by Popular Mechanics. Anything before about 1955 is excellent. Sadly, the Seattle Public Library has every single copy - but some asshole *cut out* all the metalworking pages. Hope he wraps up his nose hairs in a lathe chuck sometime!
Finally, there are the reference books. The grandpa of them all is of course "Machinery's Handbook" by Industrial Press. It's now in its 26th edition - any edition from about the 13th on will suit fine. I also have an old book titled "American Machinist's Handbook" by McGraw-Hill, circa
1950. I paid $3 for it and it is great for the price.
You can learn really a lot by reading. But only maybe 10-15% of what you will need to know. The rest you should learn by taking classes at your local technical college. They can use the enrollment and you can use the info and it's a great way to network and meet other local guys and maybe even get a lead on that mint 9" South Bend lathe ..
Then I suggest you go visit your library and reserve most of their books on machine shop technique. I am fond of a pair of books by Burghardt. Those can be found cheaply on ebay. Most of those books are full of pictures which will give you sort of an idea. They will also make you want a whole bunch of machinery! While at the library, look for videos by Rudy Kouhoupt or the "Machinist Bedside Reader" series of books from Guy Lautard.
The third category is actual machine shop class textbooks. This is actually a fairly small field. Look for:
the 2-volume set by Moltrecht "Machine Tool Practices" by Kibbe et al "Modern Metalworking" by Walker
I also suggest you start looking for back copies of "Home Shop Machinist", "Projects In Metal", and "Model Engineer's Workshop". Any one issue might only have a nugget or two but over a couple of decades there has been a tremendous amount of value. A good price for back issues is face value - sorry, that's tough when you're buying but good when you're selling.
Another interesting bunch is the old "Shop Notes" by Popular Mechanics. Anything before about 1955 is excellent. Sadly, the Seattle Public Library has every single copy - but some asshole *cut out* all the metalworking pages. Hope he wraps up his nose hairs in a lathe chuck sometime!
Finally, there are the reference books. The grandpa of them all is of course "Machinery's Handbook" by Industrial Press. It's now in its 26th edition - any edition from about the 13th on will suit fine. I also have an old book titled "American Machinist's Handbook" by McGraw-Hill, circa
1950. I paid $3 for it and it is great for the price.
You can learn really a lot by reading. But only maybe 10-15% of what you will need to know. The rest you should learn by taking classes at your local technical college. They can use the enrollment and you can use the info and it's a great way to network and meet other local guys and maybe even get a lead on that mint 9" South Bend lathe ..
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