Reading Material for Newbie

I just purchased a used Smithy 3 in 1 mill/lathe/drill press to make some parts for my hobbies. I'm very mechanically inclined, and have already created some working parts, but I want to expand on my machining knowledge. There are so many books out there, and I've spent the last two days worth of free time trying to figure out what books would be best.

I'm looking for books that explain techniques and tooling used in the milling and lathe machines....any recommendations?

Thanks,

Moot

Reply to
Moot
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Got a public library close? Get a library card and make friends with your librarian. Have her (or him) show you how to use the inter library loan system, and start ordering in books.

Use the library to screen for good books and duds. I tend to try to find copies to buy, of the good and usefull books I run across.

South Bend's How To Run a Lathe is a classic.

Most all of the books that refer to Model Engineering are worth a look. You may have to work through a few new terms, as they are generally by Brit's for Brit's, but the British model engineers have a long tradition of wring out every possible usefulness out of a limited selection of machine tools.

George H. Thomas's books are an excellent read even if you never make the tools presented. It will open your eyes to many possible ways to get to an end.

Even school textbooks are worth a look through.

Try to scrounge up a copy of Machinery's Handbook. Old is OK. Lots of tables and useful info that can be invaluable when you need it. Lots of UFI (useless ...... information) in there, but it is an industry standard reference, with allmost all you might ever need in one spot. Fits in a toolbox, too.

Cheers Trevor Jones

Reply to
Trevor Jones

==================== Welcome to the craft.

See:

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of the entries have hot links.

As indicated I think Milne is one of the best to start with.

Remember that many of the old time machinists had shop names like "Three Finger Fred," "Stubby," and "One Eye" Safety was not a priority item in the older books.

As a home shop machinist you will most likely find that the older books are the most useful as you will seldom use PCD [poly crystaline diamond] tooling or do hard turning at 20K RPM.

Unka George (George McDuffee)

...and at the end of the fight is a tombstone white with the name of the late deceased, and the epitaph drear: ?A Fool lies here, who tried to hustle the East.?

Rudyard Kipling The Naulahka, ch. 5, heading (1892).

Reply to
F. George McDuffee

That reminds me. The author Tubal Cain is a good one too! The book in the list above is good, as is Workholding in the Lathe, published by the same group.

Cheers Trevor Jones

Reply to
Trevor Jones

Get the high school trade textbook entitled Machine Tool Metalworking. Can't remember author. half.com or ebay. usually about 6 bux. Great text and lots of photos and diagrams. Plans and ideas too.

Reply to
daniel peterman

As a beginner, I like Machine Shop Essentials: Questions and Answers. By Frank Marlow

For more info, see

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and
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I bought it from the second link (the publisher) which had the best price ($44 total - Delivered in 2 days).

Reply to
Bruce Barnett

Look for Scott Logan - user name - he puts out a list of important links. Some books on the list to download and learn from.

Martin Martin H. Eastburn @ home at Lions' Lair with our computer lionslair at consolidated dot net NRA LOH & Endowment Member NRA Second Amendment Task Force Charter Founder IHMSA and NRA Metallic Silhouette maker & member

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Moot wrote:

Reply to
Martin H. Eastburn

First off scare up a copy of the How to Run a Lathe book by southbend.

Another poster recommended it and he was right on the money with that. You actually *can* learn to do a halfway decent job of running a lathe by reading that small booklet.

Another series would be the "Machinist Bedside Reader" books, from one to, what, I think number four at the moment. The author is Guy Lautard IIRC. There's a bunch of interesting information in them, not all directly related to the nuts or bolts of machining, but in the interest of rounding your education I do suggest them strongly.

Then there is the online MIT web site course for machining. No doubt somebody has the link, or use google.

Jim

Reply to
jim rozen

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