recommended machinist book or handbook

R

rogn

New member
What does anyone recommend as a good starting machinist handbook? I tried seach on the site but it was unrewarding. I think Im looking for something in the class of Machining for Dummies.
 
South Bend put out a book,( How to run a Lathe) that is almost as old a lathes themselfs. It is a very good first book. I think Atlas lathes also put out a book also.

U tube has some good video's. One guy's u tube's name is Mr Pete 222., tubalcain, posted some very good video's on tool bit grinding. There are several others.

Gordy Gritter has a couple video' out that show how he sets up and machines a barrel. He also has some on U tube.

Homeshopmachinist.net is a good place for info. You might check there for info. on your lathe.

A few pointers
Safety first, no loose clothing or long sleeve shirts, safety glasses always. NEVER leave the chuck wrench in the chuck.
Use a brush to remove chips from the surface of your work. Don't handle chips bare handed. Stainless steel chips can cut through a pair of leather gloves. and one last one an old machinist posted on one of the machinist forums. When working around machinery, never put your fingers where you wouldn't put your d--k.



Hal
 
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rogn said:
What does anyone recommend as a good starting machinist handbook? I tried seach on the site but it was unrewarding. I think Im looking for something in the class of Machining for Dummies.
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Go to your local community college. They probably have an industrial training section. See what text book they offer for their machining course. Make sure that it addresses manual machining and not just CNC.

Bob
 
Beginner's books on machining

Here are a few books for the beginner that may be helpful:
Machine Tool Practices by Kibbe, Neely, Meyer and White; published by Prentice Hall.
Technology of Machine Tools by Krar and Check; published by Glencoe-McGraw Hill.
Modern Metalworking by Walker; published by Goodheart-Willcox
A used older edition would be better then a new edition unless you plan on operating a CNC (computer controlled) machine.

Tim
 
Thanks, tracked the South Bend manual back to 1935 on Amazon. Lock comCollege apparently only had cnc and cad stuff. Have to see if any vocational does evening stuff. Book is actualy South Bend 1914. Lots of time spent on running belts and pulleys, maybe asin water power.
 
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rogn said:
What does anyone recommend as a good starting machinist handbook? I tried seach on the site but it was unrewarding. I think Im looking for something in the class of Machining for Dummies.
Click to expand...

So far some really good reference books have been recommended.

I'd recommend the Machinist's Bedside Reader series by Guy Lautard as a entertaining read as well as a reference. They're not "Machining for Dummies", but you'll enjoy them and they are soft cover & inexpensive.

The first volume in particular has a discussion of really basic stuff, such as making a square, and basic dividing. You can get the books from Brownell's or from http://www.lautard.com.

Regards,
Ron
 
I would suggest the Machinery's Handbook as a shop reference once you get started. I have several extra copies if you are interested pm me.
 
The Gunsmith Machinist by Steve Acker, Book 1 and Book 2. These are by no means comprehensive texts on machine operation, but they are quite useful for information on specific setups that have applicability to Gunsmithing. Both books are available from Brownells.

Bill Jacobs
 
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