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Posted: 3/29/2014 5:35:52 PM EDT
I've spent some time on manual lathes and mills but never really had any formal instruction, or anyone else around that knew what they were doing. This was years ago. Now I've got the bug again, I have an old wells-index 45 mill and a 11" Sheldon lathe I just bought.

Do you guys have any books or other resources that you would recommend? Not looking for what knob does what kind of stuff. Books, web resourses, wise old men in the St. Louis area would all be welcome.

Thanks.
Link Posted: 3/29/2014 5:46:22 PM EDT
[#1]
Practical machinist is a great forum.
Also, watch some tubal ain videos on YouTube.

Edit* tubalcain
Link Posted: 3/29/2014 5:48:48 PM EDT
[#2]
Ah, thanks. I just joined practical machinist. Lots of my google searches ended up there. I'll check out the vids.
Link Posted: 3/29/2014 6:18:36 PM EDT
[#3]
Just be aware that the owner of Practical Machinist will give you the boot if you make the mistake of trying to discuss any imported (a.k.a. Chinese) machinery, and may do the same if you are talking about "hobby" machining.

There are a number of forums that are friendlier to the home shop machinist, such as http://bbs.homeshopmachinist.net/forums/3-General and http://www.chaski.org/homemachinist/. There is also a lot of non-CNC machining content on http://www.cnczone.com/forums/


Link Posted: 3/30/2014 5:53:22 AM EDT
[#4]
The military machinery manuals are good, South Bends "How to run a Lathe" is good as is "The Machineries Handbook."
And the webz.
Link Posted: 3/30/2014 7:08:26 AM EDT
[#5]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
Just be aware that the owner of Practical Machinist will give you the boot if you make the mistake of trying to discuss any imported (a.k.a. Chinese) machinery, and may do the same if you are talking about "hobby" machining.

There are a number of forums that are friendlier to the home shop machinist, such as http://bbs.homeshopmachinist.net/forums/3-General and http://www.chaski.org/homemachinist/. There is also a lot of non-CNC machining content on http://www.cnczone.com/forums/


View Quote



PM has a lot of helpful info and members, but there are also a lot of arrogant cocks that get their jollies by running down anything hobby related.  You'll figure out who they are pretty quickly.

Best to be a wall flower on that site, and just read for awhile.



ETA; Machine shop training course by Franklin Jones, volumes 1 and 2 are pretty good reading.  Mine are copyright 1944.  It's old school info, but it applies to my manual machines better than the books centered around super duper CNC machines.
Link Posted: 3/30/2014 3:48:48 PM EDT
[#6]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:


PM has a lot of helpful info and members, but there are also a lot of arrogant cocks that get their jollies by running down anything hobby related.  You'll figure out who they are pretty quickly.

Best to be a wall flower on that site, and just read for awhile.



ETA; Machine shop training course by Franklin Jones, volumes 1 and 2 are pretty good reading.  Mine are copyright 1944.  It's old school info, but it applies to my manual machines better than the books centered around super duper CNC machines.
View Quote View All Quotes
View All Quotes
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:


PM has a lot of helpful info and members, but there are also a lot of arrogant cocks that get their jollies by running down anything hobby related.  You'll figure out who they are pretty quickly.

Best to be a wall flower on that site, and just read for awhile.



ETA; Machine shop training course by Franklin Jones, volumes 1 and 2 are pretty good reading.  Mine are copyright 1944.  It's old school info, but it applies to my manual machines better than the books centered around super duper CNC machines.



Quoted:
The military machinery manuals are good, South Bends "How to run a Lathe" is good as is "The Machineries Handbook."
And the webz.


I'll start looking around for copies of these. Thanks for the suggestions. As far as PM goes, I've kinda gathered they aren't all real hobby friendly. I'll take your advice and just read for now.

I had the good fortune of working with very experienced machinist for a while a few years back. The guy passed away not long after I met him, but working with him was a real eye-opener for me. I usually can get stuff done, but there are probably much smarter ways of doing it.
Link Posted: 4/1/2014 12:32:03 PM EDT
[#7]
I too ran the gammut of trying to find a good general machining book.  I learned the most by trial and error, Machinist Workshop magazine, youtube (+1 for tubalcain) and browsing thru tooling catalogs.  Machining is a craft and very difficult write about with walking through projects.  Most books seem to spend too much time discussing speeds/feeds, up vs down milling, etc...  Making chips is only 10% of machining...90% is in the planning and setup.
Link Posted: 4/2/2014 12:03:16 PM EDT
[#8]
Check out used book stores for the text books put out by Henry Ford's apprenticeship program. The books are old but cover the fundamentals.

The MSC catolog is also very helpful to look through, it doen't teach you how to run equipment but it shows you the tooling available.
Link Posted: 4/3/2014 6:23:19 AM EDT
[#9]
Link Posted: 4/10/2014 4:20:37 AM EDT
[#10]
MIT has a machine shop for student use.

Prior to using said machine shop you must watch a series of videos on every piece of shop equipment they have and then pass a test (not sure on the test part).

The videos free (online somewhere), are VERY educational on how to do things, how to operate shop equipment and generally how not to screw stuff up. Being geared to college students they speak in languages the beginner can understand and even intermediate machinists can learn things...

ETA, Link
Link Posted: 4/17/2014 4:55:59 AM EDT
[#11]

Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:


MIT has a machine shop for student use.



Prior to using said machine shop you must watch a series of videos on every piece of shop equipment they have and then pass a test (not sure on the test part).



The videos free (online somewhere), are VERY educational on how to do things, how to operate shop equipment and generally how not to screw stuff up. Being geared to college students they speak in languages the beginner can understand and even intermediate machinists can learn things...



ETA, Link
View Quote




 
+1 on the MIT videos. I watched them when I got into hobby machining last year, and they were very helpful.
Link Posted: 4/20/2014 5:07:03 AM EDT
[#12]
This falls under the Wise Old Man category.

Guy Lautard's The Machinist's Bedside Reader series of books are full "how to do this" hints and pointers. LINK
Link Posted: 4/20/2014 12:42:58 PM EDT
[#13]
Some good reading is the older books called something like, machinist bed stand reading, or something its been years since I read them...makes the gears turn in your head, good luck, have fun and be safe
Link Posted: 4/21/2014 4:54:33 PM EDT
[#14]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
Some good reading is the older books called something like, machinist bed stand reading, or something its been years since I read them...makes the gears turn in your head, good luck, have fun and be safe
View Quote

Guy Lautard's Machinist Bedside Readers?
I think somebody already recommended them. (The post above yours, in fact!)

But I'll third the recommendation; they are good, easy and entertaining reading, and enormously inspiring in striving toward doing your best possible work, where it matters.
I read them ten years ago and I apply some of the principles espoused therein almost daily. and I'm not even a machinist!
Link Posted: 4/22/2014 8:50:25 PM EDT
[#15]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
This falls under the Wise Old Man category.

Guy Lautard's The Machinist's Bedside Reader series of books are full "how to do this" hints and pointers. LINK
View Quote

I really enjoyed those when I was getting started. I'd think I'll order them and re-read all of them.
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