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Posted: 9/4/2010 2:12:38 PM EDT
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I need a general reference book or at least some good wall charts to start with.
I mostly need tap, drill, clearance sizes, metric conversions, thread form details, stuff like that. Characteristics of various grades of steels and other metals would be a nice bonus, but not crucial to me at the moment. I may eventually branch into annealing, hardening, case-hardening, and tempering small home-built tools, and would be happy to buy a more skill-specific library then. Is the (expensive!) Machinery's Handbook the be-all and end-all for that sort of thing or is there a lot of overly technical stuff in it that would be never used very much? How often do you guys actually refer to it, or do you recommend any other particular reference books or pocket references instead? I'd rather spend 25 bucks than 115, of course, but only if most of you find it (M.H.) somewhat less than indespensible. I'd appreciate your opinions ... Ron |
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I started a thread on this subject, and sadly it has slipped into the archives
http://www.ar15.com/archive/topic.html?b=6&f=49&t=302320 Originally Posted By that hero Gun_Crank
Machinery's Handbook Must have book in any shop. If your having trouble sleeping, read it like a book. Machinist's Bedside Reader 1-3 Great reading. Lots of tips, and some good stories. Gunsmith Kinks 1-4 I have only browsed the books in this series. At the top of my list, of books to buy. Engineer's Quick Reference Calculator Used these daily when I was doing Solidworks design. Link is no good. I hope they still sell them. Starrett tap drill chart. I can't find these online anywhere. Starrett Catalog No. is 1317, and the EDP No. is 56607. Should be able to get them from any Starrett dealer, for a couple bucks, or free. I just called the local Starrett rep and they give them out to students. A lot of the stuff that is in the machinery's handbook is available on line. I don't use mine to much, but I wouldn't be without it either. I did use mine the other day to check pitch diameter on some threads, using thread wires. |
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Thanks for the info.
I'm somewhat pleased to see that you recommended some books that I already own. I currently have all four of the Brownell's "Kinks" volumes and used to own a copy of Guy Lautards First Machinist's Bedside Reader, but I gave it away to a machinist friend in exchange for a bit of "teaching time". Great stuff, certainly. I should pick up some more of Lautard's work. I love his style, even if he is a Canuck! I never thought to check Amazon; Machinery's Handbook. there it is 20 bucks less than it is from Mc MasterCarr, if I end up getting a copy. |
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Here is the rest of that thread.
Skin290
http://www.amazon.com/Machinists-Ready-Reference-C-Weingartner/dp/0970339801 DonMN
http://www.jackfirstgun.com/ productivity.com sells the machinist bedside reader set for $67.85 It's on my short list. I also plan to get the gunsmith kinks books soon. |
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A lot of the material in Machinery's Handbook does not change from edition to edition.
The one on Amazon is the 28th edition. I bought the 24th edition (published in 1992) at a used book sale a few years ago for $6.00. It was "withdrawn" from the reference section at a local library, presumably when they bought a newer edition. If you check around, you might find a deal like that one (unless there is some material in the latest edition that you absolutely must have)... |
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Quoted:
A lot of the material in Machinery's Handbook does not change from edition to edition. The one on Amazon is the 28th edition. I bought the 24th edition (published in 1992) at a used book sale a few years ago for $6.00. It was "withdrawn" from the reference section at a local library, presumably when they bought a newer edition. If you check around, you might find a deal like that one (unless there is some material in the latest edition that you absolutely must have)... That's a great idea; I'll look around some more for an older version. |
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Go old school and find a copy from www.archive.org. I think I have a 5th edition down loaded from there.
I have a new Machinery's, but I seldom use it at work now as I have access to anything I need on line from Knovel or IHS. Both are subscription services. IHS is useful for chasing down SAE or MIL specs and similar documents. Before this source was available access was a major pain. Mark's Handbook is useful for some information. None of these sources are the last word on any particular topic, particularly Machinery's Handbook or Mark's - they cover the basics and leave out the subtle details that are required for success (sometimes). Those details might not matter for non-critical applications, close is good enough. |
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A 50 year old, or older, copy is good enough. The home shop guy is about 50 years behind the state of the art anyways.
There is a huge amount of information in the 1950's edition I have, but about the only thing I use it for now is thread pitches. I'm sure I could make or find a wall chart online with this in it. Most any other information you can find on online, but it makes for good reading to flesh out gaps in your knowledge. The tall center drawer of a Kennedy or Gerstner chest is made to fit this book. It fits with about 1/16" to spare! |
| Machinery's Handbook 27th edition http://www.scribd.com/doc/31530531/Machinery-s-Handbook-27th-Ed |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
A lot of the material in Machinery's Handbook does not change from edition to edition. The one on Amazon is the 28th edition. I bought the 24th edition (published in 1992) at a used book sale a few years ago for $6.00. It was "withdrawn" from the reference section at a local library, presumably when they bought a newer edition. If you check around, you might find a deal like that one (unless there is some material in the latest edition that you absolutely must have)... That's a great idea; I'll look around some more for an older version. I was going to tell you the same thing. 
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Quoted: I also found a nice new Starrett Tap/Drill wall chart on Ebay for $7,95. It's poster sized and will look great on the shop wall, besides being a quick reference. I got two from Precision Drill today just for walking into a shop. Not bragging, just saying check out your local tooling stores. |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
I also found a nice new Starrett Tap/Drill wall chart on Ebay for $7,95. It's poster sized and will look great on the shop wall, besides being a quick reference. I got two from Precision Drill today just for walking into a shop. Not bragging, just saying check out your local tooling stores. I'll do that before I order one. Think Fastenal might carry them? They have a new store nearby, but I've never been inside it. Don't know if they have stuff other than nuts and bolts... Other than that, I don't know of any machine-shop supply stores within driving distance. All my stuff seems to get here in a big brown truck., from Brownells, MSC, McMaster Carr, etc. |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
I also found a nice new Starrett Tap/Drill wall chart on Ebay for $7,95. It's poster sized and will look great on the shop wall, besides being a quick reference. I got two from Precision Drill today just for walking into a shop. Not bragging, just saying check out your local tooling stores. I'll do that before I order one. Think Fastenal might carry them? They have a new store nearby, but I've never been inside it. Don't know if they have stuff other than nuts and bolts... Other than that, I don't know of any machine-shop supply stores within driving distance. All my stuff seems to get here in a big brown truck., from Brownells, MSC, McMaster Carr, etc. My local Fastenal store has a good supply of bolts, screws, etc. - much more diverse than Lowes or Home Depot. If you use such things its worth going in and getting acquainted. |
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I had never heard of Fastenal until I saw this discussion. There is a Fastenal location nearby.
Is it actually a "store" where yoou can browse and touch the products, and where products have price tags on them, or is it a counter like a typical electrical or plumbing supply house? Do they only sell to "accounts" or do they also handle walk-in customers? Is it something like a Graybar store where walk-in customers get charged outrageous prices that are much higher than what the regular customers pay? |
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The Fastenal I've been in has a little bit of both; limited stuff on display up front, more stuff warehoused on shelves in back, and willingness to order tools in from their main distribution. Unfortunately, two day delivery service is a foreign idea in Trinidad Colorado, and the tools I ordered didn't show up while I was in town.
I don't know if the up front retail part of the stores varies by location, but if it's close enough to check out, that's what I would do. |
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Quoted: Just google - industrial supply "insert your zip code"Quoted: Quoted: I also found a nice new Starrett Tap/Drill wall chart on Ebay for $7,95. It's poster sized and will look great on the shop wall, besides being a quick reference. I got two from Precision Drill today just for walking into a shop. Not bragging, just saying check out your local tooling stores. I'll do that before I order one. Think Fastenal might carry them? They have a new store nearby, but I've never been inside it. Don't know if they have stuff other than nuts and bolts... Other than that, I don't know of any machine-shop supply stores within driving distance. All my stuff seems to get here in a big brown truck., from Brownells, MSC, McMaster Carr, etc. Or call some local machine shops. If you live in a decent sized there has to be a tool dealer somewhere. |
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