Home Machinists Handbook

I had rudimentary training in machine shop work from when I was in grad school. I rather missed making machinery, so I bought a small Unimat-3 lathe. Great, I started grinding stuff out, and realized I forgot a lot of my important lessons, and didn't have Wayne-O the machinist scowling at me from the back of the room to remind me how to do things properly. This book sort of fulfills the role of a helpful pal who will remind you of how the machine shop works. It is a reminder of all the basic stuff, the advantage and disadvantages of various kinds of tools, and what all the parts are called. As others have noticed, it is oriented toward the Sherline. My lathe is actually smaller than the Sherline, and has different properties, but the book is still tremendously helpful in remembering stuff I forgot, and learning things nobody bothered telling me about. I particularly liked the little tooling projects; they all look doable and like they'll make my lathe more useful. This isn't a book for the experienced machinist. If you work on a Hardinge in your day job, this will be laughable even if you bought a Sherline to screw around with at home. Still, for rank amateurs, people returning to the craft after a long absence, or other inexperienced types it is a pretty handy thing to have.

Many years ago I took metal shop in high school and learned the rudiments of using a mill and lathe, etc. Now that I'm thinking of getting a mill and lathe for home hobby use I need both a refresher course and something to fill in the gaps. This book is serving nicely. In clear, straightforward language, with good illustrations, it lays out all the basic knowledge and techniques you need, then ends with a series of projects you can do to both practice all the basic machining techniques and end up with a useful set of accessories for your hobby mill and lathe. I believe that reading this book and doing the projects will prove to be a very efficient and effective way lay the foundation of knowledge and skills I'll need to use my new machines.

If you are just playing with the idea of starting your own garage machine shop or if you are an absolute beginner this text gives you a brief overview and it does it very well. Considering the advances in design and manufacturing technologies it does show its age. A 2nd edition would help a lot that includes CAD/CAM, CNC, and other subjects found in most hobby machine shops today. What I liked: The basic never change and this book gives you a good overview. No unnecessary "This can kill you" side notes. Cool project at the end of the book. What I did not like: Reference material could be better organized and expanded. It's a bit dated and only talks about the absolute basics. Too many BIG pictures. Limited coverage of the metric system (and yes, we are using it today).

I bought this book based on it's price and the reviews. It's a good book with a lot of useful information explained in clear, easy to follow terms. I'm a mechanical engineer who is just getting started as a home/hobby machinist and this book is great for someone with no knowledge of machine practices or even someone who already has some experience. I would even recommend tbis book to an engineering student, as it explains a lot of things like measurement, reading prints, heat treating and mechanical properties of materials in simple, understandable terms that aren't too heavy on theory. Overall, a very practical, useful, understandable, well-written book with cool projects you can make in your home (or school) machine shop!

Basic information on machining equipment and how they are used, but you will need more advanced texts on machine shop practices if you really intend to set up a hobby workshop.

I have never used a metal lathe or mill, but I am trying to decide if I should get a small one. I am a woodworker, with a decent woodworking shop, so I'm fairly good at mechanical things. As stated early in the book, it isn't for machine shops or starting a business. It is for Home Machinists. There is good information and introductions about what the various machines and tools are, how you use them, and what types of things they can do. Good discussion on metals, as well as tempering, etc. While I am still not sure if I am going to make the jump to getting machine tools, I certainly think the knowledge gained was worth the purchase price.

I am a hobby machinist. I have a small Chinese lathe and mill and am just learning about working with metal. This book covers just about everything there is to know about machining. The copyrights cover 1914 through 2020 so it is a great reference book.

This is an old school book, written by a skilled person. A bit dated in it's form perhaps, but as a manual for doing simple to elaborate metalwork by hand it's well worth the price. It covers a lot of topics, from reading prints to setting up and using milling machines. Great number of photographic illustrations as well of decent quality. If you are a hobby modeller or need that special bracket for a car or boat project, then chances are this book might provide you with the necessary hints and tips concerning tools, materials and shaping them.

Probably the best primer for a prospective model engineer to have in their library. Most books of this nature that I have read have failed to take into consideration the feeling almost of fear that the absolute tyro has when first introduced to a lathe with its assorted possibilties of doing you a nasty if you press the wrong button. The writer of this handbook does not waste words. He is calm, succinct and does not hurry the reader. The illustrations and sketches are clear and well chosen. If you propose to set up a workshop then buy this book first. You won't regret it. Ignore the fact that the lathe and ancillaries are based on the Sherline lathe. It is largely irrelevant

Excellent resource. It's basis on the Sherline system isn't a perfect match for me (I own a Taig), but the writer does his best to link the knowledge to other lathes. The description of tools and accessories is excellent.

Great starting point for someone that just acquired a mini lathe or mill.

I re-read the book yesterday. It has a lot of basic info on machining - how to read say callipers and micrometers. The author is British but does use or mentions imperial units. End of the book has some small projects mostly lathe related. Some cool tips such as how to advance lathe cutting tip just 0.0001 inch - the scale goes only to 0.001 so how can one increase lathe ability to take a cut 10x? Well, set the compound at an angle (small) and advance that. Great idea. The lathe author uses is on the picture - yes it is that small and yes the author does some good work with it. The lathe is similar to the popular mini-lathes such as 7 - 12, definitely smaller than 7 - 14.

This small book provides some help in getting started in a new hobby, that of using home workshop a metal lathe.