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Other Best old books
- Thread starter Tomc938
- Start date
Any of Harold Hall's old books are full of great ideas that have stood the test of time.
If you can find them, the 3 book series - Machinists Bed Side Reader are great reads.
Two newer books that are amazing are the Machinery Handbook and Beyond Measure by James Vincent.
The handbook speaks for itself but I wonder how many actually take the time to read it..... LOTS of great info in there!
Beyond Time was mentioned by @StevSmar a while back in a dedicated thread. Accurate, Meaningful, Relevant Measurements are a fundamental key to successful pursuit of our hobby. I bought a copy of the book and I REALLY liked it. Highly Recommended.
Thread 'Book on history of measurement- Beyond Measure' https://canadianhobbymetalworkers.com/threads/book-on-history-of-measurement-beyond-measure.5467/
If you can find them, the 3 book series - Machinists Bed Side Reader are great reads.
Two newer books that are amazing are the Machinery Handbook and Beyond Measure by James Vincent.
The handbook speaks for itself but I wonder how many actually take the time to read it..... LOTS of great info in there!
Beyond Time was mentioned by @StevSmar a while back in a dedicated thread. Accurate, Meaningful, Relevant Measurements are a fundamental key to successful pursuit of our hobby. I bought a copy of the book and I REALLY liked it. Highly Recommended.
Thread 'Book on history of measurement- Beyond Measure' https://canadianhobbymetalworkers.com/threads/book-on-history-of-measurement-beyond-measure.5467/
Dabbler
ersatz engineer
The South Bend "How to run a Lathe" is a good one to start. Easy read. Good advice, and out of copyright. available at archive.org and vintagemachinery.org:
Number 1 has been republished and is available at amazon:
Amazon- Machinists Bedside Reader vol.1
For measurement fundamentals, or how to get from flat to straight to linear/angular accuracy there’s “Foundations of Mechanical Accuracy” by Wayne R Moore, 1970. It’s orientated around Moore’s ”Universal Measurement Machine (Coordinate Measurement Machine). Not too hard a read, but not an easy one either.
Copies are freely available online.
Did you check out the prices of new lathes from South Bend, on the last page!! What is that in today's prices?
For plain reference, Technology of Machine Tools, by Krar et al. Senior High School/Junior trades College text, well worth the nearly $100 I paid for it as a school text book, 20+ years back. Buy a 'non-current' edition cheap! One of the first books that explains the HOW, instead of just the WHY. Great book, an the one I recommend as a FIRST book, to about anyone! WAY better investment than Machinery's Handbook (unless you buy the $5 one, that is a couple editions past being fresh, but still has almost ALL the data that you actually need and use regularly!)
South Bend's HTRAL, is good, so is the equivalent Atlas book. The Atlas book covers some stuff that the South Bend Book does not, like setting the lathe up to wind coils, and a few others, that may not affect your life much, until you figure that you can use that info for other purposes, like calculating extremely fine feeds, and the like. Worth a look!
George H Thomas! Lots of great drawings for several projects well worth reading through. Not JUST for the Myford set, but as a means to make you think about how you can overcome problems WITHOUT throwing a pile of money at new tooling.https://archive.org/details/modelengineerswo0000thom for a preview. There are two books out there, the Red one, and the Green one! Both worth having! https://www.hemingwaykits.com/the-apprentices-library Available. And not at Amazon Mystery Rip Off Prices! The Amateur's Lathe, by Sparey, really damn good too!
I am an avowed book junkie, and have been scrounging the used book stores everywhere I have lived, for the last 45 or so years. Lautard is (was, my understanding is that he got screwed over by his Ex, and pretty much wiped out his ability to make a living that way) good, he has some really good info on a LOT of subjects, brought together, and it is well presented. Further that, I inherited another book junkie's entire library (Thank You Robert Grauman!) on the exact terms that I only need see that it did not end up in the recycling! So I have a great number of books to hand! If I remember, next time I am poking through the piles, I may have a copy of MBR3 to spare. Failing that I might be convinced to loan out mine!
I also have Model Engineer magazines going back to the late 1800's, as well as HSM, HSM Workshop, Model Engine Builder, and a half dozen other also incomplete sets. Saddest day of my 'book' life, I went in to the Regina Public Library to spend some quality time photocopying articles from their extensive collection (easily 50+ years worth) of Model Engineer, and was told that the previous week, they had recycled the whole lot because "Nobody buys old magazines!" <sigh>
South Bend's HTRAL, is good, so is the equivalent Atlas book. The Atlas book covers some stuff that the South Bend Book does not, like setting the lathe up to wind coils, and a few others, that may not affect your life much, until you figure that you can use that info for other purposes, like calculating extremely fine feeds, and the like. Worth a look!
George H Thomas! Lots of great drawings for several projects well worth reading through. Not JUST for the Myford set, but as a means to make you think about how you can overcome problems WITHOUT throwing a pile of money at new tooling.https://archive.org/details/modelengineerswo0000thom for a preview. There are two books out there, the Red one, and the Green one! Both worth having! https://www.hemingwaykits.com/the-apprentices-library Available. And not at Amazon Mystery Rip Off Prices! The Amateur's Lathe, by Sparey, really damn good too!
I am an avowed book junkie, and have been scrounging the used book stores everywhere I have lived, for the last 45 or so years. Lautard is (was, my understanding is that he got screwed over by his Ex, and pretty much wiped out his ability to make a living that way) good, he has some really good info on a LOT of subjects, brought together, and it is well presented. Further that, I inherited another book junkie's entire library (Thank You Robert Grauman!) on the exact terms that I only need see that it did not end up in the recycling! So I have a great number of books to hand! If I remember, next time I am poking through the piles, I may have a copy of MBR3 to spare. Failing that I might be convinced to loan out mine!
I also have Model Engineer magazines going back to the late 1800's, as well as HSM, HSM Workshop, Model Engine Builder, and a half dozen other also incomplete sets. Saddest day of my 'book' life, I went in to the Regina Public Library to spend some quality time photocopying articles from their extensive collection (easily 50+ years worth) of Model Engineer, and was told that the previous week, they had recycled the whole lot because "Nobody buys old magazines!" <sigh>
Ironman
Ultra Member
In FunnyMoney or USD? Either one, things have changed, and we could not own a lathe for many years, but good old Taiwan came to the rescue.
I had about two years of schooling, but in those days, Shop Class meant learning to drawfile, make things square by hand, basic welding, and how to run a lathe, and thread with it. Now they look puzzed when I talk about shop classes.
I fell in love with a lathe at that time, as we had old 9" South Bends with back gear, no QC box, and I always had a soft spot for them all my life.
Yep. Can say pretty much, I graduated High School on account of the grades I got in Shop Classes!
Still think the Bravest Man I ever met, was the Grade Eight Wood Shop Teacher, riding herd on 35 of us junior reprobates, in a shop FULL of tools that would happily remove fingers and/or hands!
Norm Robson! Thanks!
The Metal Shop Teacher never had near so many ways to hurt yourself as badly! LOL!
Don't know which shop had more ways to hurt yourself, wood shop or the metal shop, the metal shop had a casting area too! Didn't spend much time in wood shop in later school years, mostly in the metal shop.
Before I graduated the English teacher came to me and said there was a "small" problem, he said as my marks were all great in every thing but English, I would not graduate, so if I would promise to never go to university, I would graduate. It was an easy promise to make and maintain thru the years. I have only ever visited one or 2, sure that didn't count!
Yes,the teacher's were all brave in the shops and had to know how to deal with teenagers wanting to make stuff, pieces to repair things, hash pipes, rebuilding car/bike parts, making reloading gear. Don't know how they managed sometimes, I think every class had 28 to 33 or so in it.
Sometimes think if I had only known where it would lead, what I could have done/made !
Before I graduated the English teacher came to me and said there was a "small" problem, he said as my marks were all great in every thing but English, I would not graduate, so if I would promise to never go to university, I would graduate. It was an easy promise to make and maintain thru the years. I have only ever visited one or 2, sure that didn't count!
Yes,the teacher's were all brave in the shops and had to know how to deal with teenagers wanting to make stuff, pieces to repair things, hash pipes, rebuilding car/bike parts, making reloading gear. Don't know how they managed sometimes, I think every class had 28 to 33 or so in it.
Sometimes think if I had only known where it would lead, what I could have done/made !
We did casting and heat treating in high school as well. imo a woodshop is many magnitudes more dangerous. In it you're pushing body parts toward a rotating cutter. I finally added some woodworking equipment to my shop and feel like I need to constantly focus on the specific movements I'm about to do. Machine shop work is (imo) pretty relaxed in comparison.
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Sound like you have a great collection! I'm jealous.For plain reference, Technology of Machine Tools, by Krar et al. Senior High School/Junior trades College text, well worth the nearly $100 I paid for it as a school text book, 20+ years back. Buy a 'non-current' edition cheap! One of the first books that explains the HOW, instead of just the WHY. Great book, an the one I recommend as a FIRST book, to about anyone! WAY better investment than Machinery's Handbook (unless you buy the $5 one, that is a couple editions past being fresh, but still has almost ALL the data that you actually need and use regularly!)
South Bend's HTRAL, is good, so is the equivalent Atlas book. The Atlas book covers some stuff that the South Bend Book does not, like setting the lathe up to wind coils, and a few others, that may not affect your life much, until you figure that you can use that info for other purposes, like calculating extremely fine feeds, and the like. Worth a look!
George H Thomas! Lots of great drawings for several projects well worth reading through. Not JUST for the Myford set, but as a means to make you think about how you can overcome problems WITHOUT throwing a pile of money at new tooling.https://archive.org/details/modelengineerswo0000thom for a preview. There are two books out there, the Red one, and the Green one! Both worth having! https://www.hemingwaykits.com/the-apprentices-library Available. And not at Amazon Mystery Rip Off Prices! The Amateur's Lathe, by Sparey, really damn good too!
I am an avowed book junkie, and have been scrounging the used book stores everywhere I have lived, for the last 45 or so years. Lautard is (was, my understanding is that he got screwed over by his Ex, and pretty much wiped out his ability to make a living that way) good, he has some really good info on a LOT of subjects, brought together, and it is well presented. Further that, I inherited another book junkie's entire library (Thank You Robert Grauman!) on the exact terms that I only need see that it did not end up in the recycling! So I have a great number of books to hand! If I remember, next time I am poking through the piles, I may have a copy of MBR3 to spare. Failing that I might be convinced to loan out mine!
I also have Model Engineer magazines going back to the late 1800's, as well as HSM, HSM Workshop, Model Engine Builder, and a half dozen other also incomplete sets. Saddest day of my 'book' life, I went in to the Regina Public Library to spend some quality time photocopying articles from their extensive collection (easily 50+ years worth) of Model Engineer, and was told that the previous week, they had recycled the whole lot because "Nobody buys old magazines!" <sigh>
There are about 240 "Model Engineer" magazines at archive.org. They are also a great resource. You can download the pdfs.
Tom O
Ultra Member
Mr Dixon our shop teacher carried around a steel ruler when giving instructions to the students if you were not paying attention you would get smacked across the knuckles.