# Machinerys Handbook



## prasad (Jan 17, 2015)

Guys,

I think I need a good reference book or two. Here is the background of my work.

I am a retired engineer by qualification and I spent my early years as an engineer working on control logic circuits, micro-computer based control system electronics, some years in mechanical equipment manufacturing and so on. That gave me plenty of exposure to understanding design of mechanical parts though my degree certificate said I was an electrical engineer. Later I went into management side of the business that had less to do with engineering. I have not forgotten everything that I learned though much of it is very hazy. 

Initially I want to work on worm reduction drive for my astronomy applications. I have a small machine shop in the basement with a G4000 9x19 lathe and a G8689 mini-mill along with a few other accessories such as a bench grinder, belt sander, etc.

I want to do everything to the best level of quality and precision. To put everything into proper use I feel that I need some reference book(s). One book I thought of was the Machinerys Handbook. I browsed amazon.com and found many books by different authors. I could not decide which one would be the best. My immediate need was to refer proper guide on fits and tolerances. I want all aspects covered if possible.

I already have downloaded free books from the Internet like "How to run a SB lathe", etc. I would appreciate if you can advice me on what other books I could get, download or buy.

Thanks
Prasad
Wynnewood PA


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## JimDawson (Jan 17, 2015)

Machinery's Handbook is the premier reference for machinists and engineers.  2500 pages of facts, figures, and standards.  It is a must have book for any serious machinist/designer.  But it doesn't necessarily tell you how to do a particular operation.

There are a lot of how-to books out there so you are just going to have to get a few and and see if they are useful to you.  Many times if a book has one paragraph in it that is useful to me, then I feel that the book was worth the price.

Also take a look at this posting:  http://www.hobby-machinist.com/showthread.php/24599-Us-Army-Machining-Course?p=217489&viewfull=1#post217489


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## Baithog (Jan 17, 2015)

I have the handbook and use it in the office. For the shop, I got a copy of 'Machinery's Handbook Pocket Companion'. The other book I use a lot is 'Lathe Operation' that came with my old 6X18 lathe. I've been using it for 30 years, and for many of those years it was my only lathe book. I believe South Bend has a similar book for their lathe. Things like feeds and speeds and tap drills don't change much over time.


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## prasad (Jan 17, 2015)

JimDawson said:


> Machinery's Handbook is the premier reference for machinists and engineers.  2500 pages of facts, figures, and standards.  It is a must have book for any serious machinist/designer.  But it doesn't necessarily tell you how to do a particular operation.
> 
> There are a lot of how-to books out there so you are just going to have to get a few and and see if they are useful to you.  Many times if a book has one paragraph in it that is useful to me, then I feel that the book was worth the price.
> 
> Also take a look at this posting:  http://www.hobby-machinist.com/showthread.php/24599-Us-Army-Machining-Course?p=217489&viewfull=1#post217489



Jim, Thank you. I am not looking for a how-to book. I want a reference book on deciding items such as fits & tolereances and such. Amazon has more than 100 page long listings by many authors and each book with many versions. That looked very difficult to decide. It was for that reason I described my proposed use for the reference book. Any suggestions? 

Thanks
Prasad


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## prasad (Jan 17, 2015)

Baithog said:


> I have the handbook and use it in the office. For the shop, I got a copy of 'Machinery's Handbook Pocket Companion'. The other book I use a lot is 'Lathe Operation' that came with my old 6X18 lathe. I've been using it for 30 years, and for many of those years it was my only lathe book. I believe South Bend has a similar book for their lathe. Things like feeds and speeds and tap drills don't change much over time.



Larry,

Can you give me the name of the author and the version or year? For both books please. 

Thanks
Prasad


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## f350ca (Jan 17, 2015)

This or any edition is what your probably after.
http://new.industrialpress.com/machineryhandbook

Im still using the 14th edition my uncle gave me from when he was in class in 1949. have a slightly newer one in the shop, have never seen any difference.

Greg


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## Baithog (Jan 17, 2015)

It looks like my beat up old 'Lathe Operation' book is now a collectors item with prices of $50+. It was put out by the Atlas Press Company and by Craftsman. I believe the Atlas Press Company, later the Atlas Tool Company, eventually became Clausing Industrial.

The South Bend book is 'How to run a Lathe' and is available on Amazon for about $6. 

The Pocket companion is put out by Industrial Press and is available on Amazon for $16 and up, depending on version.


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## Ulma Doctor (Jan 17, 2015)

Audels has an excellent set of reference books for enjoyment too.
as does the works of Colvin & Stanley- American Machinist's handbook
Machinery's Handbook is a solid go to , but the others listed have like information.
i hope the information is helpful
mike)


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## 18w (Jan 17, 2015)

Prasad, in addition to the previous mentioned books, I would recommend Gears and Gear Cutting by Ivan Law since you mentioned wanting to make your own worm reduction. It is geared (pardon the pun) towards the home machinist. Also do not over look the various catalogs by Boston Gear and the bearing  manufacturers as they often include tables and charts for fits and tolerances and often can be had for the asking from local bearing houses.
 As mentioned by Ulma Doctor, there are several books by Colvin and Stanley that were excellent. As everyone has said get a copy of Machinerys Handbook. Beware that once you head down the path of getting a few books, that can also become an addiction. Ask me how I know!:lmao:

Regards
Darrell


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## Karl_T (Jan 18, 2015)

I'll just mention you can get an electronic version of "Machinery's handbook".

Much better for me. My old eyes have trouble with the very fine print, plus the .pdf is searchable. I do print out a table when needed and don't have to worry about getting grease all over the paper.

Karl


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## fastback (Jan 18, 2015)

The only thing I have found is that an old version of the Machinery Handbook can be as costly as a current version.  I saw a 14th version for sale, the asking price was $50.00.  I was lucky and was given a copy of both a 14th and 21 versions.

Paul


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## Smithdoor (Jan 18, 2015)

Free down load on Google books
It very old but has most data in todays 
The best copies are from the late 1930's to the late 1950's they have data that was not printed in later Machinery's Handbook
http://books.google.com/books?id=VkEYAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&lr=#v=onepage&q&f=false

Dave


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## Bill Gruby (Jan 18, 2015)

fastback said:


> The only thing I have found is that an old version of the Machinery Handbook can be as costly as a current version.  I saw a 14th version for sale, the asking price was $50.00.  I was lucky and was given a copy of both a 14th and 21 versions.
> 
> Paul



 A first edition will run you $800.00 in poor condition. A 14th edition is one with the red dot on the cover. It's the only edition to have it. That's where the extra money comes in. $50.00 is a fair price. Sellers are looking to sell to collectors most of the time. I have a second edition and you don't want to know what I paid for it. I was at an auction and a pristine first edition was there. I backed out of the auction at $1200.00. It sold to a Pennsylvania collector for $3150.00.  I am still looking for 1-3-4-8 editions.

 Sorry about getting off topic here, but price was brought up and needed to be addressed. My everyday go to handbook is the 11 th edition.

 "Billy G"


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## Mark in Indiana (Jan 18, 2015)

My first MH was the 23rd edition. I traded a scrapped Jeep body for it. The second MH was the 21st edition that I got at a yard sale for 1$.


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## Dunc1 (Jan 18, 2015)

For a more hands-on approach check The Workshop Practice Series 
http://www.teepublishing.co.uk/books/workshop-practice-series/ (also via Amazon). These books address all aspects of home machining from the perspective of a hobby machinist: how-to with hobby-level - not industrial - machinery. I own many of these and rate them highly. 
There are similar texts from Amazon ( have not read them, however), for eg:
 - Stan Bray, Basic Lathework for Home Machinists, 
- Harold Hall, Metal Lathe for Home Machinists,
- David Clark,Metal Turning on the Lathe

All the above authors were extensively involved with the British model engineering magazine, Model Engineers' Workshop (and possibly its companion Model Engineer).

While not a book Harold Hall has an extensive website that offers a wealth of information and too many projects to list.
http://homews.co.uk/index.html

There is also a large selection at Village Press/ Home Shop Machinist/
Machinists' Workshop. Many collate articles from the early years of the magazines' editions.

If you look through old issues of Popular Mechanics/Popular Science - accessible through Google - (1940s to late 1950s or early 1960s) there were many 'how to use' articles for most metal machinery.

The usual disclaimers...


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## amuller (Jan 19, 2015)

The books I use most are Machinery's Handbook (20th ed), Marks Handbook for Mechanical Engineers, the Atlas lathe handbook others have mentioned (well-illustrated), and the Handbook of Chemistry and Physics.  I would not buy any of these new, though, as they are expensive and most of the data can be found online.  Perry's Handbook of chemical engineering is good for material properties.



prasad said:


> Guys,
> 
> I think I need a good reference book or two. Here is the background of my work.
> 
> ...


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## Chuck Torman (Jan 19, 2015)

I am an admitted amateur and not nearly as practiced or educated as many on this forum, but the reference book that I have used most is "Machinists' ready reference" by C. Weingartner, Prakken Publications. A prized possession given to me by an old friend, a machinist and millwright who sadly is no longer with us.


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## Ropetangler (Jan 20, 2015)

Dunc1 said:


> For a more hands-on approach check The Workshop Practice Series
> http://www.teepublishing.co.uk/books/workshop-practice-series/ (also via Amazon). These books address all aspects of home machining from the perspective of a hobby machinist: how-to with hobby-level - not industrial - machinery. I own many of these and rate them highly.
> There are similar texts from Amazon ( have not read them, however), for eg:
> - Stan Bray, Basic Lathework for Home Machinists,
> ...



I would agree with Dunc1 here, plenty of practical info in the list he provided, but if you look at this forum  (BEGINNERS FORUM (Learn How To Machine Here) the very last entry in the list of "Sticky Posts"i s called "The Bible". This is a .pdf version of the 1914 edition of "American Machinists' Handbook. This is free, a quick download, and will have lots of useful info for you. In the past I have found fairly late version of Machinery's Handbook available for download (free) just by doing a Google search. It was the 27th edition, and I eventually bought the 28th edition, because I prefer the feel of a book rather than looking at a screen, but it cost me around AU$ 200 for the privilege. Had I realised, I could have purchased either new or near new copies of the 27th or other earlier versions for a much lower price than the AU$200 or thereabouts that I paid for the new 28th edition, and still had all the info that I needed, as none of my work is remotely near the cutting edge. 
Amazon has lists of second hand books, and almost certainly plenty of earlier copies of MH and both Amazon and Book Depository would be a good source of any of the Workshop Practice series, and Book depository have very competitive pricing and free postage . They routinely get books from  the U.K to Australia in less than a week, and at little over half the price  from local bookshops, They are very good in my experience as a happy customer, - no other affiliations. I hope that this late post is of some asistance,
Rob.


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## Smithdoor (Jan 20, 2015)

What is a 12th edition going for today

Dave



Bill Gruby said:


> A first edition will run you $800.00 in poor condition. A 14th edition is one with the red dot on the cover. It's the only edition to have it. That's where the extra money comes in. $50.00 is a fair price. Sellers are looking to sell to collectors most of the time. I have a second edition and you don't want to know what I paid for it. I was at an auction and a pristine first edition was there. I backed out of the auction at $1200.00. It sold to a Pennsylvania collector for $3150.00.  I am still looking for 1-3-4-8 editions.
> 
> Sorry about getting off topic here, but price was brought up and needed to be addressed. My everyday go to handbook is the 11 th edition.
> 
> "Billy G"


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## Bill Gruby (Jan 20, 2015)

Depending on condition $30.00 to $50.00. The ones that fetch the big bucks are single digit editions, #1 thru #8.. I do however have to agree that anything above #21 is overpriced on ebay.

 "Billy G"


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## Smithdoor (Jan 20, 2015)

Thank you
I have the 12th edition it was purchase new by my father
I did find the later edition did have the info that was in the older edition

Dave




Bill Gruby said:


> Depending on condition $30.00 to $50.00. The ones that fetch the big bucks are single digit editions, #1 thru #8.. I do however have to agree that anything above #21 is overpriced on ebay.
> 
> "Billy G"


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## Bill Gruby (Jan 20, 2015)

They don't drop much info from edition to edition. Only if it is extremely obsolete. The editions are printed every four years. Edition #30 should come out in 2016 I believe. Now back to your regularly scheduled program. :lmao:

 "Billy G"


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## kevin (Jan 21, 2015)

Speaking as a noobie myself, I think Machinery's Handbook is not what you need. I picked up an older used copy myself (got it cheap), but I have never really used it except to browse through it. It's very interesting to look through, but for a non-professional machinist like me it is overkill.

There is a ton of good free information available (see link below), including books, charts, videos, etc. You can even download an older copy of Machineery's Handbook if you just want to get a look at it. For me (again - a noobie), I have found I mostly use a handful of charts for tap and drill sizes, and other basic stuff - these are worth downloading and printing out for easy reference.

https://sites.google.com/site/lagadoacademy/useful-links#information


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## Gerritt (Jul 21, 2016)

Copy paste from another thread:

Not to take away from the usefulness of Machinery's Handbook, as a beginner I think you will find more usable information in:

Advanced Machine Shop by Smith (originally published in 1910) and the precursor to that Textbook of the Elements of Machine Work. Both are understandable and provide plenty of workflow charts to learn sequence of operations from.
Both books are free downloads from http://archive.org . Advanced Machine Shop can also be bought used via AbeBooks.com (originals), the Elements book is available there are a reprint.

Gerrit


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## 4GSR (Jul 22, 2016)

Gerrit,

How about posting a direct link to the book down load?


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## Gerritt (Jul 22, 2016)

but but then you miss the fun of being distracted for days by all the other books 

Elements of Machine Work: https://archive.org/details/textbookelement00smitgoog
Advanced Machine Work: https://archive.org/details/textbookadvance00smitgoog

The trick to finding books at Archive.org is to enclose the title in " 's


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