Starting completely from scratch -literally- In what order should I make my tools?

[T Bredehoft]

If you can find reasonably an old copy of "Machinery's Handbook" it's all in there.

 

[matthewsx]

Another more "accessible" book is Carroll Smith's "Engineer to Win."

Yes it's about building race cars but it starts out with red dirt getting hard after a fire and goes all the way through modern (at least as of the time he wrote it) materials. Lots of great information about composition, strength, heat treatment and how to join stuff together so it doesn't come apart.

http://www.carrollsmith.com/books/ngner2win.html

I have both this and machinery's but Smith's is the one I've read cover to cover, the handbook is more a reference for me.


John

 

[G Jones]

Thanks guys! I'll check the library. I'm going to work on some hand tool stuff for the next while, then start up another thread were I'll sort of "journal" my way though small successes and large failures

So far I've started drawing up a simple dial indicator that can only measure on one axis, (more that one would be prohibitively difficult) , a rotary tool made from a sewing machine I got for near to nothing, and a pneumatic engraving tool based on a jackhammer design (miniaturized). I take great enjoyment from hand drafting.


Oh! and good news! I just got an offer today to move into some lower income housing downtown! It'll save me a few hundred dollars a month and I'll actually end up with a little more space! I'll still have to be very careful with purchases, and still will want to build most stuff, as, in a way, building beautiful tools is half the journey for me.


EDIT: trying to work my way through the steps to allow a "piston" to reciprocate back and forth in a small hand tool is one HELL of a logic puzzle!