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Machine Shop Trade Secrets
In this book you'll find a collection of clever tips for immediately improving your machining and toolmaking skills. It provides a wealth of practical information on conventional and CNC machining, which can help you avoid trouble and get things done. There are over four hundred suggestions in this book.
314 pages, Paperback
First published September 28, 2004
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49 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 2, 2016
Mr. Harvey was kind enough to send me a copy of his book. I finished my first pass through this book recently, I say first pass, since I will refer back to it often. This book is a very dense collection of tips and hints by an experienced machinist. It reads a bit like some of the Guy Lautard and Dave Gingery books but there's a lot more content. It's aimed at the professional machinist and the machinist in training but it's a great book for home shop machinist types as well. It's close to 300 pages and every page has several tips on the average. Don't worry though, the author has broken these into 18 well thought out chapters, you will be able to access the different types of hints in a sane fashion.
In general the hints are of the following types:
Working faster and with less effort.
Getting good fit and finish.
How to properly setup a job.
Making specialty cutters.
One example of number one, use stub drills to avoid center drilling. Number two, machining a part so that it's easy to deburr. Three, THE BEST article on squaring blocks for beginners that I've ever seen. I wish I had this book when I was taking classes, because it's way better and more practical than any college text I've yet seen. Finally I've never seen the style of small cutters that he custom makes listed in the amateur publications, they are great if you need a small custom milling cutter and I think most of us have everything we need to make them in our shops.
I highly recommend this book to beginning and experienced machinists, especially if you are thinking of making money at it!
In general the hints are of the following types:
Working faster and with less effort.
Getting good fit and finish.
How to properly setup a job.
Making specialty cutters.
One example of number one, use stub drills to avoid center drilling. Number two, machining a part so that it's easy to deburr. Three, THE BEST article on squaring blocks for beginners that I've ever seen. I wish I had this book when I was taking classes, because it's way better and more practical than any college text I've yet seen. Finally I've never seen the style of small cutters that he custom makes listed in the amateur publications, they are great if you need a small custom milling cutter and I think most of us have everything we need to make them in our shops.
I highly recommend this book to beginning and experienced machinists, especially if you are thinking of making money at it!
September 11, 2018
Great advice!
Some info I had already learned the hard way, other tid bits were a "face palm" producing moment in solving problems I have had for quite some time. Very helpful for my hobby of metal fabrication.
Some info I had already learned the hard way, other tid bits were a "face palm" producing moment in solving problems I have had for quite some time. Very helpful for my hobby of metal fabrication.
March 9, 2016
Great collection of tips and best practices. This book has helped a great deal in honing my machining skills and knowledge.
Currently reading
September 25, 2008Now that I have a lifetime membership in my local TechShop(TM), I thought I better read up on this.
July 9, 2012
Filled with tips and ideas. Though, if you have a tool and cutter grinder it can be more useful.
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January 9, 2019Some good advise to be had.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews