Machine Shop Trade Secrets: A Guide to Manufacturing Machine Shop Practices

This has to be the most unusual book I have ever read. Each chapter contains a number of separate numbered paragraphs. Each paragraph contains the author's thoughts about some specific aspect of machining. This organizational format is almost bizarre, but somehow strangely effective. This book has the best description I have ever seen on what cutters are best used for particular functions. I also really enjoyed the do's and don'ts on NC machining. I've gone through it twice now in one week and will probably read it a third time before long.This is not the usual textbook on machining with numerous pages devoted to cutting theory that somehow never quite gets to the point of telling you what feed and speed to use to accomplish a specific task. Nor does it have an entire chapter telling you what a lathe is and how the various parts are named. The utility of many such treatises is probably exhausted once past the point of contributing to some academician's case for being awarded tenure. This one is really different. It really has a lot of good advice that's applicable to virtually any environment.Some of the points the author makes may seem trivial at first (buy lots of tools, for example)as noted by at least one other reviewer. But if you take the time to read and understand what he's saying, you'll see there is some interesting and really decent advice here. Buying special purpose tools rather than the 6-in-1 kind, for example, not only produces better work, but helps avoid time consuming setups and reduces bad parts.I've got a suggestion for the author for another book. He might organize it by "how to" topic. For example, "how to cut an interior keyway". There are lots of ways to do most of these things, ranging from simple hand tool methods to megacredit special purpose machinery. It would be interesting (for me at least) to see 4 to 5 ways presented for each "how to" with a brief discussion of their pluses and minuses.

This is a book well worth having. Its fun to pick up when you dont have much time and just want some lighter reading. I agree with all the positive comments of other reviewers. The "bullet" style allows you to read a lot or a little without losing track of a subject as in more detailed texts. The book is not a stand alone and will not teach you how to do machine tasks from A to Z, it is intended to give you tips on how to get from A to B or X to Z more efficiently, accurately and/or safely. Any skill level will benefit from this book and its the type you will want to periodically browse to pick up new or refresh old tips.

This well-written book deserves lots of accolade for its clear and useful information. Not only machine shop owners and workers, but everybody distantly relevant will find this book a must-have reference in his daily work. In the book, many common-sense, practical and 'obvious' advices and tips are provided generously. The author is good at explaining technical aspects in layman's terms thus making it easy to follow and understand. And the author has a good sense of humor too. One of my favorites is "Blowing chips all over the guy next to you would be an example of a "non-dimensional" mistake that would likely irritate somebody." Seriously, you don't expect you could have some laughs while studying such technical subject like machine shop operation! Yes, book like this surely brighten up your mundane workday.

This is a great resource for any machinist including hobby machinists like myself. So finding this book used was a boon even though it's the fist edition. It is way more stuff than I'll ever get through probably. It arrived very quick, is in perfect shape and I'm a happy camper!

I found the book to be quite valuable. It's written primarily for the amateur or beginning machinist looking to improve his skills with manual machine tools. There is a section on CNC work but mostly it's about workholding, measuring, and order-of-operations topics that are the heart of all machining, manual or CNC. The author assumes a certain amount of basic machine shop knowledge such as basic terminology but that should not be an obstacle to anyone determined to learn. I plan to keep the book in my hobby shop and page through it from time to time for review.

As a scientist, I feel that far too often people do not set out to document the tips and tricks of their trades, resulting in the next generation having to figure things out for themselves. James Harvey bucks this trend, and his book has been very useful to this novice machinist.I needed to learn machining for projects at work, and this book has helped me improve the speed with which I make parts as well as the overall quality. It has paid for itself many times over by now.Several reviewers have commented on the somewhat unusual format of this book. I enjoyed it-- it is straight forward and doesn't make a whole flowery page out of what could be 2 sentences.Nic

I am not a machinist but I am a handy guy. I did not need a book that treated me like an idiot. I needed a book that would stand over my shoulder like a master would do to an apprentice. This book does that. It's like having your personal "Old Guy" giving you tips. (I am an Old Guy BTW so I can say that) I give it my highest recommendation. I think machinists of all levels will find something handy here.

I love this book. In my opinion definately worth the $34 I paid for my copy. I'm a beginning machinist and this book has been extremely helpful to me.This is a very practical reference for many machining operations filled with common sense approches to common problems, and packed with many helpful hints on how to make the jobs easier.As was said in another review, this isn't a rigidly structured writing, but it is packed with key information and lots of helpful pictures to compliment the information in the text.I'm definately going to read through my copy again, and probably a third time as well as keeping it handy as a reference.

I am a newbie in this field. I picked up tons of tips and ideas way ahead of the text book reference. I will surely get a lot for what I invested in this great book. I personally recommend this to every machinist if you want to impress your professor or your boss.

Normalerweise ist man bei derartigen Büchern froh wenn man ein zwei nützliche Techniken lernt.Dieses Buch ist voll von interessanten Techniken.Der einzige kritikpunkt ist die vollkommen chaotische Struktur.Wenn man damit leben kann, eines der besten Bücher für neukinge im Modellbau.

Secrets is right! Ways to solve many problems and how to do it right the first time!

Plenty of great tips and ideas. Great for beginners and still useful for veterans.