Customer Reviews

Metal Fabricator's Handbook

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book, in a way, is for both the beginner and the professional. The author includes a lot of helpful information for the beginner. He starts with simple and complete description of all kinds of tools that are used in fabricating metal. He starts with hand tools, moves to power hand tools, and then ends with large equipment. In the next chapter the author describes the types of metals needed to fabricate reliable auto parts. That was a good chapter. After wards, there is a chapter for each, gas welding and electric welding. The following two chapters are about basic metal forming and hammer forming. Both of those chapters are good and give a basic understanding of how metal is shaped.

There are five more chapters about sheet metal add ons, roll bars, tanks, exhaust headers, and sheet metal interior. All of those chapters were a little hard for me to follow, but I think a professional would like those chapters.

In conclusion, I find this book very helpful for the beginner; however there is a lack of information about simple detailed projects and practices.

While the Metal Fabricator's Handbook provided some insight into working with metal, it didn't provide as much information as I had expected.

Ron does a good job of detailing the tools you will need to work with metal, but does not spend much time actually showing you what to do.

Most of the projects were presented in a general way, he didn't touch much on the specifics of how to do complete the tasks. It was more like watching a 30 minute show on how to fabricate many parts associated with a race car. Surely you cannot expect to be able to take this information and build a race car.

All in all, I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the trade. Even if you manage to learn one thing from this book, it's one thing you didn't know prior to reading it.

Excellent book for novice and professionals.
Talks about various metal fabricator tools and
processes.
I like it more than "ultimate fabrication"
book

This book was originally recommended to me on the rec.crafts.metalworking site and so I went out and bought a copy. It arrived and I read it cover to cover over a couple of days. It gives a very good intro to the subject of metalworking - with an emphasis on race cars / hotrods. I am restoring old m/cycles so this was a little lost on me - although the methods are obviously similar. He uses and recommends a lot of equipment - which is way beyond the reach of the amateur. I also found that the tanks he builds are almost all square or rectangular with the notable exception of an aircraft wing-tank. Bike tanks are MUCH harder. I have struggled to build new tanks using this book as a guide and have decided that it is far easier to buy an old tank (ANY tank) and restore it rather than buidl from scratch. This is alo reflected in the price of new tanks (surprise, surprise).

Overall - a good read / well worth the money (I paid OVER $US18 !!) and when you have finished reading it - don't be surprised if you can sell it on EBAY for more than you paid for it (seriously !)

Steelaway@bigpond.com

Being relatively new (about 3 years) in the art of metal fabrication, I found this book to be extremely enlightening. I learned new techniques for making compound shapes. I also found out about some tools I didn't know about as well as how to make some from scratch. It has inspired me to try new more complex things.

This is an excelent book for anyone who wants to get started or just looking for general info on metal fabrication. However I have to agree with some of the previous posts regarding it's lack of specific details. The book offers readers a good deal of information on the tools of the trade and the basics of metal fabrication. It is a great reference to point you in the right direction but you will have to go elsewhere for the more specific information.

This book paid for itself at page 3 and has continued to do so ever since. Why no 5 star rating well its because I cant afford some of the equipment and he provides no poor mans alternative.

Ought to be must reading not only for car guys but aircraft maintenance students, homebuilders, and for electronics hobbyists as well. Even if you aren't going to become as skilled as Mr. Fournier it helps to know what can and can't be done and what is involved, so you can intelligently talk to fabricators.

Ron Fournier's Metal Fabricator's Handbook is one of the items a hobbyist fabricator should have on their bookshelf. The book's sturdy binding even lends itself well to sitting on the workbench, where some of my favorite machining and fabrication books end up, to be thumbed through with dirty hands.
The Handbook starts off with a pretty detailed chapter on handtools, paying particularly good attention to the vast array of hammers, mallets, dollys and spoons that made even a seasoned fabricator like me say "hunh, so that's what it's for" to a couple things. After handtools, the book goes into power tools, forming tools such as English wheels, brakes and shot bags, then jumps into the use of it all through detailed automotive projects the author has done. Some of the projects are definitely a bit dated, but the techniques are what's important.
Overall the Metal Fabricator's Handbook is a well written, informative part of a hot rodder's library.

My purpose for ordering this book was to gain the knowledge of how to do this type of work. While the "how to" is limited, the advantage to me is to learn what can be done and this book covers this well. Overall, I am pleased that I ordered it.
The delivery time was short and the condition of the book was excellent.
Thanks;
Dennis Osborn