The Home Shop Machinist Magazine, January 1999
When someone with Joe Martin's experience in the machine shop begins to draw upon his past and put it into print, one bit of wisdom tumbles out right on the heels of another. The book grew in just that way. What started out to be a substantial book became a monumental one, and it's clearly not limited in its scope to people who own and operate the tabletop-type machine tools such as the Sherline equipment. Machining is machining, and size is for the most part immaterial.
This book is richly illustrated with drawings, diagrams and full color photography. Craig Libuse is responsible for that aspect of the book, and it has added immensely to its usefulness. While the book focuses mostly upon the Sherline lathe and mill in both drawings and photos, the setups and processes it illustrates are important and useful for any machinist with any equipment. I encourage everyone to have Tabletop Machining by Joe Martin in their shop library
Book Description
Tabletop Machining gives the reader not just the "hows" but also the "whys" of machining practices using the lathe and milling machine for metalworking. Included are down-to-earth descriptions as well as detailed photos and drawings. In addition, a large selection of project photos illustrates the amazing work that has been produced by craftsmen using small but capable miniature machine tools. Though the tools used in the examples highlight the small end of the size scale in machining, the theories and practices can be applied to metal working on machines of any size.
Whether you're a newly graduated engineer or a beginning machinist, this book will help you gather some real, practical knowledge of how machines and machinists actually go about working with metal. This isn't theory, but rather it details "real world" practices and gives a good insight into the challenges faced by machinists. Too often, good craftsmen are stopped from venturing forth because the only information available shows just the technically perfect way to do things rather than the simple, practical methods everyone really uses. For those wishing to design and build their first metal parts, it is a perfect starting point, as it highlights the fun that comes from making small projects of precision and beauty.
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