Book123

    Free register and download UseNet downloader, then you can FREE Download from UseNet.

    Download without Limit " Hardware Tabletop Machining: A Basic Approach to Making Small Parts on Miniature Machine Tools by Joe Martin " from UseNet for FREE!

More

Tabletop Machining: A Basic Approach to Making Small Parts on Miniature Machine Tools by Joe Martin

What is "tabletop machining"?

Tabletop machining is about operating miniature machine tools. These are machines that can be picked up and set on a small bench or, if need be, a kitchen table, and used to build precise metal parts. They are inexpensive compared to their full-size shop equivalents, but are just as versatile and accurate as long as the size of the part is appropriate for the machine. The "Unimat" was the first miniature lathe mass produced and well known. Thousands of Unimats were sold, and today many are still in use. It had a wide variety of accessories manufactured for it and a price that was affordable. A number of other miniature machine tools have been manufactured since the Unimat, and the company I own, Sherline Products Inc., has become today's leader for this class of machine. I believe the fact I am both a hobbyist and toolmaker gave me more insight into what our customers needed when it comes to both accessories and instructions.

Beating the system

For me there has always been something special about projects that have been built on these small machines. The machinist who works with miniature machine tools will have beaten the system by not spending thousands of dollars on tools. These craftsmen build beautiful projects for enjoyment, not wages.

Not just the "how", but also the "why"

The tables and charts can be found in Machinery's Handbook, and I don't plan to duplicate them in this book. Library shelves are full of books of this nature. The information in this book won't be found in charts and graphs. I'm going to attempt to give you the information to actually start making "parts". Instructions that tell you "how" to do a job too often skip the most basic information, and that is "why" you would want to do a job this way or that way. I believe the customers who purchase miniature machines are intelligent enough to find the specific information they need at a library. These customers just don't happen to know much about machining. However, I also believe this book contains enough general rules to get a job done. Get started on a project as soon as you have your tools set up and working. Read a little, machine a little. Never cut metal without a plan that includes dimensions. "Making chips" without a plan can develop terrible work habits. This trade has few choices when it comes to parts fitting together. To work in unison they must be accurate, and your first task should be to make parts "to size".

How to read this book

A book like this doesn't need to be read from front to back like a novel. You will probably skip around reading first the sections that interest you the most. Therefore, this book may seem at times to be redundant. I have attempted to make each chapter relatively complete in and of itself, and some rules apply to more than one machining operation. Some of the more important ones may be repeated wherever they apply. To keep you interested and make the book more fun, we have included many pictures of actual projects and the people who made them. The examples of what has actually been done using tabletop machine tools speak more eloquently about their capabilities than anything I could say.

Why Sherline tools are used in the examples

I must say up front that Sherline tools will be used in the examples throughout this book. It is not my intention to use this book as a tool to sell Sherline tools, but rather to use these tools to demonstrate the techniques I am discussing. The reason should be obvious; that is, they are what I have available and what I know the most about. The principles involved in using these tools are pretty much typical of all machine tools, even larger full size shop tools, so what you learn through these examples should be able to be applied to whatever brand of tools you are using. Also, we have sold many thousands of these tools over the past twenty-five years, so the knowledge specific to Sherline tools will be of additional benefit to those of you who are using them as you work with this book. In addition, I hope the information I've included about how this tool line was developed and how our business is run might inspire some of you to follow your dreams and start a business of your own, whether it is in the area of machining or in any area that interests you.

Buy Book at Lowest Price on Amazon

Rating:
2.5 out of 5 by Book123