Machinery's Handbook(Machinery's Handbook
by Erik Oberg · first published 2008
50% recommend50% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Dense reference handbook of machining formulas, specifications, and tables. It is the standard reference for machinists and metalworkers, best for looking up details such as gear geometry and screw specifications.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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In mechanical engineering: - Mechanical Engineering Design, Shigley - Mechanism and Mechanical Devices Sourcebook, Sclater - Foundations of Mechanical Accuracy, Moore - Machinery's Handbook - Structure and Interpretation of... Classical Mechanics, Sussman And just for fun: - 507 Mechanical Movements, Brown - Handbook of Compliant Mechanisms, Howell
on “Ask HN: What, in your opinion, are the greatest and most useful textbooks?” ↗Another great book like that is Machinery's Handbook: https://books.industrialpress.com/machinery-handbook/
on “I bought an encyclopedia” ↗…open up and learn something new in. It’s more of a reference book than the “narrative” books that were linked too. It’s probably what people think of as a “Manufacturing Book.” Then there’s the Bible, Machinery’s Handbook [2]. This probably isn’t what most people are looking for in a manufacturing book. Think of it as more of a giant list of tables and suggestions when trying to actually build something. It’s the one book…
on “Best books to learn about manufacturing” ↗I never considered algorithms as part of mechanical engineering. Oh, yes. Metal work is all about calculating. The classic book is "Machinery's Handbook", published for 105 years. Machinist's toolboxes often have a built-in space for it.
on “Hand Scraping a Truly Flat Plane (1908) [pdf]” ↗…a decent free online set of courses that I found helpful.[0] I have also heard people mention the Titans of CNC online training courses,[1] although I have not checked them out personally. Finally, "Machinery's Handbook" is also a venerable resource that deserves mention, but more a desk reference than something to read through as a learner. They come out with new editions regularly, but older ones are still very useful…
on “Ask HN: Top Skills to Learn for 2022?” ↗Impossible to boil it down to one book. So many disciplines. I would suggest you get a copy of Machinery's Handbook and study it. There are also books that are collections of mechanisms. I probably have ten of them. There are some online resources today with animated versions of mechanisms. Google is your friend…
on “MakerBot's bold bet that 3D printers would become common” ↗…you need to use a good screwdriver here, I've seen the cheap screwdrivers ground at 15 degrees off of the correct angle. And if you want all the specs on a particular screw, picking up an older copy of Machinery's Handbook will give you more detail than you were aware existed. Although from your question, it seems like you are working with poor quality screwdrivers. Cheap screwdrivers make any screw feel like garbage and…
on “Watchmaking: Machining a 0.6 mm Screw [video]” ↗'The Annapolis Book of Seamanship' is the de-facto sailing 'bible', in my opinion. 'Machinery's Handbook' is my choice for metalworking. 'Drive to Win' and the other Carrol Smith driving books ('Engineering to Win', 'Tuning to Win') are great for people that want to get into high performance driving. the…
on “Ask HN: Book to introduce subject X to someone for the first time?” ↗The bible of machinists everywhere is Machinery's Handbook[1] I've got an old copy, but they tend to remain useful for generations, as the basics really don't change very often. When you've got to make a bevel gear, and all you have is involute cutters, they've…
on “Ask HN: What's the "one book" in your discipline?” ↗…milling machines. The main limit on milling speed is getting rid of the heat. If you're willing to run slow, dry cutting works. Or if you only cut materials softer than steel. At some point, you get Machinery's Handbook.[1] For most of a century, machinists' toolboxes had a built-in space for a copy of that book. Now it's available as an app. [1] https://books.industrialpress.com/machinery-handbook/
on “Hobby CAD, CNC machining, and resin casting (2015)” ↗…nice and relatively affordable (in this domain). You can also find used manual machines locally, but it’s hard to know if they’re in good condition if you don’t know anything. If you want to read, the Machinery’s Handbook, aka the Bible in any shop, is enormous and contains pretty much anything you’d want to know. Oh, and get a set of Mitutoyo digital calipers. Expensive but the only way to go, in my opinion. Measuring…
on “Ask HN: What cool skill or project interests you, but feels out of reach?” ↗…rate, you could imagine topical, selected collections of Internet Archive scans of public-domain books; for mechanical engineering, for example, you might group together a public-domain version of the Machinery's Handbook (135 MB), Reuleaux's Kinematics of Machinery (86 MB), Reuleaux's The Constructor (40 MB), Roe's English and American Tool Builders (19 MB), Brown's 507 Mechanical Movements (18 MB), and Fox's The Mechanism…
on “Scarcity Truthers” ↗Or this one: https://www.amazon.com/Machinerys-Handbook-Toolbox-Erik-Ober... > For more than 100 years, Machinery's Handbook has been the most popular reference work in metalworking, design, engineering and manufacturing facilities, and technical schools and colleges throughout the world. It is universally acknowledged as an…
on “Space explosion reveals possible hints of dark matter” ↗…of Computer Programming: Why reinvent this wheel? Mad magazine: Humor Cookbooks and edible plant guides: Gotta eat. Boy Scout manuals, guidebooks, and merit badge books: Full of useful information Machinery's Handbook: Relearn to make parts Military field manuals: Helpful information for survival and tactics Anarchist Cookbook: Blackpowder, gene pool cleansing Marconi Patents: Communications - Slip in a Morse code…
on “If you were to form a Noah's Ark for books which ones are you taking and why?” ↗…extremely important but not enough to know what's most important to know about them or which books are more reliable or better written. What do you think about Reuleaux's Kinematics of Machinery and the Machinery's Handbook?
on “Guerrilla guide to CNC machining, mold making, and resin casting (2015)” ↗