Product 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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #85123 in Books
• Published on: 1998-07
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: .3 pounds
• Binding: Paperback
• 344 pages

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

From the Publisher
The information gathered for the book didn't come from a college education or a library. It came from a lifetime of experience in the real world of machining. It came the hard way at the expense of busted knuckles, broken taps and scrapped parts. Joe Martin now owns and manages a successful company that manufactures Sherline miniature machine tools, but he started in a small shop with old tools and no money. Being a hobbyist as well, he is familiar with the needs of both the home shop machinist and the commercial manufacturer. He is in the unique position to be able to offer a practical perspective on the equipment and processes of machining at both extremes...from intricate miniature machining projects to full size shop production tools.

Tabletop Machining has been very successful and is now in its third printing. This has given the author the opportunity to fine-tune the copy to the highest level of quality. Any typographical errors found in the first printing have been eliminated.

About the Author
Joe Martin grew up in New England and entered the building trades straight out of high school. He worked on many construction jobs around the country while pursuing his hobby of building and flying radio controlled aircraft on the side. He and a group of friends began the sport of Formula One model aircraft racing and Joe became one of the sport's early champions. His hobby eventually led him from the construction trades into manufacturing where he owned several companies producing products for the hobby markets. While working in that industry, he used a small, borrowed Unimat lathe to help complete a contract to design a joystick to test-fly the lunar lander for NASA. Years later, he came across a chance to become the United States distributor for the Australian-built Sherline miniature machine tool line. He knew it was a well-designed tool that eliminated all the weaknesses of the Unimat he had used before and felt there was a good market for it here. An early contract with Sears got the business off to a good start. He started out importing the machines from Australia, but wound up obtaining exclusive manufacturing rights to the Sherline tool line. In the process, he built a business from a few worn out, used tools in a rented industrial space to ownership of a large factory with over a million dollars worth of state-of-the-art computer controlled production machines.

Joe is still a hobbyist at heart and enjoys building and flying radio-controlled aircraft. The general public may have an image of a model builder as a stay-at-home nerd, but Joe has expanded his hobbies to include windsurfing, sailboat and automobile racing. Never one to be a spectator in life, he immerses himself fully in every job or hobby he takes on. He brings to this book the ability to draw upon many experiences for comparisons. His respect for the achievements of hobbyists and builders has also let him to sponsor contests and a Foundation to reward craftsmanship. That competition over the years has led to an excellent resource of photos of outstanding projects. There are very few people who could combine the photo resources, experience and knowledge he brings to this book.