Build Your Own Metal Working Shop From Scrap (7 book series)

[Dr_GMJNParticipant @dr_gmjn]

Build Your Own Metal Working Shop From Scrap (7 book series)

I’ve seen this book (compilation of all 7 books) mentioned online. I think it takes you through every step of making machine tools from scratch – including casting the main parts.

I’m not interested in doing that myself, but thought it would be good to read it just for information.

Has anyone read it – is it worth the c.£70 it seems to go for?

Thanks.

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

This is more generally known as the Gingery book(s). I think rather than go for the whole set you could start with the first if it is that which covers the furnace. I also think it is based on charcoal while most people now just go for gas or oil.

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

This might provide a useful [free] insight:

https://youtu.be/_hsCMz2iusA?feature=shared

My own first thought is Vita Brevis 

MichaelG.

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[Clive FosterParticipant @clivefoster55965]

My take is that it’s a magnificent tour de-force but the man was mad.

The effort involved to produce inevitably second rate machine tools is out of proportion to the results.

Objectively mountain climbing for the mechanically inclined craftsman, or craftswoman.

Fundamentally a re-hash of the pre WW1 and interwar years build your own machine from castings practice that was, at one time often the only way of getting an affordable machine of any capability. These days, for anyone within reasonable distance of youth, it’s hard to appreciate that even so limited a machine as the Portass S cost several weeks wages for an ordinary worker. Which would take a long time for working class family man to save up.

These days the world is pretty much your oyster with a wide range of machine condition and capability within saving up for a while price ranges. Ultimate aspirations may always be out of reach. Short of lottery win. But pragmatic usability tends to be within range.

Clive

[Dr_GMJNParticipant @dr_gmjn]

OK thanks all – sounds like if it was £10 I’d give it a go, but at £70 second hand, it’s not worth it for me. I was interested in the process of making a lathe from scratch (“how do you make a lathe without having a lathe? etc.) especially how he made the gears etc., but not interested in actually doing it.

[noel shelleyParticipant @noelshelley55608]

From memory the book on building a furnace was over complicated and rather out of date, never the less one mans way of doing the job. Worth reading to get ideas but not the way I would do it and how you do it is also down to what gear you have . Noel.

[PeteParticipant @pete41194]

The effort, time and inevitable costs involved would be much better spent buying something that once was considered as an extremely good industrial level machine tool and PROPERLY rebuilding it back to new or better operation, condition and accuracy. Any paint and polish ought to be thought of as optional before that accuracy and functional priority. Aluminum while fairly easy to melt and then machine at home, would be one of the poorer choices for multiple and very logical reasons.

I bought the Gingery #3 book about building a shaper, and the #6 about building a dividing head, they both do show that. But if I can’t build as good or ideally better than what I can buy for somewhat reasonable money. All that time, effort and cost  involved would be better spent earning and saving what I need to and just buying it in my opinion. Doing it as a project, or even learning how it might be done is enough reason for some, but your expectations should be fairly low with those Gingery books. There’s quite a few lathe build projects on YT, most with better materials than aluminum, but for long term wear rates, durability and vibration absorption, most of those chose the incorrect materials as well. And not one of them I’ve so far watched shows any extras or well designed additions above what you could already buy. Building any machine tool as a long term project simply because you want to and could is a lot different than thinking you’ll ever save any money. Using cast epoxy, granite and mostly standard off the shelf parts as well as electrical components to come up with a custom designed, smaller and extremely rigid CNC machine tool might be an exception.

I’ll also admit I’ve built quite a bit that would be cheaper and easier to just buy. In some cases, it either wasn’t available anymore as a replacement part, or maybe in the size, shape or with the level of craftsmanship I wanted. And for some of it, just because I could or wanted to I suppose. But that has always cost me more in one way or another.

For almost any machine tool, this PDF, https://pearl-hifi.com/06_Lit_Archive/14_Books_Tech_Papers/Schlesinger_Georg/Testing_Machine_Tools.pdf will explain what and where the priorities are. After that, you only need to figure out the basic design, build the patterns, where to get it cast in iron, and exactly how you could then machine, hand scrape etc to get to what you need. That and some off the shelf parts since not many would attempt building there own roller bearings, motor, drive belt and electrical components. 😄

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