This collection of priceless tips, tricks, skills, and experiences from a veteran of the trade is presented in a way that captures the attention of users and engages them in the process of furthering the art. It includes shop-tested descriptions and illustrations of creative and unique skills and observations from almost 40 years in the metalworking trades. What's more, it offers enough material from several metalworking trades to start a great research and development shop. It is sure to be a valuable and time-saving resource for anyone involved in the fabrication of metal.   Written by a shop peer from the perspective of having done the required work. Includes nearly 1,000 full-color photos, as well as numerous illustrative stories that help users easily understand the material presented and the techniques provided. Contains a chapter on flame straightening techniques. Offers many examples of special workholding techniques. Covers crossover skills like Welding/Machine, Sheetmetal/Welding, and Design/Management. Diving In Welcome to Sink or Swim Personal Learning Attitude Shop Environment Thursday Nights What's A Journeyman Anyway? Format Brain Food Communication Drawing and Sketching Minimizing Screw Ups Accuracy Speed Shop Math Mass, Volume, and Area Angles and Shop TrigonometryThe Metric SystemComputers and the Metalworker Dumb and Dumber Want to Make a Million Dollars? Somethings That Really Need to be Invented Bean Counter Lounge Get the Shop Set Up Floors Light Food Preparation Area Food Consumption Area Heating and Cooling Workbenches and Tables Air Supply in the Metalworking Shop Raw Material Storage and Handling Material Identification and Characteristics Safety Equipment Tool Crib Benchwork Filing Saws and Sawing Rigging and Lifting Manual Lathe Threading in the Manual Lathe Multiple Start Threads Manual Milling Machine Bridgeport Mills Suggested ImprovementsSpherical Surface Generation in the Manual Milling Machine CNC Mill Working with CNC EquipmentCNC Mill CNC LatheCNC Lathe Programming The Welding Shop Getting Started Layout Work Some of My Favorite Hand Tools Welding TableBrake Bumping The Lost Art of Flame Straightening Limitations How Flame Straightening Works Straightening Shafts and Tubes Special Applications of Heat Shrinking Sheet Metal Shop Layout Work Blank Length Calculations Patterns The "Yank Method" Box and Pan Brakes Forming and Layout of Cones Tanks and Baffles The Abrasion Department Sanding, Grinding, and Abrading The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Radius Grinding The Junk Drawer Miscellaneous Tricks Without a Home Ideas for the Shop Floor Closing Thoughts Recommended Reading List

Overview This collection of priceless tips, tricks, skills, and experiences from a veteran of the trade is presented in a way that captures the readers' attention and engages them in the process of furthering their skills. It includes shop-tested descriptions and illustrations of creative and unique techniques and observations from four decades in the metalworking trades. Perfect for hobbyists and veterans alike, and everyone in between, and for those who work out of either small shops or garages, backyard facilities and basements. It will help any metalworker do better work and do it faster! Users will learn about: The shop environment. Basic generic skills such as drawing and sketching, accuracy, speed, shop math and trigonometry, and angles. Setting up your shop, including floors, light, heating and cooling, workbenches and tables, air supply, raw material storage and handling, safety equipment, filing, sawing, rigging and lifting. Manual and CNC lathes. Manual and CNC mills. Welding. Flame straightening. Sheet metal, patterns, cones, and tanks and baffles. Sanding, grinding, and abrading. Features Covers hundreds of shop-tested techniques. These creative and unique techniques have been shop-tested by the author the old-fashioned way, by repetition and hard work. Features hundreds of 4-color photographs. Metalworking -Doing It Betterincludes over 900 4-color images personally photographed by the author to illustrate the methods he describes in the book. Fully integrates text and photographs. The guide has been designed so that in virtually every case, the tips and the supporting photographs appear together on the same page. Provides wide range of topics. Many of the topics address specific trade skills, working with manual and CNC lathes and mills, as well as welding flame straightening, sheet metal, sanding, grinding, and abrading. Earlier chapters focus on general across-the-board skills, including essential shop math and trigonometry, accuracy, speed, drawing, and sketching. Includes extensive guidance for setting up your workshop. Chapter 4 helps you with shop basics - finding the right floor and lights, heating and cooling, workbenches and tables, air supply, storage and handling of raw materials, and much more. Written from a folksy, personal perspective. The tips and techniques are presented as an ongoing, informal conversation between the author and the reader. Chapter 1 Diving In Welcome to Doing It Better Personal Learning Attitude Shop Environment What's a Journeyman Anyway? Thursday Nights Format Chapter 2 Brain Food Communication Drawing and Sketch Minimizing Screw-Ups Accuracy Speed Shop Math Mass, Volume, and Area Angles and Shop Trigonometry The Metric System Computers and the Metalworker Dumb and Dumber Want to Make a Million Dollars? Chapter 3 Bean Counters Lounge Engineers and Metalworkers Shop Talk Dimensioning Other Tips Chapter 4 Setting Up Your Shop Floors Light Food Areas Heating and Cooling Workbenches and Tables Air Supply Raw Material Storage and Handling Material Identification and Characteristics Safety Equipment Tool Crib Bench Work Filing Saws and Sawing Rigging and Lifting Chapter 5 Manual Lathe Learning to Love the Lathe Getting Started with the Manual Lathe Step Turning Threading in the Manual Lathe Multiple Start Threads Chapter 6 Manual Milling Machine Bridgeport Mills Suggested Improvements Spherical Surface Generation Chapter 7 CNC Mill Working with CNC Equipment