Metal Lathe for Home Machinists (Fox Chapel Publishing) Project-Based Course, Reference Guide, & Complete Introduction to Lathe Metalworking & Accessories, Including 12 Skill-Building Turning Projects

Enjoyed reading and getting ideas for tools to make metal working easy. Information is presented in a straightforward manner and with excellent drawings throughout the book.

Good guide for lathe use.

So far, I've only read the first 2 chapters. The book could be organized for simpler reading. For one thing, there are a lot of commas missing. I studied the "blueprint" in the first project several times trying to understand what the part labeled "collet" in the blueprint was for. I eventually found out during "assembly" that it was for helping to make washers (and other small parts). In retrospect, maybe it doesn't belong in the same diagram with the tool being made, but the author does expect you to study the diagrams. Another reviewer's mention of the flycutter are on track. If you didn't already know what a flycutter is, this book doesn't explain (but personally, it would never have occurred to me to use one in a lathe!). The author also has some sort of drilling vise attached to his compound, and writes about using it as if it is a common item--but I've never seen one before. All of the above being said, the author makes many helpful remarks for the novice (like me). An absolute beginner should probably (surely?) begin with different book on lathes. I would enjoy the book more if the font size, and photos, were larger. You can view Amazon's preview of the book. It is consistent. It looks a little small to me too. I'd estimate the book as having font size 9 or 10, while it would please my eyes much more if it were 12. There is no real need for the book to be so small and compact, except maybe to save money in printing it. And, if this is the case, the savings are not being appreciated (at least not by me). If you enjoy "careful" reading, at font size 9, then this aspect will be perfect for you. I can deal with it, but I provide this feedback with the hope that the publisher listens to it... This is the first time I've ever thought that I might prefer the e-book version (so that I could adjust the size of the type).

Good and useful projects for a lathe for a beginner. In metric just so you know.

The author takes you step-by-step through projects of increasing complexity. Even better, you'll build tools you'll use in your shop, and use in the next project in the book. Very good explanations of how to use the lathe. You will start out as a novice, and end up being a really good lathe operator by the end. The last project is really complex, but you will be able to tackle it, because of all the previous learning steps, AND all the cool tools you built. Mr. Hall definitely knows what he's talking about. I hope he comes out with a Part 2 manual, just so I can makes some more cool tools. I'm using an old Atlas 6" lathe, and had no idea you can do so much with a lathe. Thank you Mr. Hall.

Very good book with great information… if you have lots of time or perhaps are from the UK. There is definitely a difference in the way the book is written and how we speak and comprehend in the US. The pictures do very little to help portray ideas as they are very low quality pictures and don’t highlight in any way what is being referred to in the text. I found myself rereading many parts multiple times before finally realizing “oh! That’s what he’s saying!”. Some parts I never did quite fully appreciate. The very first project starts by saying we’re going to make a gauge. But never says anything else about what it is, just jumps into cut this here and that there. One paragraph says you have to have enough flexibility on something, but doesn’t seem to say on what or why or even what is enough. Much of the tooling jargon is also assumed such as the discussion on cutters expects the reader to know what a rake is and know what clearance is needed where. There are very good illustrations but some of the text in them leaves me wondering if there is a language barrier, another unknown technical term usage, or simply a typo. It is a concise book with a lot of great information, but don’t expect to get through learning what it has to offer without investing significant time and focus. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve learned a lot from it - just not pain free. You get what you pay for and, in this case, the price is effort.

If you read this you'll be happy and smart with a small lathe.

This book is great to start a journey in Machining and has a lot of small project ideas that are items that are made to be used and not just a practice piece. It would be nicer if there were a few color photo's for clarity as some of the photo's are not perfectly clear, but really a good book and well worth the price for the information it provides.