Machine Shop Essentials is for a wide range of users including machinists, engineers and model makers. More than half the book is devoted to small and medium-size lathes and milling machines, such as Sherline miniature lathes and mills, Clausing lathes, and Bridgeport-style vertical milling machines. It examines how these machines are constructed, their cutting tools and accessories and how to use them. Paperback, 528 pages, hundreds of illustrations, 7×10×1¼ inches.

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Removing Frozen or Broken Taps and Fasteners
Cutting 60 Degree Threads
Sharpening Steel Lathe Toolbits
Bridgeport-style Milling Machine Advantages
Glossary

Book Review (first edition)

The Model Engineer (United Kingdom), reviewed this book in June, 2005

"In almost all respects, this volume is a complete contrast, being 500 plus pages of bang up to-date material. As the introduction comments, the book covers manually controlled machines as might be used by model makers, instrument makers, car and motorcycle enthusiasts and gunsmiths. While it does not set out to cover CNC machinery, it does include digital measuring equipment, DRO's and the Sherline electronic rotary table controller (similar to "Division Master") along with other items of modern tooling. As the title indicates, the presentation is in Q and A form, typified by the opening question ''What are the essential measuring and marking out tools, and how are they used?" Twelve chapters are headed: Measurement Tools, Layout and Job Planning; Basic Hand Tools; Filing and Sawing; Grinding, Reaming, Broaching and Lapping; Drills and Drilling Operations; Threads and Threading; Turning Operations; Milling Operations; Fastening Methods; Machine Shop Metallurgy; Safety and Good Shop Practices; Other Shop Know How. Appendix one covers sharpening steel lathe tools, while two deals with (American) sources of supply. What you will not find in this book is page upon page of reference data, as you might find in "Machinery's Handbook". Thus in the section on taps, few tapping drill sizes are given, but the concept of "Percentage engagement" is clearly explained and it is noted that tap loading can be reduced by up to 65% by changing from 80% engagement to 60% which is adequate for most situations. This is also a book almost totally devoid of photographs. It does however boast over five hundred line drawings, which illustrate topics with excellent clarity of detail. In many instances, a section view shows what the camera cannot. In summary, it may be thought that the use of the word "Essentials" in the title is to understate the scope of the book. It provides rather more than just the bare essentials for most of what one is likely to encounter in amateur or low production machining work".
The Model Engineer (UK), June, 2005