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MACHINERY'S HANDBOOK
NEW UPDATED 23RD EDITION, FOR DRAFTING ROOMS AND MACHINES SHOPS, FOR ENGINEERING AND TRADE SCHOOLS, APPRENTICESHIPS, TOOL MAKERS, DRAFTSMAN, MACHINIST, FOR INSTRUCTORS AND STUDENTS. 2511 PAGES.
2526 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1914
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
September 28, 2012
Bring the apocalypse. With a Machinery's Handbook I can rebuild the world.
June 6, 2013
I have read a 7th edition as well as a 23rd edition. Amazing to see the transition in time.
February 21, 2021
I use this book EVERY day, it is sitting open on my desk right now as I type this; it is invaluable, and I find it so amusing to see it shelved on Goodreads, since it's not really the kind of book you sit down and read. (And yes I have the 25th edition, I made sure to shelve the one I own.)
June 13, 2012
Takes the gueswork out of most machining operations.
September 21, 2020
An indispensable book for anyone that does anything mechanical.
November 13, 2020
At 2,547 pages, this is the machinists Bible...
Though I worked for twenty years as a technical writer, I’ll be the first to admit that I was never mechanically or technically inclined. I can write the best set of instructions you’ve ever seen, but watch me try to work on something mechanical, and you’ll see tools and expletives flying, the first time I run into a seemingly unsolvable problem. Sometimes I’ll, stick with the challenge until I solve the problem, but it takes so long.
So, why talk about the Machinery’s Handbook? After all, the book states right there on the title page that it’s “a reference book for the mechanical engineer, engineer, designer, manufacturing engineer, draftsman, toolmaker and machinist-” none of which I’ve ever aspired to be or had the first clue about.
Maybe my interest is due to working with engineers for so long; I grew to admire their intelligence and the way they were able to apply it in so many different situations. With some of them, the knowledge was acquired through years of schooling and experience. But for a few, the ability to problem-solve their way through a tough spot seemed instinctual. And while I was able to simplify their instructions so the user of a machine one of them designed was able to actually operate it, I nevertheless stood in awe of the abilities engineers and machinists possessed.
After seeing the results of their designs and fixes, I wondered where they went to for assistance. So it was that I started cracking open the MH, every so often. Curiosity played a role. My love of huge books was another. But more than that was the sense that I was looking into another world- one I could never function within, but still fascinating to watch.
As for the book, the edition I own measures 5″ x 7,” and since it’s over 2,500 pages long, it’s 2 1/2″ thick, giving it a box-like look. The first edition came out in 1914, and the tome’s continued use through the decades gives some credence to the claim that it is indeed “The Bible of the Mechanical Industries.” So much information is included in the chubby little book that a 249-page companion guide exists, filled with examples, solutions and test questions.
Want to learn about springs? There are fifty pages devoted to them. How about threads and threading? 230 pages. There are fifty-three pages on bearings, forty pages on heat treatment of steel, and forty-six pages on allowances and tolerances.
Of course, a book crammed with so much information would be unreadable were it not for the profuse amount of tables, charts, diagrams and illustrations. But even with the visual aids, there are certain topics that make my eyes glaze over, as interesting as they initially appear to be.
Amidst the chapter on formulas and geometry, there’s a section on calculation of circles within a circle. Say you’re trying to figure out how many burritos you could fit into a large tube. Assuming that you can’t just squish them in there- for that would be cheating, not to mention messy as hell- three factors have to be taken into consideration: the arrangement of the center or core burrito; diameter of enclosing burrito when outer layer of burritos is complete; diameter of enclosing burrito when outer layer is not complete. This is followed by “Table 1: Number of burritos contained in complete layers of burritos and diameter of enclosing burrito.” Then follows an uncomfortably large number of ugly-looking equations and another baffling table or two. And if that isn’t enough of a challenge, the next section shows how to fit burritos into a rectangle.
Since I’m in too deep to explain anything else about this amazing, confounding book, I’ll quit while I’m behind, and place the MH and its companion volume on the shelf, right next to the Stedman’s Medical Dictionary and an Engineering Drawing and Design book I’ve never used.
Though I worked for twenty years as a technical writer, I’ll be the first to admit that I was never mechanically or technically inclined. I can write the best set of instructions you’ve ever seen, but watch me try to work on something mechanical, and you’ll see tools and expletives flying, the first time I run into a seemingly unsolvable problem. Sometimes I’ll, stick with the challenge until I solve the problem, but it takes so long.
So, why talk about the Machinery’s Handbook? After all, the book states right there on the title page that it’s “a reference book for the mechanical engineer, engineer, designer, manufacturing engineer, draftsman, toolmaker and machinist-” none of which I’ve ever aspired to be or had the first clue about.
Maybe my interest is due to working with engineers for so long; I grew to admire their intelligence and the way they were able to apply it in so many different situations. With some of them, the knowledge was acquired through years of schooling and experience. But for a few, the ability to problem-solve their way through a tough spot seemed instinctual. And while I was able to simplify their instructions so the user of a machine one of them designed was able to actually operate it, I nevertheless stood in awe of the abilities engineers and machinists possessed.
After seeing the results of their designs and fixes, I wondered where they went to for assistance. So it was that I started cracking open the MH, every so often. Curiosity played a role. My love of huge books was another. But more than that was the sense that I was looking into another world- one I could never function within, but still fascinating to watch.
As for the book, the edition I own measures 5″ x 7,” and since it’s over 2,500 pages long, it’s 2 1/2″ thick, giving it a box-like look. The first edition came out in 1914, and the tome’s continued use through the decades gives some credence to the claim that it is indeed “The Bible of the Mechanical Industries.” So much information is included in the chubby little book that a 249-page companion guide exists, filled with examples, solutions and test questions.
Want to learn about springs? There are fifty pages devoted to them. How about threads and threading? 230 pages. There are fifty-three pages on bearings, forty pages on heat treatment of steel, and forty-six pages on allowances and tolerances.
Of course, a book crammed with so much information would be unreadable were it not for the profuse amount of tables, charts, diagrams and illustrations. But even with the visual aids, there are certain topics that make my eyes glaze over, as interesting as they initially appear to be.
Amidst the chapter on formulas and geometry, there’s a section on calculation of circles within a circle. Say you’re trying to figure out how many burritos you could fit into a large tube. Assuming that you can’t just squish them in there- for that would be cheating, not to mention messy as hell- three factors have to be taken into consideration: the arrangement of the center or core burrito; diameter of enclosing burrito when outer layer of burritos is complete; diameter of enclosing burrito when outer layer is not complete. This is followed by “Table 1: Number of burritos contained in complete layers of burritos and diameter of enclosing burrito.” Then follows an uncomfortably large number of ugly-looking equations and another baffling table or two. And if that isn’t enough of a challenge, the next section shows how to fit burritos into a rectangle.
Since I’m in too deep to explain anything else about this amazing, confounding book, I’ll quit while I’m behind, and place the MH and its companion volume on the shelf, right next to the Stedman’s Medical Dictionary and an Engineering Drawing and Design book I’ve never used.
June 23, 2023
There is a lot of data in this book; including SI units and all the good stuff for machinists and detailed mechanical design. However it seems this book just keeps growing. It's not suitable for a student and unless you're on the machines or doing detailed design calculations everyday, it's a big waste of space. It's certainly misleading to call it a handbook and the mis-marketing is partly why the low rating. This thing is huge and expensive, not something you want to carry around, and also a little tricky to navigate to get to the specific data you might need. Well done to the contributors, but heads-up to anyone thinking of lugging this one around campus - don't! However the content is good for detailed machinery and mechanical design - particularly if you don't have the budget to buy all the industry standards.
August 3, 2022
Reference Book
July 15, 2023
A gorgeous, succinct almanac of vital lifeblood to the daily equip of any mechanical engineer worth their time and efficiency in gold. Bring bookmarks.
December 1, 2023
Indespensible, though most often used in shops for the thread minor/major tables. Lacks the metric equivalent and so subtracting one star for this glaring omission.
Currently reading
January 4, 2024Education Information
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 27, 2024
Love to have the first edition reprint with my other copies.
Read
August 8, 2007good performance
January 12, 2008
An invaluable resource, the ME standard!
August 19, 2011
The Machinist bible.
June 13, 2012
Totally indispensable. Everyone who does anything remotely mechanical should own a copy of this book.
June 16, 2012
This is invaluable to my work!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Currently reading
March 25, 2013Bible of Engineers
March 11, 2015
Used this many a times for conversions and table data.
Want to read
January 24, 2016Formulae for calculating inertia and other mechanical problems.
Read
June 28, 2017I have this and I have used it occasionally in the past. It is a handbook, not a novel so saying I've "read it" is overstating it.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews