Readers Reviews

In Machine Shop Essentials: Questions and Answers, Frank Marlow has produced a book that spans the gap between a textbook of machine shop instruction and a home shop hobbyist's manual.

Machine Shop Essentials is an absolute must for the manual machining newbie, or CNC people wanting to delve into the manual world. The common sense in-depth information, coupled with the remarkable illustrations by Pamela Tallman, give the reader a really big heads up.

I have owned a fairly nice Atlas 12" lathe for several years and recently purchased a Bridgeport milling machine to replace an old Jet 16 vertical mill.

Machine Shop Essentials is an excellent book which presents a wide array of basic machinist's know-how...Even from a brief look through it, I learned some new things....

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....

Machine Shop Essentials is a helpful collection of information that will introduce the essential processes of metalworking to the new machinist...The process of cutting metal can be extremely complicated if you try to cover every possible contingency, but Frank has done a good job of hitting the

I am new in machining field, and quite honestly without anyone that could help me or to occasionally answer my questions. After reading this book I got many of my questions answered.

Machine Shop Essentials is an excellent reference for the metal-working novice and professional alike. Geared towards small prototype R&D shops that mostly rely on manual machine tools, this book describes the basics and some of the more advanced concepts in the field.

You—and your illustrator—have done a masterful job—especially  useful for those of us who are easily confused without thoughtful  instruction.  I was so delighted to find "Essentials" clear,  blessedly free of jargon and assumption and so effectively illustrated.

This book is filled with great information. I am not an experienced machinist, but have used some of the suggestions already.

Concise and comprehensive on the subject of machining essentials. Well written and illustrated. To the point and easily understood concepts. Will serve exceptionally well as reference material. You can't miss with this book if you need to know your way around the machine shop.

This book is great. It's even better than the author's other book, "Machine Shop Essentials".

This is a book that will reward close reading or casual browsing. Every page has something useful, stimulating, or instructive. I recommend it for all machinists, pro or amateur.

I found good practical ideas and information on the use and function of almost every shop machine. If it has one detractor it is that it could use more depth. But it is very good for the novice while still giving useful tips for experiences machinist.

I bought this book because I wanted a basic treatment of machine shop tools and processes. I am not a machinist, but I'd like to add that to my list of hobbies at some point, and before I jumped in, I wanted to read up on what I should expect in terms of equipment, tooling, how-to's and such.

Probably the best written book on machining I have come across. This book has a wealth of information that I have not seen before.

Gives you an overview of machine shop tools and enough information on how to use them in a basic sense.

Very useful.

I looked through it and was pleased to see it was rather comprehensive manual but can't say for sure since it's a gift to a friend who has bought some machine tools at an auction but has gone south for the winter so I won't know for sure until he gets back the real value of the book.

In "Machine Shop Essentials: Questions and Answers", Frank Marlow has produced a book that spans the gap between a textbook of machine shop instruction and a home shop hobbyist's manual.

Just what was needed for fast reference guide. Well packaged and received in a timely manner.

My dad was a machinist, but my training was an aside and had no formal structure. This book fills in all the necessary gaps. From understanding the proper grinding of cutting tools and cutting speeds to basic machine setups. I cannot say enough good about the tables and the exquisite drawings.

Sufficient detail to get started with better techniques. Well organized by topic (machine or process). Plenty of explanation of many methods. A few more tables could help, but are easily otherwise obtained and added.

This book along with its fellow, Machine Shop Knowhow by the same author, is a seriously needed update on the subject of using machine tools. With modern and clear drawings and pictures, Frank and filled a void in the educational materials in this field.

This publication has so much information that more than one reading is necessary. Each chapter inspired an idea that interrupted my concentration on a cover to cover reading. Things from workspace organization, tool care and inspection to interesting shop aids and adaptors.

Great book, I am one of these people that is pretty good at many things, but not great at anything and this book really helped me to fill in the gaps leaving no questions un-answered.

It is an excellent book and expands on the machine shop essentials. It has useful jigs to assist in the workshop environment and is value for money.

As a beginner machinist this was exactly the book I was looking for. It's current (most machining books seem to have been written in the 50's) so it covers things like tool inserts but it also covers basics like setting tool height on a lathe.

The wealth of information on welding in this book not only met our expectations but clearly exceeded them. We are still reading it on the first pass. We have put many of the authors suggestions to use in our MIG ops and plan to get a TIG unit in the near future. Excellent book!

Excellent book, lots of good information and easy to understand. The best book I have seen on machining. I have seen quite a few.

If you ever cut metal you should own this book!

I am a soon to be amateur welder- I've got the gloves, helmet, pliers- everything but the actual welder. This book helped me decide my next step- actually buying a MIG welder. I have Mr.

I used to rely on my Dad for this sort of information on lathe and drill press metal work. He sadly passed on several years back. I almost wonder if Dad didn't have something to do with my finding about this book?

This very useful book was put to immediate use. I just bought a mini-mill for my workshop and this book provided the background and details that I needed to be productive right away. It helped me pick the right support tools and fixtures that I would need.

Lots of good info here, some projects that are useful etc. Worth the money... I would recommend it to others.

Very informative book which was well worth reading for me just starting out in the milling and lathe world. Having read the book would i go back and buy it, yup. Thanks to Frank Marlow

I completely agree with what several others have already said. This is far and away the best book of its kind for people like me, who are new to the subject.

Great book for welders both new and existing. It gives you real world solutions for a number of welding issues

Great information if you are just starting out or need a refresher.

Good coverage of a broad range of topics. Very easy to understand and perfectly illustrated. Many handy tips that an experienced machinist would already know, but are invaluable for a newbie. Terms not introduced in the text are covered in an extensive glossary.

Reading this book makes adjustments and opens the mind to do more and better.

You learn about a complete welding environment.

Many long years ago I was the sole machinist for a company doing government mil spec work. I did one-off and prototype work with the occasional short production run. So when I say that this book is truly a great introduction for the home machinist, you can believe it.

This book is well written, beautifully illustrated and extremely helpful. Although not my profession, some machine shop work has been a serious hobby for me and I found Machine Shop Essentials to help fill in gaps in my knowledge resulting from a lack of formal training.

It may not be for an experienced welder but it was just what I needed. Does not skip over the "beginner info" but includes good points for somewhat experienced new welders. Strikes a perfect balance.

As a gift.

This is an excellent book for beginner to intermediate machinists. The question and answer format and the index allow you to find specific topics of interest very quickly. The amount of detail is just right-not too little and not too much.

I am a beginning hobbyist machinist. I had purchased the author's Machine Shop Essentials, which is great, but wanted more so I bought this. It's a goldmine of information, and not just for the machinist but anyone working with metal.

Gift.

I already knew much of the material, but I haven't had any machines for almost 20 years.

Great reference book for the workshop.

It's kinda like having an eye to eye contact with a teacher. You are not talked down to. Topics are discussed like the author is talking to you. The book is easy to read and understand. I am a beginning machinist, so I needed that edge.