Books about Metal Working?

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Hi All,I listen to Audiobooks most of the time that I drive to work, mow the grass or do general stuff that doesn't require my concentration.  I don't have time to sit and read but I can listen and walk around while appearing to be busy :-)In the boating world there are some great classic stories that I'm happy to have listened to like:  Patrick O'Brian's 21 book  Aubrey–Maturin series about a captain and doctor sailing British ships in 1800 (great listen and I've actually hear them twice)  Sir Francis Charles Chichester wrote about single handing around the world in his Gypsy Moth sailboat (the darned thing rolled right over off New Zealand.)  That guy was tough!  Two years before the mast is about a guy who signs onto leave England in the 1800's and sail to California and back.So ... (thanks for sticking with me after all that)Are there stories from guys who worked in mines or built skyscrapers in New York or welded their way out of trouble to save the day?  Or even old blacksmiths or the guys who made samurai swords by folding hundreds of times?Thanks for your time,-MikeMiller Syncrowave 180SDLincoln WeldPak 100 with gasHandheld Milwaukee BandsawO/A Cutting Torch
Reply:Well I have only found one book: "The Great Bridge" about building the Brooklyn bridge.On the other hand I had a great Sunday watching these shop tool training videos from MIT.http://techtv.mit.edu/videos/142-machine-shop-1Episodes 4,5 and 6 are all about the Bridgeport mill with every goodie I can imagine.  I don't know anything about the art of machining so almost everything is a new idea to me.  Real machinists would likely be bored but it really seems like a great reference to have your helpers watch.There is a Bridgeport for sale up here in North Bay ON for $5,000.  It looks like the backhoe of shop tools - wow!Another video series I found is called:TTC - Stephen Ressler - Understand the World's Greatest Structuresbut it is technically for pay but demoniod.me could help you out if you don't mind that sort of activity.The series is all about how people engineered and built buildings and bridges while developing the modern understanding of how different materials can be used to build amazing structures.I hope you or someone you know enjoys these resources.Miller Syncrowave 180SDLincoln WeldPak 100 with gasHandheld Milwaukee BandsawO/A Cutting Torch
Reply:Originally Posted by BHereI listen to Audiobooks most of the time that I drive to work, ..... or do stuff that doesn't require my concentration.  -Mike
Reply:There are some other threads with lists of metal working books....but not audio books that I know of...Weldandpower Lincoln 225 AC,DC with Briggs 16hp gas engine.WW2 era Miller TIG.
Reply:lol GBMI mean if you can yak with someone while you drive then you can listen to a story while you drive.And yes I do remember that "for every mile of road there's two miles of ditches" I'll look for the other books.  At first I was concentrating on stories and just fiction but I really liked watching the introduction to using the Bridgeport mill videos.  Man I wish I'd watched them when I was 20 - I would have worked my a$$ off to get the machinist to teach me a little.  He did let me use the huge drill press to tap several thousand weld on pieces (don't know what to call 2 inches of round bar tapped in the centre and welded onto a piece - nipple or inside-out stud :-)Take care fellas.Last edited by BHere; 09-26-2011 at 12:10 PM.Reason: got my M's and W's mixed upMiller Syncrowave 180SDLincoln WeldPak 100 with gasHandheld Milwaukee BandsawO/A Cutting Torch
Reply:Ok... not audio that I know of..but there are at least three books where much of the content is about machining or metal working... presented in story form.... they are sorta cult classics...http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=8000/l=y/Product/THE_MACHINIST_S_BEDSIDE_READERhttp://www.mini-lathe.com/Mini_lathe...0MSTS/book.htmIn some books way back... popular mechanics or such... there was a series about a mechanic that told about fixing mechanical problems in story form... that is all I remember... one of the stories was about a tire which randomly lost air... but they could not find the reason.... until they marked the rim ..... they found out there was a slight bend in the rim and it only leaked when the car was parked with the tire in a certain position....that sort of practical knowledge stuff....Weldandpower Lincoln 225 AC,DC with Briggs 16hp gas engine.WW2 era Miller TIG.
Reply:wow thanks for the Machinist's Reader book.I might just buy it from:http://www.amazon.ca/Machinists-Beds.../dp/0969098022Canadian EhAlso I found the more professional and pricey Machine Shop Trade Secrets here:http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/0831132272/Miller Syncrowave 180SDLincoln WeldPak 100 with gasHandheld Milwaukee BandsawO/A Cutting Torch
Reply:Metal Working---Sink or Swim by Tom Lipton has tons of tips and tricks for welders and machinists. it's a very interesting book with lots of humorous experiences of what not to do plus a 1000 color pictures. well worth the $40 new at barnes and nobles.225NT bobcatAEAD200LEScott 125mm175, mm252 w 30A, PT225mm211, TA 181iHyper Therm 380, cut master 529100X & XX, Digital Elite6 Victor setssmith little torch, meco midget kalamazoo band sawsteel max saw evoulution circular saw
Reply:Thanks for that book idea JBM Prods.The first couple of pages from Amazon look interesting and very practical for people planning and working in a metal working shop.I like that right off the bat the author says that he's been a metalworker for 47 years and always loved the trade.  I've often been curious on *why* I like to weld and make stuff in metal.  Why metal, not wood or words or money.  Metal.  My current silliness is that I missed that life path and I make a living programming computers with no idea how to make a significant change back to an apprentice while keeping my family and mortgage afloat.  Thus it's a hobby.  What I do for fun.Take care.Miller Syncrowave 180SDLincoln WeldPak 100 with gasHandheld Milwaukee BandsawO/A Cutting Torch
Reply:Originally Posted by BHere Thus it's.... a hobby.  What I do for fun....
Reply:Something truer was never said GBM.Miller Syncrowave 180SDLincoln WeldPak 100 with gasHandheld Milwaukee BandsawO/A Cutting Torch