| METAL CUTTING TOOL HANDBOOK (4th ed.) Staff New York: Metal Cutting Tool Institute, 1959 |
Rating: 5.0 High |
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| ISBN-13 978-0831111779 | ||||
| LC TJ1186.M4 | 795pp. | HC/BWI | $61.95 | |
In writing this review, I started with the 4th edition from the library. Its call number is given in the space where the ISBN-10 is normally found. The ISBN-13, page count, price and cover image are for the 7th edition (January 1989). It is currently the latest. I bought a used copy of this edition, which adds 45 pagea and considerable new material. My review, however, is a cursory one and so I did not include any discussion of differences between the editions.
Anyone who works with metal, whether hobbyist or professional, will find this an invaluable reference on all aspects of the use of the various tools to cut and shape metals. As the Table of Contents shows, it covers drill bits, reamers, counterbores, taps & dies, milling cutters, hobs, and gear-shaving cutters. The final section contains material properties for various metals and supplemental data on certain cutting tools.
As an example of the type of data the book presents, I reproduce here a table from page 524 titled "Power Constants for use with Table 5."
| Work Material | Constant |
|---|---|
| Magnesium | 4.0 |
| Aluminum | 4.0 |
| Copper | 2.0 |
| Brass | 2.5 |
| Bronze | 2.0 |
| Malleable Iron | 1.0 |
| Cast Iron | |
| Ferritic | 1.5 |
| Pearlitic | 1.0 |
| Chilled | 0.6 |
| Steel | |
| Up to 150 Brinell | 0.7 |
| 300 Brinell | 0.6 |
| 400 Brinell | 0.5 |
| 500 Brinell | 0.4 |
| Stainless Steel | |
| Free Machining | 1.0 |
| Other | 0.6 |
| Titanium | |
| Under 100,000 psi | 0.8 |
| 100,000-135,000 psi | 0.6 |
| 135,000 psi & over | 0.4 |
| High-Tensile Alloys | |
| 100,000-220,000 psi | 0.5 |
| 220,000-260,000 psi | 0.4 |
| 260,000-300,000 psi | 0.3 |
| High-Temperature Alloys | |
| Low-ferritic Alloys | 0.6 |
| Austentitic Alloys | 0.5 |
| Nickel Base Alloys | 0.4 |
| Cobalt Base Alloys | 0.4 |
The spareness of the Table of Contents also suggests that this book is a no-frills production, dedicated to straightforward presentation of data. That is the case. At 750 pages (795 for the latest edition), packed with definitions, data tables, and black-and-white photographs, the book leaves little about the nature of metalworking tools unexplained. It contains enough technical detail to be useful to skilled metalworkers, while at the same time providing the basic information on tools (e.g. the types of end mills) that novices can gain benefit from it. I recommend it highly.
To contact Chris Winter, send email to this address.