The standard reference of the metalworking trades, over two thousand pages of tables and methods: thread dimensions, tap drills, fits and tolerances, material properties, cutting speeds, gearing, fasteners, trigonometry and shop formulas. Copies are passed between generations and annotated in pencil, and settling an argument means pulling the handbook off the shelf.
Look up the tap drill for a 5/16-24 in Machinery's Handbook, don't trust that chart taped to the wall.
Keep an older edition on the shelf too; it often holds tables for obsolete threads and tapers you will meet on old machines.
Also heard as
- the Handbook
- the book
- the bible
Related terms
Crusty
An old, gruff veteran machinist with a lifetime of skill, strong opinions and little patience for shortcuts.
Tolerance
The total amount a dimension is allowed to vary from nominal and still be a good part.
Feeds and speeds
The spindle speed and feed rate chosen for a cut, set from material, tool and machine.
SFM
Surface feet per minute: how fast the cutting edge moves across the work, the basis for spindle speed.