What use is a Machinery's Handbook?

I just read yet another thread egging someone on to go run out and buy
a Machinery's Handbook just for the sake of having it... Can someone
tell me what people are looking in this thing for when doing DESIGN
work?

I was forced to buy one when I was back in school, and afterwards
whenever I was looking for something it wasn't there... About the
only things I thought was of any use in it were the fastener dimension
tables, but still I didn't use them because I was afraid that the
sizes I picked off the tables wouldn't be in common use... instead I'd
go get the Mcmaster catalog or a Berg catalog and look it up there
because I KNOW I can buy it. Nowadays I have a stack of catalogs on
my bookshelf and the Machinery's Handbook is in a box somewhere in
storage.

Am I missing something? What do people use it for in DESIGN work?
Has it gotten more useful in recent years?

-Mike

 

Well Mike,
I can't speak for anyone else, but my sugestion would be TO READ IT!!!

Sure nowadays you can just clickity click your way to the perfect involute
gear tooth, but I dare say that knowing HOW and WHY it is the way it is, is
very benifitial.
The same goes for V belt pullys, springs, threads, etc.

My $.02
Muggs

 

Buy ya books send ya to school an all ya wanna do is eat the
books. I guess you don't have a need for it or a
Physicians' Desk Reference either.

 

Mike,
You might just want to have your design see the light of day without the
blood guts and feathers
ignorant designers bring to the manufacturing process. The attendant costs
involved are meaningful as well.



--
John R. Carroll
Machining Solution Software, Inc.
Los Angeles San Francisco
Portland
www.machiningsolution.com

 

I have a couple, a really old one (for really old information), a
current big type one (cause I can't see as well as I use to) and an
electronic one (cause it fits on my computer, can be searched and is
pretty handy to have readily available). It is a wealth of information,
I highly recommend it.

Oh, you wanted and example: Lets say you are laying out chain /
sprocket in a design and want to calculate the center distances, number
of links etc. The formulas are there. As I understand it, the book was
written as a compilation of early magazines for machinists and machinery
designers. It became a one stop shop for that information and has been
kept up pretty well through the years.

You can never have enough information, never know when you are going to
need it. If you already have enough information then you are ready to
be promoted into a management position.

 

Let's see:

1. As you have noted fastener standards. Designing shampoo bottles; probably
don't need it. Designing the molds for shampoo bottles; it might just come
in handy.

2. Designing something that carries a load? Seems to me there are formulas
in it for most common load carrying situations.

3. Making drawings of your designs? If not you can skip the part on
geometric tolerancing and a host of other information on various standards
that just might creep into a drawing.

4. Using unobtainium in your designs or real world materials. I think you
might find it handy for that.

5. Want to know how deep you really have to drill that blind hole you are
sending to the shop? Does SW default to the right depths, or clearances in
hole wizard? MH again.

6. Catalogs are nice, but MH gives you the stuff that should be on the
drawing and if McMaster or Grainger doesn't meet the standard in MH you
should be shipping it back.

 

Pipe schedules, wire gauges, fastener dimensions, wrench clearances,
gear sizing, geometric formulae, weld symbol explanations, odd thread
sizes, and on and on.

It has been an invaluable source of information in the creation of many
of my models that represent 'standard' parts in the equipment I design.

Odd. My catalogs are on a bookshelf. My Machinery's Handbook is on my
desk. Provided a co-worker hasn't borrowed it to answer a question
their catalogs can't answer.

Jim S.

 

Who do you work for? We'd like to know so we can avoid purchasing the
junk you're designing.

 

Let me rephrase the question:

What was the last thing you looked up and used from the Machinery's
Handbook while working on a design?

Thanks,
Mike

 

in cronilogical order. . .
Beam stress and deflection formulas.
Wrench clearances.
Tap drill sizes especially for NTP taps.


--
Chris W

Bring Back the HP 15C
http://hp15c.org

Not getting the gifts you want? The Wish Zone can help.
http://thewishzone.com

 

Thread tolerances.

 

Mike wrote:
"Can someone tell me what people are looking in this thing
for when doing DESIGN work?"

Perhaps you should define what you mean by "DESIGN work".
---------------

"Nowadays I have a stack of catalogs on my bookshelf and the
Machinery's Handbook is in a box somewhere in storage."

I guess that's a start on the definition. You have, in
storage and have probably at least cracked it's covers, one
of the handiest and most comprehensive mechanical design
references existing and you don't need it. What you might
consider doing is selling it. Used copies bring a fair
price on eBay.
--------

 

Standard center drill dimensions.

Best regards,
Spehro Pefhany

 

Hey Guys,

I'm wondering if Mike (the originator of this thread) is *really* saying
that MH is actually quite useful, but a tad frustrating to use....I refer to
it quite regularly, but find myself occasionally cursing the index and TOC,
which seem to leave a little room for improvement. I can't do without it ,
however.

Also, cbliss...how do you like the electronic one? I have a ~15 year old
print edition, but would definitely appreciate something that was PC-based,
if only for better ease of navigation.

Cheers...............Brian

 

All within the last week:

proper clearance dimensions for a press fit
major and minor diameters for threaded holes
dimensions of a 000-120 screw
deflection formula for a flat spring

I keep my copy with arm's reach, and I use it most days.

 

What was the last thing you looked up and used from the Machinery's

Thread specs, bolt sizes (head config, etc) & clearances for them.

Morse tapers (curiosity).

Densities.

This to me a one of the few "absolutely want to have" books.

You took some pretty serious fire for your first post - maybe you're
in the small minority that would not need something like this
(machinerys handbook). I do consider this to be alot like the oxford
english dictionary of the machine trades - lots more info than any one
person needs but really great when one needs to find that strange
little spec. Most of the toolmakers I know have these and use them
frequently enough to justify the 80 bucks. Personally, I will not buy
another for a long time - most of the stuff does not go stale even
after 20 years (i got mine in 1988ish and still find the data viable
and useful, but don't see the need to upgrade).

Personally I think some of it is outdated fluff (namely the trig
tables and things like that that a calculator can do), but it is still
emminently useful to me.

Later -

SMA

 

I just wish it wasn't so bl**dy American-centric and included more
Asian (such as JIS) and European information.

Best regards,
Spehro Pefhany

 

Spline fits - today. Woodruff key and keyslot dimensions - yesterday.
It goes on and on....

Regards,
Gary

 

I use both the hardcopy and PDF version. While it's nice to
have something to touch, the ability to search the whole
book with ^F is very fast, especially with Reader V6. In
addition, the PDF book has "hyperlinks" for quickly going
from to subjects.

 

Mike,

The list I gave was a synopsis of the last two months spent designing
machines. Right now I am doing a bit of FEA oriented work. But my boss
keeps borrowing my MH and every designer here keeps theirs on their
desk real handy.