Gear Cutting Book

[lynnl]

Would anyone familiar w/the book "Gear Cutting Practice" (1937) by Stanley & Colvin care to render an opinion (ie value to a novice)?
thnx
Lynn

[Uncle Dunc]

For me it was worth it if I never make a single gear. (I haven't made any yet, but I'm thinking about it.) As a not too technical introduction to designing and making gears in a not too high tech environment, I think it's hard to beat.

[Thrud]

Lynn
That is considered the reference work.

[fixxit]

I use it, I keep coming back to it. It is worth the price.

[gvasale]

I have several other books. No time to mention now. What's the expected cost of this one? Is it widely available/where?

[John Stevenson]

Reprints on Ebay for $16 to $20.
Genuine article on http://www.abebooks.com for around $12.00 upwards.

John S.

[lynnl]

Couple months back I bought Ivan Law's book on gear cutting. Had to study it for a lon-n-n-g time to finally understand (I think) the working of that double eccentric, indexing mechanism for turning a form relieved gear cutter. Has anyone here ever made and successfully used that?

[John Stevenson]

Ivan Laws book is brilliant.
I have a host of books ongearcutting as it's a favorite subject of mine. Some were free and some very expensive. Bottom line is that for the home shop guy Ivan's book hits it right on the head. Stuff that's either not needed or too complex is either missed out or simplified.
It ought to be subtitled Gearcutting for Dummies.

I have made the Eureka form relieving tool but I scaled mine up to do full sized 1" bore cutters for some special form tools and not gear cutters. It worked a treat an I still have it.
I must agree it's not easy to understand whilst reading about it but it does work and very well too.
I took a short video once with my digital camera of the movement. I must still have this somewhere on a backup CD,
Here's a pic of mine.
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/jodiebe...attachment.jpg

John S.

[lynnl]

Thanks John. Nice picture. Do you think that's something the 'average home shop guy' could do successfully? (I don't think you fall into the category of "AVERAGE home shop machinist".) From Law's book, actually making the parts didn't look too terribly difficult.

[Thrud]

John
Why don't you write a book before you get raped to death by strippers in a pub and all that precious knowledge is lost to the world?

I have dibs on the first copy. Serious.

[gvasale]

I want one!!!

[gvasale]

John: How hard to do form relieved gear cutters with that gadget?

[docsteve66]

John: I thought of it long before Thrud said any thing. So I get first copy, pay full cost and import duty on duct tape too. Dave gets second copy.
Steve

[Alistair Hosie]

John your definately a gifted man why not make a video there are as far as I can see very few people making videos of machining .There are a whole host on woodworking woodturning etc so why not.

[John Stevenson]

Lynnl:
Yes I think it's very capable to be done in the home shop. After all Ivan wrote this book just for that and he instructions are very clear. What isn't clear and I don't see how it can be improved is getting someone to visual the operation of this thing.
I must admit it worked different to what I had imagined before I built it, better in fact.
I rate myself as only average. When I see some of the models at the shows I know I'm not capable of this amount of fine detail.
I'm more a cut corners and lets get at it sort of guy.
I cheat as well as I have a full sized CNC mill

Thrud:
What a way to go man. I mustn't get to excited or the Lucas pacemaker will cop out.

Greg:
As I said to Lynnl, just follow the instructions. Not actually made a gear cutter on it. The one in the photo is a commercial one and it's a staged shot. The ones I made were form cutters for special profiles for the piano industry. When they had been finished, hardened and bead blasted they looked like professional cutters with the profile useable right up to the last regrind.

John S.