Ingenious Mechanisms For Designers and Inventors...Any Good?

[Milacron of PM]

I've owned a set of Ingenious Mech. in the past and found it a bit like Machinery's Handbook, in that you have to wade thru countless pages of outdated and/or irrelevant info to get to the perhaps 20 pecent that is relevant.

Much better is "Handbook of Mechanical Design" by George F. Nordenholt, Joseph Kerr and John Sasso (whew !) published by McGraw Hill in 1942.

This one little book has ten times the useful info of seven volumes of Ingenious Mech.

Of course the seven volume set does look more impressive on your bookshelf and will serve to create the illusion to friends and family that you too are "ingenious", but I prefer more "meat" myself.

Now, since I check this forum so rarely and rarely post, you guys aren't likely to pay much attention to me, so let me repeat, Handbook of Mechanical Design is MUCH better

Of couse to prove the point, I'd need to scan and post some pages of "latches, locks and fasterners", "machine clamps", "shaft seals", "sleeve bearing seals""variable speed devices" and on and on...now, you're not gonna make me go to all that trouble now, are you ?

[This message has been edited by D. Thomas (edited 01-15-2004).]

[Dave Burnett]

I picked up a whole book case full of old books and catalogs at a old die shop auction for $15.00. All I wanted was the 4 McMasters-Carr catalogs. A guy asked if I would sell him the book case which I did not want any way so I sold it for $10.00. I told Him I wanted all of the hard bound books plus the 4 Mcmasters catalogs and He could have the rest. I got some real nice old engineering hand books, machining books and all kind of other good stuff which I have no use for. If any of you guys are into old books maybe we can work out a deal. Let me know.

[John Stevenson]

Don,
Or the single volume "Mechanisms and Mechanical Devices Sourcebook by Nicholas P Chironis.
I believe this is still in print but quite expensive.

The handbook of Mechanical Design does have some good items in it but it tends to chop around a bit and serves more to just whet your apetite.
Also a lot of the pictures don't match up to the text.
Many describe things like "And shaft 'A' turns gear 'K' " but there is no gear 'K'
Or you have a gear and shaft marked A and K and no explanation on what they do.
I especially liked the Coxe gearbox on page 229 where two small epicyclic pullies linked together give a reduction of 3,621:1
Really compact and what a reduction.
You could pull tree stumps wth that

John S.

[chipeater]

H*ll's bells, John. Now you've gone and piqued my curiousity!

Are you going to give us a peek? Better yet, why don't you build one up so we can see it in action.

Steve