Links to other sites you'll likely find interesting:
Ideas, Tools, Good Contacts, etc.

Updated April 3, 2010.

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NEWEST LINKS::

Machining and Metalworking at Home, which is here:    http://www.janellestudio.com/metal/   has selected conversations from several metal groups broken down by subject.
Some files are specific to particular machines, but ideas can often be adapted for other brands.

Have you ever wanted to make a Tesla Turbine? Click here to see how one of my guys built one using disks from defunct computer hard drives as turbine disks. Of it he says:

".....I ran (it) a couple of times and it ran like a jewel. Aside from the initial soft 'winding up' sound, it was virtually silent. Absolutely no vibration. Further testing was hampered by a grumpy compressor and then some health problems....."


A. B. Herndon Rod Co. makes custom split bamboo fly rods, and sells fly fishing tackle.

Here's a web site to see if you like Swiss lathes and mills etc.

Here's a guy who I have been asked to describe as "the Genius Red Neck Ironsmith From The South".  CHECK OUT HIS BBQ FIRE PIT!!!

Here is a neat drill press accessory - a precision thickness sander for instrument makers, model
makers, and furniture restoration.

And, for a really good penetrating oil that has lots of other applications as well, check out this stuff. I use it in my shop, in outdoor light bulb sockets, door latch mechanisms, padloocks, hinges, automotive wiring connections, and lots of other places. I even put some in a baulky dial indicator one time, and it immediately began to behave nicely again, and has stayed that way ever since.

Here's a guy who makes fantastic welded sheet steel models (large ones) of farm machinery, heavy earthmoving equipment, etc. This guy's work just blew me away when I saw his web site!!

Here's a chap whose hobby is making Engraving machines, Robotic arms, Steam engines, and writing software (downloadable free) for his several CNC engraving machines.
About.com's "About Metals" - The most comprehensive online guide for the metal industry including material buyers guides, supplier lists, industry news, and metallurgical data from your About.com Guide.    Jason Nadeau.


Previously installed links:

Victor Machinery Exchange, Inc. is strong in special thread taps and dies (including left hand and metric), and they have tap/drill charts posted on their site. Contact: Marc Freidus

Here's a guy (Kurt Greiner) who builds serious radio control model warships.

If you need a power unit to drive your boat in shallow water, swamps, etc. see this one.

If you are interested in CROSSBOWS, here's a site you REALLY ought to see: www.thecrossbowmansden.com

If you're interested in quality American- made Colt type Single Action Army Revolvers and Lightning Magazine Rifles, click here.

If you are interested in clockmaking, W.R.(Bill) Smith's website, at http://horology.magnet.fsu.edu/wrsmith.htm is a must.

Walsh Brothers clocks watches and jewellery is another site you might find interesting, particularly for the links to be found there.

Jerry Howell sells plans, kits, and materials for Stirling (hot aitr) and other types of engines, and plans for a ball turning attachment - yeah, some people WILL use 'em :-) - and a very neat micro drill press, plus info on some other things you might like. www.Jerry-Howell.com also lists a lot of useful sources for model engineering suppliers.

Tiny Power offers kits of castings for steam engines in sizes from one that weighs 7 pounds, on up to one that could be used to power a 30 foot steam launch http://www.tinypower.com/default.htm

Bill Lavery has a website at www.modelsteamplans.com where he offers plans for two oscillating steam engines of more substantial desgn than many such engines feature.

If you're looking for American magazines that caters to the amateur machinist, there are several. Home Shop Machinist Magazine, The Machinist's Workshop, and Live Steam Magazine are all here.

John Richards runs an interesting custom brass locomotive model building business in Australia.  He works primarily in HO, S, and OO scale, but will consider other scales as well. www.iinet.net.au/~richardj/

And here's another site for Live Steam enthusiasts:   Jay Finelli's www.SteamingPriest.com

My friend Stewart Marshall has a book on iron casting. Do get it if you are at all interested in backyard foundry work. See www.rockisland.com/~marshall/ Rob Davidson, Rocket Knives at http://www.rocketknives.com/

See www.gunsmithertools.com for the website of Joe Beary, one of my guys who manufactures some very useful Gunsmithing Tools. Take special note of Joe's unique renewable small stainless steel cleaning brushes, which would be useful to any shop man, whether he's into guns or not.

If you're interested in making a Remington pattern Rolling Block rifle action from a kit of unmachined castings, click here. These people also use these castings to build finished actions for the custom rifles they build.

Steve Lindsay ( http://www.lindsayengraving.com ) is a highly skilled engraver who makes and sells an unusual and very compact air powered chasing graver (engraving tool) that looks like a sure winner. It is powerful enough to checker bolt knobs and do serious die sinking work as well as artistic surface engraving. Steve does precious metal inlays and engraves knives, watches, jewelry, guns and other items. And see the Hardinge lathe and small Hardinge mill he restored, here (http://www.nyx.net/~slindsay/hardinge.html).

See Bob Powell's website at http://www.dogpatch.com/bobp/bobfaq.htm. You'll find lots of interesting information there.  Bob is into a number of things: blacksmithing, bronze casting, welding, machining and more..

Jim Harvey, of Harvey Racing Engines, at http://hre.com is one of the largest SHERLINE distributors around, and has sharp prices on all Sherline stuff. He is also a dealer for the Flashcut CNC Upgrades and retrofits for the Sherline lathes and mills, and probably other small machine tools as well, as they have a variety of motor sizes and  configurations - even 4
axis stuff.

For a site with a lot of info for anyone interested in art metal work, have a good dig around on this site:
http://www.metalcyberspace.com . It's run by Susan Sarantos, a metalworking jewelery maker, who also has her own website, at http://www.sarantos.com .

Tony Hnilica - knife making and knife repair: http://ajh-knives.com/. There's lots of good and useful info to check out on Tony's site, even if you don't need a knife made or fixed at the moment.

E-Z Tram: For a slick rig to help you get the head of a vertical mill trammed square in double quick time, WITHOUT removing the milling vise, click here: www.eztram.com Contact Dan Kenner, and tell him I sent you.

Sheetmetal work:
NEW LINK: for the largest sheetmetal shaping community on the internet, click here. www.metalmeet.com/

The website for my friend Bill Sendler's auto restoration business is here: www.sendlersautocraft.com

To see what some people can do with hammered sheet metal, check out The Hammered Wombat, at http://home.gci.net/~wombat/.

Hydraulic Die Forming of sheet metal is an interesting area of activity, limited primarily by the user's imagination. For lots of good info, go to www.bonnydoonengineering.com

TM Technologies - http://www.tinmantech.com

Gunsmithing & supplies: www.brownells.com

For a good site about sheet metal working tools and info, see Http://www.thesheetmetalshop.com

Here's another site you might like for  power tools, cordless, woodworking, automotive, air and hand tools at good prices:    www.toolshoplist.com .

Lanny Henderson - http://usasn.com/~lbt/welcome.html is into making bikes, knives, bows and other items.  Has interesting links to various.

If you'd like to see what some guys do in the way of hand-built high class bicycle frames, particularly lugged steel construction, and products to aid that work, have a look at Kirk Pacenti's site.

Brion Toss, a well known rigger and writer headquartered in Port Townsend, WA, sells some interesting tools for splicing and his own books on rigging, splicing, etc. You should see his site even if you're not interested in boats.

Richard Adamek's Old Engines House. http://www.oldenginehouse.demon.co.uk
Lots of neat stuff for steam engine buffs, and many interesting links.

For a source of tools for cutting threads on wood dowels etc., see Jerry Beall's website, at http://www.bealltool.com/.
Lots of neat stuff to see here.

Joe Baugher = http://home.att.net/~jbaugher/ = military aviation, and aviation links.  Also astronomy.

Ever thought about building bamboo fishing rods?  Check out John Zimney's website, at http://www.bamboorods.com/, and you'll find further links there to other related sites.

Jerry Foster also runs a nice website at www.canerod.com/rodmakers which archives much useful info for those interested in making fine bamboo fishing rods.

www.refdesk.com is a great "research" site that everybody should know about. When you go there, find the "astronomy picture of the day" link, and then see the index to past pictures on that site. There was one in September '99,
taken from the MIR space Station, of the solar eclipse in August. Looks like
somebody poured ink on the clouds!

The CALCULATORS ON-LINE CENTER: This is a great site!!!!!!!!

Doug Hansen = www.hansenwheel.com = builder of horse drawn carriages.

Varmint Al = http://www.varmintal.com/  = much to do with reloading, hunting, etc.  Fantastic collection of links, and an interesting page on making good use of a 7x10" mini lathe.

Lee Precision Reloading Tools: http://www.leeprecision.com/

http://web.wt.net/%7Ehmsc/index.htm will get you to the Home Metal Shop Club, a Houston, TX group's page for exchange of ideas, sharing of resources, and instruction. There's a swap page, good projects, newsletter,
links, etc.

Knots on The Web = http://www.earlham.edu/~peters/knotlink.htm .  There is a LOT more info here than you might expect, including routes to many Internet search engines.

Here's another link you should not miss: http://www.torchmate.com. They have some interesting tools for machinists.

And check out this guy's "three wheeled tilter" - very impressive!!

Finally, if you want to see a wonderful story about someone who overcame hardships through dogged determination, see www.BillPorter.com. This page has nothing to do with metalworking, but I'd be proud to shake this man's hand. I first saw him on 20/20, the TV program.  Maybe you did too.

If you know of links which should be here on this page, then click HERE to get Guy Lautard the information......