Milling: A Complete Course (Workshop Practice) Paperback – Illustrated, December 30, 2004

I have bought three of Harold Hall's books, and they have all been read, used and re-read.His writing is clear, expert, well illustrated with clear photographs and drawings and the projects are very suitable to anyone starting in this fascinating field of metal working. They are good bed side reading and/or workshop guides for the actual projects.The books in the Workshop Practice Series are compact, about 128 pages, but contain a surprisingly large amount of information, and are good value.The projects in "Milling" are graded from easy to intermediate difficulty, and each tool made can be used in later projects. Each project introduces new milling techniques and information, and in the course of the entire book most major milling procedures which might be used by the hobbyist are covered. The subtitle "A complete course" is appropriate.The tools look really interesting and useful, and I plan to make most of them.I strongly recommend this book, and also "Lathework- A Complete Course" and "Tool and Cutter Sharpening" by the same author.

This was just what I was looking for. I am learning and improving my knowledge and skill on a small Smithy machine tool. This starts with some easy(er) projects to build skills and make useful tools. The projects get more and more involved. There is a good text description of each project and recommendations on changes / improvements to make.It took forever to get here but it was worth the wait. I got both the lathe and mill book at the same time.

The title of the book is a misnomer, since this is far from a complete course on milling. It is, however, a good book for a starter for somebody who's bought a small home mill and has discovered that it's missing even the most basic tools and has no real instructions with it. I've been a machinist since the mid-1980's and have plenty of practice and tools, and there were even a few items among the projects that I intend to build. Given the price, if you've just bought a small mill and haven't the foggiest idea what to do with it, this book is money well spent. I gave it only four stars, however, mainly because it's not what it claims to be when it says it's a "complete" course. Instead, it's an excellent place to start.

good reference

This is a different approach than other books in the series in that it teaches the use of the mill through accessory projects that produce required accessories. There are hold downs, clamps blocks right angle adapters, etc. that will keep one busy for quite a while and will outfit the mill station with useful hardware.Good investment for the money, and different from the other learn to mill books, even those in the Workshop Practice Series.

This is mentioned in a couple of the reviews, but a lathe is essential for completing these projects. Without a lathe you can't make most of the projects.This book is a series of projects. The author shows various techniques by walking you through the projects. Some of these look quite interesting and useful, but without a lathe (for now), I'm stuck. Nevertheless, I did learn several useful hints.

Very good for learning new techniques. Covers setup and operation of most home shop mills. I am building the advanced tool sharpener holder which is one of the projects presented. It was an unexpected challenge to convert the dimensions from mm to inches, but a good exercise.I also learned several milling techniques that I was unaware of. A great book for the price. The "Lath a complete course" is a good companion book and both books compliment each other.

This is mostly a projects book - not a whole lot of information on speeds/feeds, 2 flute mills vs 4 flute, etc.If you have trouble figuring out what to make using your mill this is a good book for you, if you want operational information you need Machinery's Handbook or Hall;s other book on the milling machine. (My apologies for forgetting the title, I'm handicapped, the book is in the shop and it's cold out there and won't be warmed up for another 2 or 3 hours!)