# Book Review:  "Metalworking Sink or Swim" by Tom Lipton



## BobWarfield (Feb 14, 2009)

I just found a copy of Tom Lipton's new book, "Metalworking Sink or Swim", at Borders.

I liked the book. It has sections for machinists, welders, and fabricators. The book is thick and filled with lots of nice color pictures. Chapters are:

- Diving In
- Brain Food: This is all about drawings, shop math, and that sort of thing.
- Bean Counter Lounge
- Get the Shop Set Up
- Manual Lathe
- Manual Mill
- CNC Mill
- CNC Lathe
- Welding Shop
- The Lost Art of Flame Straightening
- Sheet Metal Shop
- The Abrasion Department (Grinding)
- The Junk Drawer

Lots of good tips from a man who has a lot of years of experience. Looks like he spent a lot of time in the shipyards around the SF Bay Area. Every now and then there is something I disagree with ("it's OK to use PVC in an air system" is one he wrote that I disagree with), but there's a wealth of good information here. If you like books like, "Machine Shop Trade Secrets", this is a good one.

Best,

BW


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