Hi Leon,

Welcome to the Porch. The Home Machinist's Handbook by Doug Briney is
about as basic as you will find for a first look at machining, IMO.
Don't overlook the woodworking books by Charles H. Hayward; "Woodworking
Joints", "Cabinetmaking for Beginners" (much more here than the name
suggests) and "Tools for Woodworking"

Hey Art,  I notice you didn't mention Lindsay Books treatise on gas the
"I Just Love to Fart Cookbook".  Sorry galoots, off topic but true, it's
in the Linsay Technical Books Catalogue for $6.95.

Marvin Paisner
Kootenay Lake, BC

  Leon Zimlich asks: 
> > At times I find myself wanting to know far more about metalworking--not to
> > the point of setting up a machine shop but to learn basic techniques for
> > forming metal parts for woodworking projects.

> Arthur Bailey wrote:
> Welcome to the porch!
> worth the search. Lindsay books, www.lindsaybks.com, is a good source for
> reprinted material on not only metalworking, but embalming and bootlegging.
> Have fun!
>