physics

Machinery's Handbook

Machinery's Handbook is a physics topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Machinery's Handbook rather than just read about it. In short: Machinery's Handbook for machine shop and drafting-room; a reference book on machine design and shop practice for the mechanical engineer, draftsman, toolmaker, and machinist (the full title of the 1st edition) is a classic reference work in mechanical engineering and practical workshop mechanics in one volume published by Industrial Press, New York, since 1914. The first edition was created by Erik Oberg (1881–1951…

Key takeaways

Machinery's Handbook belongs to physics; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Machinery's Handbook to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Machinery's Handbook from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Machinery's Handbook for machine shop and drafting-room; a reference book on machine design and shop practice for the mechanical engineer, draftsman, toolmaker, and machinist (the full title of the 1st edition) is a classic reference work in mechanical engineering and practical workshop mechanics in one volume published by Industrial Press, New York, since 1914. The first edition was created by Erik Oberg (1881–1951) and Franklin D. Jones (1879–1967), who are still mentioned on the title page of the 29th edition (2012). Recent editions of the handbook contain chapters on mathematics, mechanics, materials, measuring, toolmaking, manufacturing, threading, gears, and machine elements, combined with excerpts from ANSI standards. Machinery's Handbook is still regularly revised and updated; the most current revision is Edition 32 (2024). It continues to be the "bible of the metalworking industries" today. The work is available in online and ebook form as well as print. During the decades from World War I to World War II, McGraw-Hill published a similar handbook, American Machinists' Handbook, which competed directly with Industrial Press's Machinery's Handbook. McGraw-Hill ceased publication of their guide after the 8th edition (1945). Another short-lived spin-off appeared in 1955. Machinery's Handbook is the inspiration for similar works in other countries, such as Sweden's Karlebo handbok (1st ed. 1936).

Machinery's Encyclopedia In 1917, Oberg and Jones also published Machinery's Encyclopedia in 7 volumes. The 7th volume was augmented with supplements to the previous 6 volumes in 1925. The handbook and encyclopedia are named after the monthly magazine Machinery (Industrial Press, 1894–1973) where the two were consulting editors.

See also Machinist Calculator Kempe's Engineers Year-Book

References

External links Machinery's Handbook on the Industrial Press website

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Machinery's Handbook

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Machinery's Handbook claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In physics, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Machinery's Handbook before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Machinery's Handbook ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Machinery's Handbook

In research: Machinery's Handbook appears in physics research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Machinery's Handbook in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Machinery's Handbook is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1914 non-fiction books, Handbooks and manuals, Mechanical engineering, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Machinery's Handbook outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

Ask Teacher Smith questions about this articleOpens your AI tutor with a question about “Machinery's Handbook” →

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study Machinery's Handbook in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Machinery's Handbook means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Machinery's Handbook out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Machinery's Handbook in simple terms?

Why does Machinery's Handbook matter?

Because it connects several physics ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Machinery's Handbook?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Machinery's Handbook.