As a Design Engineer, I don't use MACHINERY"S HANDBOOK frequently, but it is a vital resource. I have at least 2 copies - one for work & one for home. I frequently use the AISC STEEL CONSTRUCTION HANDBOOK for steel shapes, dimensions, and properties - I have a 1973 edition at home that falls open to all of the right pages, a newer edition at work, & a couple of older, more collectible editions.
I am particularly proud of my father's copy of AUDEL'S MACHINISTS AND TOOL MAKERS HANDY BOOK (1942) - a very comprehensive introduction to all types of machine work at a manual level that is skipped over by newer CNC oriented books.
When I was first getting started in house construction, I bought every how-to book I ran across - more because of interest than need. One that still stands out is HOW TO USE HAND AND POWER TOOLS (Popular Science, 1970) - a very good general introduction to hand tools. I got most of my helpful tips on all types of carpentry and machine work by reading straight through all of my father's 1940s POPULAR MECHANICS. But, if I had not had that resource, I would have loved SHOPWORK ON THE FARM (1945) and THE BOY MECHANIC (Popular Mechanics, 1952). THE BOY MECHANIC is actually reprints of the tips and projects from the 1940s & 1950s Popular Mechanics.
I was particularly delighted to actually need to use AUDEL'S SHEET METAL PATTERN LAYOUTS (1942). Before AutoCAD was even invented, I had two different jobs that required frequent design of sheet metal transitions from one unusual shape to another. Flat development of oblique transitions is not for the faint of heart. I still have 2 compasses that I made to hold a mechanical pencil using collars or tube clamps - a 3 foot wooden one & a 6 foot metal one. Let's see today's HVAC contractor make a 14” to 12” reducer with an 8” takeoff that reduces to 4” at a 30 degree wye!
