Machinist Toolbox

Free speeds-and-feeds app tuned to your machine, holder, and stick-out for Harvey and Helical end mills.

Pick the operation and material, get a tool recommendation with cutting data.

The formulas behind the calculators: cutting speed, chip load, metal removal rate, and power.

Quick SFM-to-RPM and feed-rate math with the formulas written out.

Enter the job and ISCAR suggests tools and cutting conditions.

Free online speeds-and-feeds calculator that runs in the browser or on your phone.

Popular feeds-and-speeds calculator; it is paid software with a trial, so try it before you buy.

A big set of free calculators for milling, turning, drilling, threading, and surface finish.

Miniature and specialty end mills, plus a deep library of technical articles.

High-performance end mills with speeds and feeds published for every series.

Catalogs, engineering calculators, and the NOVO tooling app in one place.

Milling, turning, and holemaking tools with cutting data for each grade.

Inserts, end mills, and drills with recommended cutting conditions in the catalog.

Taps, drills, and end mills, and a good place to learn tapping basics.

Drills, reamers, and taps with technical data for holemaking.

Every G-code on a Haas mill explained, with examples. Most of it carries over to other controls.

Spindle, coolant, tool change, and program-control M-codes explained.

Turning cycles, threading, and canned cycles for CNC lathes.

A clear, free reference for how G-code is structured and read.

A free, step-by-step G-code tutorial written for beginners.

Paste a program into your browser and watch the toolpath plot before it ever touches the machine.

Free, open-source 3-axis G-code simulator for checking programs on your computer.

Tap drill and clearance drill sizes for inch and metric threads on one page.

Major, pitch, and minor diameters with 2A and 3A tolerances for Unified threads.

Look up full dimensions for a thread size and class.

Plain-English lessons on every GD&T symbol, with free articles and videos.

A one-page glossary of symbols, datums, MMC, LMC, and tolerance terms.

Illustrated walk-through of form, orientation, location, and runout tolerances.

The official U.S. dimensioning and tolerancing standard that prints are built on.

Free CAD with limited CAM for non-commercial home projects. A common first CAM package.

Free one-year access to Fusion, Inventor, and more for eligible students and teachers.

Free, open-source parametric CAD with a CAM workbench.

Browser-based CAD with a free plan for public, non-commercial work.

Widely used CAM software in production shops, worth knowing for job listings.

Small, affordable CNC mills and lathes popular in schools, garages, and startup shops.

Calipers, micrometers, indicators, and CMMs, with product guides that teach how each tool works.

Courses on measuring tools and metrology fundamentals.

Classic precision measuring tools, made in Athol, Massachusetts.

Where U.S. measurement standards come from, and good reading on why traceability matters.

Articles on inspection, gaging, and quality systems.

Free data sheets for over 200,000 metals, plastics, and other materials.

Alloy and temper information straight from the aluminum industry.

Data and machining guidance for copper, brass, and bronze alloys.

The materials society behind the ASM handbooks on metals and heat treat.

Quick tables for densities, conversions, and material properties.

The shop catalog everyone uses; product pages double as spec sheets with CAD downloads.

Free CNC lessons on setup, programming, and CAM, built for students and new machinists.

Shop-floor videos with a strong message about American manufacturing and the trade.

Practical CNC, Fusion CAM, and shop-business lessons from a working shop.

Tips and how-tos straight from the machine builder, including the long-running Tip of the Day series.

Manual and CNC machining explained with humor and great camera work.

Real repair and production jobs on big manual machines, start to finish.

Short, clever shop tips and setup tricks from decades at the bench.

Toolmaking, fixtures, and the thinking behind good shop work.

Large-part machining and smart workholding.

Heavy repair, line boring, and welding on worn equipment.

Clear, beginner-friendly manual machining projects.

Precision work: scraping, grinding, and measuring done right.

CNC basics and projects on small machines.

Online manufacturing classes used by many employers for training.

Hundreds of free articles on CNC, CAM, and running a shop.

News, process articles, and shop profiles from across U.S. machining.

Coverage of Swiss-type, multi-spindle, and high-volume turning.

Metal fabrication, welding, and forming news for the shop next door to yours.

Industry credentials in machining that employers recognize.

Career and technical student organization with skills competitions, including CNC.

Workforce programs, MFG Day, and research on manufacturing careers.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s search for registered apprenticeships.

The regional vocational-technical high school in Taunton, MA.

Community college serving the Taunton and Fall River area.

Community college serving Brockton and the South Shore.

Free job search and training help at more than 25 career centers across Massachusetts.

U.S. Department of Labor site for training programs, certifications, and pay by area.

Official U.S. data on what the job is, how to get in, and what it pays.

The biggest machining forum online, with sections for every machine brand.

Busy community of working machinists sharing parts, setups, and advice.

CNC questions from hobby routers to production machining centers.

Long-running forum for manual machining and home-shop projects.

Friendly forum for beginners and garage-shop machinists.

Professional society for manufacturing, with events, training, and student chapters.

Trade group for precision turned-parts shops.

Trade group for contract machine shops and toolmakers.

Machine tool industry group that runs the IMTS trade show.