Book Review – Gears and Gear Cutting

January 24, 2010

Gears and Gear Cutting is No. 17 in the Workshop Practice Series

Ivan Law’s book is aimed at model engineers and novice horologists who want to understand and make gears. Like all of the books in the series it is an A5 paperback, ideal for reading on the go or keeping in the workshop for reference.

The book assumes you are familiar with machining and experience of milling in a lathe or mill would be helpful for your understanding of the processes described.

The first few chapters look at how you might setup a gear train, tooth shape including involute and cycloid forms and different types of gears including bevel and rack and pinion. The later chapters look at how you might make these using. No book on gear cutting would be complete without looking at the dividing heads, Ivan dedicates a whole chapter to this with direct and worm gear models. The following chapter on cutting spur gears expands on this with details of how the head might be mounted for cutting on a lathe, cutting large diameter gears and using horizontal or vertical milling machines. For forming a worm screw cutting can be used or they can be formed using hobbing. The most sophisticated gears mentioned are the bevel gears, Ivan discussed the issues of how to make these. The final chapter discusses making your own cutters for machining gears.

There is a little bit of mathematics involved in making gears but Ivan keeps this to a minimum and it’s mostly dividing numbers and handling fractions. The book has plenty of illustrations and drawings for making the tools and fixtures described.

This light hearted approach to a complex subject makes interesting reading and essential reference for those starting out in making gears.

By Andy from Workshopshed One Comment

  Posted in: Books and Magazine Reviews Tags: Gears