I've been a real tool hound for almost as long as I've been a wanna-be fabricator. In fact, as you'll read elsewhere in this issue, I'm a firm believer in having the right tools for the job. You're also fully aware, I'm sure, that just buying and using (trying to use) these tools is no guarantee of success (refer back to my wanna-be remark above), but they do help. Mastering said tools is also an exercise that, though sometimes a bit aggravating and semi-costly materials-wise, is actually pretty enjoyable. To this end, I've found some even more valuable tools-books. That's right, I do read more than just magazines.
A couple of my favorite sources of education/entertainment are the awesome series of books offered by both Motorbooks International and HPBooks. Of course I do learn quite a bit by just giving things a try and also studying the work of my own editorial staff and those of my sister Primedia publications, as well. However, the full-length, dedicated editorial available in stand-alone manuals and handbooks is an invaluable resource for me. In fact, I keep a rather extensive library of titles on a dedicated shelf in my home shop, and I'm not bashful about my constant referral to them, at all. I think they were/are as important a monetary outlay as my hand and power tools.
With my Budget Beater project in full swing and with its tight budget, I've found myself referring to my library even more often than usual. In all truthfulness, right now, sitting on my home workbench are open copies of three titles which I'm using as I work on the Beater. One is titled Advanced Sheet Metal Fabrication, by Timothy Remus (published by Wolfgang and distributed by MBI), and the other two are HPBooks-Metal Fabricator's Handbook and Sheet Metal Handbook, both by Ron and Sue Fournier.
In the evening, when I'm not out in the garage, I'm currently reading Don Taylor's Automotive Upholstery Handbook (from MBI), readying myself for the Beater's future interior work. Also, just to make sure I've got a handle on things, I just picked up a copy of another MBI title called Custom Auto Interiors by Don Taylor and Ron Mangus. Hey, if I can't learn how to really do it, I'll at least be able to talk a good game anyway.
All kidding aside, I'm sold on the value of my library. As much as I'd like to attend seminars or classes at the local tech school, like many of you, I just don't have the time to make solid commitments to be somewhere two or three times a week at a specific time and place. My type of job involves the things I've often whined about in the past-constant deadlines and way too much travel. So I do it on my own, utilizing my own private collection of educational material.
Just some food for thought, perhaps. I'm hoping that you'll join me by building your own collections and putting them to work. I guarantee you'll be both enlightened and entertained.--RIZ