Anybody who’s interested in metalworking and machining, and has spent any time online, has likely bumped into “Tubalcain.” And anybody who has encountered his amazing metalworking/machining videos is almost certainly a fan. What’s not to love? He’s a retired machinist and shop teacher from Illinois who’s capturing a lifetime of working wisdom onto video and sharing these tutorials with the world. There are some 200 videos so far, and they’re all jam-packed with great information, interesting little anecdotes about the tools and equipment, and a no-nonsense, crystal-clear presentation style like only a great teacher can provide. This guy is becoming the world’s shop teacher!
Last year, Tubalcain started a series of Metal Shop Tips videos. These deal with everything from working with basic bench tools to using a metal lathe and flame cutter. Here are a few of the Shop Tips series, to give you an idea of what he has to offer. So far, he has 37 videos in this series. He needs a fanclub.
First of a three-part series on tapping (mostly hand-tapping). Here are parts
2 and
3.
First of a three-part series on care and feeding of drill bits. Here are parts
2 and
3.
First part of a two-part series on transferring holes. Here for
part 2.
Huh, I’ve seen those screw punches before in my dad’s garage and never knew what they were.
That dude is so awesome. He makes me wish I paid more attention in shop class.
This guy is completely golden. He has a whole series on casting and machining a “steam” engine too. Another YT channel I like is myfordboy. It’s basically the same thing, but he doesn’t talk at all. The complete silence lets you really “zone in” to the physical aspect.