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Tom Lipton

Tom Lipton is a career metalworker from the San Francisco Bay area who has worked at various job shops. For more information, visit his blog and YouTube video channel.

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Published content

Flat stones for fine finishing
Article January 15, 2018 Tom Lipton
Flat stones for fine finishing
Abrasive stones commonly found in machine shops are fine for run-of-the-mill deburring and abrading, but absolutely not suitable for precision stoning. For that, you need a pair of carefully prepared, precision-ground flat stones.
Perpendicularity: key to machining good parts
Article October 15, 2017 Tom Lipton
Perpendicularity: key to machining good parts
Checking perpendicularity is a recurring theme on the shop floor—one that deserves detailed discussion and special tools, according to the Shop Operations column in the October 2017 issue of Cutting Tool Engineering.
Shop Operations: A fresh look at 1-2-3 blocks
Article September 15, 2017 Tom Lipton
Shop Operations: A fresh look at 1-2-3 blocks
Many machinists fondly remember their early training or apprenticeships when they made 1-2-3 blocks from scratch under the watchful eye of a master toolmaker. These young machinists carefully machined the blocks oversize, heat-treated them and then ground them to size.
Shop Operations: Consider a 4-jaw independent lathe chuck
Article August 15, 2017 Tom Lipton
Shop Operations: Consider a 4-jaw independent lathe chuck
In the August 2017 issue of Cutting Tool Engineering, Shop Operations Columnist Tom Lipton challenges readers to take a good look at the venerable 4-jaw independent lathe chuck. "Many machinists may have never used one. Hopefully, my call to arms will change that, and a whole new world of workholding will open up to them."
Shop Operations: Get your bearings
Article July 15, 2017 Tom Lipton
Shop Operations: Get your bearings
High-quality metrology feedback is one of the cornerstones of precision manufacturing, but that's easier said than done, according to the Shop Operations column in the July 2017 issue of Cutting Tool Engineering magazine.
Shop Operations: Catch a tiger by the tail
Article June 15, 2017 Tom Lipton
Shop Operations: Catch a tiger by the tail
Most folks who run an engine lathe often work on the ends of long shafts, or rods, that protrude unsupported out of the headstock. Depending on the shaft diameter and how much unsupported length sticks out, this operation can be dangerous because of the high potential for shaft whip.
Shop Operations: A better way to shorten screws
Article May 15, 2017 Tom Lipton
Shop Operations: A better way to shorten screws
Every person who works in a machine shop probably has at least one task they absolutely hate. For Tom Lipton, who writes Cutting Tool Engineering's Shop Operations column, one task stands out above most others: shortening small screws and fasteners. He says he just doesn't not like to do it.
Shop Operations: Workholder setup reduction
Article April 15, 2017 Tom Lipton
Shop Operations: Workholder setup reduction
To reduce setup—as well as overhead costs—in a job-shop environment, first examine the workholding methods, according to the Shop Operations column in the April 2017 issue of Cutting Tool Engineering magazine.

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