This is a very well written book for anyone that would like to make a hobby lathe, is interested in casting, or would like to learn more about machining. The book clearly goes thru all the steps required to build your own hobby metal lathe. Some of the manufacturing techniques are old and/or out of date but that is not a problem so much as an advantage. If you have literally nothing when you start you can follow the book exactly as is and build the lathe. If you have some basic tools or more advanced tools, then you can follow the main idea in the book but use what you have to make the work go faster and easier.