Who Taught You About Gears?

"The beginning of wisdom is calling things by their proper name" -- Chinese proverb

Who taught you about gears? I was blessed with some great mentors in the early years of my career, but I never met some of my most important teachers. The answers to my many questions were “in the books” in the company library, I was told. Many a lunch hour was passed devouring the collected works of Dudley, Buckingham, and Jones. As I became familiar with the terminology, my co-workers and supervisors began to explain our company’s particular “take” on gear design. Some of the positions we took now seem a bit out of date, but I still use those same reference books today. What is your favorite gear reference book? During the summer of 2013 I had the opportunity to inventory the library of one of my favorite all-time gear people, the late Don McVittie. He had many of the same reference books I own and many that I had never seen before. His family had donated the books to The Gear Works so the next generation of gear engineers would have access to them; a generous gesture from a guy who was always willing to explain things to an interested student. If you are an experienced gear person, I hope you will share your knowledge with others. If you are just starting out in the trade, I hope you can find a good mentor. If mentors aren’t available, I have a suggested bibliography in my book An Introduction to Gear Design. The book is a free download from my company web site www.beytagear.com. The Internet has made locating even long-out-of-print gear textbooks easier, so good luck in your scavenger hunt.