Basic Welding for Farm and Ranch

Basic Welding for Farm and Ranch is a reference and tutorial book for different DIY-able home welding aimed at toolmaking, repair and fabrication.  Author William Galvery is an expert with decades of experience in welding and welding instruction.  Resource and living publishers Storey have set a tentative release date of 2nd April 2019.  The book is 256 pages and will be  available in paperback and ebook formats.

One thing that struck me right away is that this is a basic no-frills instruction manual.  It's a very practical book, not an extremely pretty book.  The photography is clear and good, but the shots are not set up with 'frills' and there's little unnecessary consideration for composition. 

The book is laid out in a very logical and step by step manner.  The first chapter introduces the concepts, the second defines and builds on the first with a discussion of general tools, materials and safety.  The next 4 chapters discuss specific types of welding (Oxyacetaline welding and cutting,  arcwelding and MIG welding). Brazing and soldering get their own chapter. The penultimate chapter expands on the previous with a discussion of applicability of welding; what can be accomplished and a discussion of specific tasks and some methods of attacking those problems.

The how-to chapters are followed by a decent glossary and index.

I like that this book has a more homestead/farm/DIY focus.  Most welding books are definitely aimed at industrial applications and seem to be more intimidating.  This book has a subtle but pervasive 'you CAN do it' vibe.  There is enough technical and safety information including specs on different metals, temps, etc to safely complete tasks, but not so much that it overwhelms the average DIYer.  This is NOT an absolute beginner's book.  This book does presuppose some DIY experience especially in the context of homesteading/rural living. 

Another thing that I like about this book is that it provides specific task related mini-tutorials.  These progress throughout the book from the very easy (tack welding a broken rake) to the very complex (welding large cast metal pieces which are curved).  The tutorials build upon one another and provide the reader with a good skill set to correctly interpret and solve likely problems on the farm.

It's a good book for the homesteading library or keen DIYer.  The text and writing style are succinct and no-nonsense.

Four stars, a good addition.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.