The Internet can be a wasteland of information, but it can also be incredibly helpful – the challenge is navigating through it to find the most valuable and accurate information. How-tos, and general knowledge about CNC and machining can be even more challenging to navigate. While there are piles of resources to help you discover your machining prowess, these are our top resources to help make anybody a better machinist.
CNC CookBook
Bob Warfield is the creator of the G-Wizard software that provides a valuable calculator for estimating feeds and speeds, but Bob also writes a blog called CNC Cookbook. Through regular blog posts, CNC Cookbook walks through an array of machinist topics, challenges, and news… not to mention some occasional entertainment. [youtube]Xyjg6k-NWaQ[/youtube]
YouTube
One of the best ways to learn is to see, first-hand, how something is done. YouTube provides a free platform to find all kinds of information. The Tormach YouTube channel, as well as the channels of some Tormach Brand Ambassadors – Robert Cowan, John Saunders, and John Grimsmo – furnish an array of valuable machining insight and how-tos. [youtube]d99B8UmP4tE[/youtube] [youtube]_8EEhpbZ0fg[/youtube] [youtube]6lD-E1q-7ss[/youtube]
CNC Zone
Professionals and hobbyists alike frequent CNC Zone to discuss their latest challenges, insights, and projects. This platform is strictly forum-based and its users have expertise from all across the spectrum of metalworking – newbies and veteran machinists can both gather knowledge from this worldwide community. They even have a Tormach-specific forum: http://www.cnczone.com/forums/tormach-personal-cnc-mill/
Communities
Facebook is known for bringing communities of people together, and machining is no different. There is a Tormach Operators page where users have gathered to share their knowledge, show off their work, and even work together on projects.
Reddit has an array of communities that cover everything from pictures of kittens to high tech solutions for horticulture, so of course, there’s a community for CNC and machining. This is one of the many locations around the web that you can pool resources from the community of Tormach users, as well as other CNC machine users. Answer questions, ask questions, share projects; Reddit communities, also known as /r/ can be incredibly valuable to find nuanced information. Just beware, you may also find yourself slipping into a black hole of Game of Thrones memes. https://www.reddit.com/r/CNC
Known as the social media platform that can help you find a job, LinkedIn also provides lots of connections across the globe. Similar to Reddit, this social platform has a variety of interest groups, including CNC Machining. While this group trends in the industrial direction, there are some small business owners and hobbyists as well – all of whom add their latest Internet findings and expertise to the fray of information.
Practical Machinist
With an array of industrial machining topics, Practical Machinist is a publication that provides articles about the latest in CNC technology, videos for best practices, and even a forum to air out machining woes. If you’re looking for more technical and enterprise-style information, this is the place to find it. 
Machinery’s Handbook
Also known as the machinist’s bible, Machinery’s Handbook is a comprehensive guide to mechanical, tooling, workholding, and design insight that is hard to find anywhere else. This book is universally acknowledged as the go-to resource for everything from the fundamentals of metalworking to the nuances of complicated machining. Where do you get your CNC/machining info, tips, and tricks?
