This is not a fancy book, but the material presented by an experienced aircraft builder and professional engineer is outstanding overshadows the plain cover.

Building Metal Airplanes covers materials, measuring, basic metal working skills such as drilling, bending, forming, cutting, welding tube structures and riveting, but also includes instructions on how to use a lathe and a milling machine. There are tables of bolts, rivets and standard aircraft fittings. For those designing an airplane or modifying an existing design, information about material properties and strength of fasteners is listed. It is described how to design and build for better fatigue strength, important things about corrosion protection and bonding metal. Simple repairs of metal structures are described. An airplane builder will have to integrate systems in his airplane, so one chapter is dedicated to present many examples and helpful hints. This book covers how to weld fuel tanks, how to seal integral tanks and how to make fuel or hydraulic lines by cutting, bending and flaring tubes. For those just starting their shop there are many descriptions of tools and equipment needed for working with metal.