Favorite Links

Sources - Industrial Supply

Reid Tool THE source for handwheels, knobs, tooling components.
MSC Direct Industrial supplies and tooling.  If you like trees, DO NOT request a catalog
Enco Discount industrial supplies and tooling.  Rumor has it they are owned by the same folks as MSC. Enco is one of the cheapest suppliers around.
McMaster-Carr If you can't find it at MSC, McMaster probably has it. If they don't, you probably don't need it.
Gits Mfg manufactures all kinds of oilers, oil cups, oil hole covers, etc. If you need new or replacement oil cups, this is the place. Gits made the original oil cups on my 1950 South Bend lathe.
Baltimore Belting the place for V-belts and flat belts made to order in leather or composite. Very prompt service, reasonable prices.
Metal Lathe These folks make lathe accessories and related kits for home shop machinists.

Sources - Used Machinery, Tooling, and Parts

Plaza Machinery Joe sells a lot of South Bend (and other) small lathes, drills, mills, and tooling.  Good resource for home shops.  Located in Vermont, not far from the American Precision Museum.  I bought my South Bend 9A from him.
LeBlond USA The "official" source for South Bend parts. Leblond bought the rights and the remaining stock when South Bend closed.  The parts folks at Leblond can also date your South Bend lathe from the serial number.
Norman Machine Tool Used machinery and tooling dealer in Baltimore. Lots of big stuff but he usually has a few South Bend Heavy 10's and maybe even an Atlas or two.

Sources - Misc.

E-J Enterprises Located in Glen Burnie MD, source for aluminum, brass, other nonferrous metals. Call the office or visit the walk-in warehouse M-F and Saturdays till noon. Nice folks. Ask Russ to show you the CNC waterjet cutting machine.  Lots of good cutoffs, disks, pieces of plate in big bins, sold (roughly) by the pound. 
Powells Books Huge on-line bookstore with great selection of new and used technical books including machining.
Lindsay's Technical Books Lindsay publishes an eccentric collection of reprints of old books. Many on machining, steam, old engines and related topics. Complete Gingery series. Also has the South Bend "How to Run A Lathe" reprint.
Woodworker's Supply Major distributor of woodworking supplies and machinery.  I bought my Delta Unisaw from them - competitive prices and good service. The saw was delivered 2 days after my order.
Lee Valley Another woodworker's source. Veritas (and other) tools and supplies.
Woodcraft Another woodworker's source. One of the oldest on-line woodworking sources, now with retail outlets all over the country. I've been buying from them since the first store opened in Somerville Mass. about 25 years ago. Never had a problem.
Rockler More woodworking. Lot's of fixtures, T-track, tables, etc. If you need a router table fence, Rockler's is the best value out there.
Eric Kovachic Eric Kovachic's web site. He does one-off and small run contract machining including grinding and wire EDM.

Museums and Places to Visit (also see the Calendar page)

Tuckahoe Steam and Gas Assoc. ~Easton, MD Great collection of old engines, both gas and steam. The Museum contains, among other things, a machine shop with a collection of machine tools, some dating back to the late 19th century.  I'm one of the volunteers working on maintenance and restoration.
New England Wireless and Steam Museum East Greenwich, RI Small museum with a large collection of wireless telegraph/radio gear from the first Marconi rig to the 60s, and some very interesting steam engines, including a Herreshoff marine triple-expansion torpedo boat engine, and several Corliss's. Most are operational.
Rough and Tumble Engineers Historical Assoc. Kinzer, PA Another old engine association, well worth the trip, located in Amish contry. They have the only Snow tandem gas engine I've run across.
Slater Mill Pawtucket, RI Located in downtown Pawtucket, this was one of the first major mills in the US. Don't miss the machine shop!
American Precision Museum Windsor, VT Havn't been there, but it's on my list.
Charles River Museum of Industry Waltham, MA Located in the powerhouse of an old mill, beneath a truly monumental stack, they have a world-class collection of watchmaking machinery, as well as some steam engines and a small machine shop. Rather an eclectic museum. The mill engine is no longer present.
B&O Railroad Museum Baltimore, MD "Birthplace of American railroading"
Chesapeake Bay Maritme Museum St. Michaels, MD Wonderful museum dedicated to the Bay's maritime heritage. Working boatyard and marine railway.

Web Sites of Interest

CAMS The Chesapeake Area Metalworking Society, Washington (DC) area. Monthly meetings alternate between Burtonsville, MD and northern VA. They also have a news server.
Tod Engine Project Rick Rowlands is leading the effort to restore this 4000 hp steam engine.  How about a crankshaft that weighs about 100,000 lbs (without the flywheel)! To raise money, Rick operates a small foundry which will cast parts from your pattern.
Practical Machinist bulletin board.  Friendly site, good source for advice on anything machinist-related including antique machinery.  Well-moderated, with none of the "OT I hate..." crap that clutters up RCM and some other web sites.
Lathes Tony Griffith's web site - a terrific source of information on old machine tools (not just lathes). Tony is a Brit, so a few well-known American makers are not represented, but usually the first place I look for info on an old lathe, mill, or shaper.