Lautard.Com
(Guy Lautard's Web Site)

Provider of Books, Plans, Videos and Workshop Accessories

FOR

MACHINISTS, GUNSMITHS, METALWORKERS AND CLOCKMAKERS

We supply books, plans, videos and workshop accessories to machinists, apprentice machinists, gunsmiths, shop instructors, model and experimental aircraft builders, clockmakers, and home shop machinists - in fact, anyone who works with metal.

....Book Mark This Site as a Favorite for Future Reference....

We are sad to report that Guy Lautard passed away on May 18, 2025.  Guy was most widely known for his three-volume series of Machinist's Bedside Reader books, but also wrote or co-wrote several novels, edited a clockmaking book, and published numerous plans.  His informal, friendly writing style no doubt lured many an inquisitive soul into what he called "the best of all trades", and provided education and entertainment for even old hands.  However, he didn't start out in machining-he received a BS in agriculture from the University of British Columbia and then worked in reclamation, forestry, environmental consulting, and even banking before focusing on machining.  (His novels and short stories often referenced these previous trades and his childhood experiences in rural British Columbia.)  In 1986, he published The Machinist's Bedside Reader, followed it up in 1988 with the Second, and in 1993 with the Third.  ("Hey Tim, I Gotta Tell Ya", in the same vein, was published in 1990.)  His novel "Strike While the Iron is Hot", full of machining references, brings to mind the writing of Nevil Shute (e.g., Trustee from the Toolroom).  Guy was 78, and lived in the coastal town of Sechelt, north of Vancouver.

---- Most recent site update: June 4, 2025 ----
A Few Important Updates

• (September 2024) The Machinist's Second Bedside Reader is back in print! Order directly from Amazon for $44.99 (USD).

• (March 2023) The J.M. Pyne Stories & Other Selected Writings by Lucian Cary, edited by Guy Lautard, is now available! Order directly from Amazon for $29.95 (USD).

• (January 2023) The Machinist's Bedside Reader is now back in print! Order directly from Amazon for $44.99 (USD).

• (Mid-2022) There is new ordering and availability information thoughout the site.

• (Mid-2022) Strike While the Iron is Hot is back in print! You can order directly from Amazon for $14.99 (USD).

• (Mid-2022) A new fiction book, The Rebirth of Morgan Ranch, has just been published, and is also available directly from Amazon for $12.99 (USD). Written with Marsh Collins.

Be sure to see the photos of a very nice looking TINKER T&C Grinding Jig built without castings.
(Click on Plans for Tools , below, to find the link to the TINKER Plans, and go from there.)

For ordering and website questions, email: LautardOrders@redcedar.com