For years I have relied almost solely on one reference book in my shop
The Pocket Ref by Thomas J. Glover.
Now in its 3rd edition it is probably the most used reference book I have in my shop library. It is a cornucopia of information. It includes such things as:
- Resistor Color Codes and standard values
- Computer ASCII Codes
- Nails Size (Length, Diameter, Diameter of head, and count per pound)
- Glue types and applications
- Area codes by state
I could go on and on but you can look at the table of contents here
Its roughly 3×5x1 and at 545 pages it is an amazing amount of information an such a small package. I keep one on my workbench and one in my truck.
Pick one up you will be glad you did.
So now that I have told you what I use mainly as my reference book in the shop, what is your most used reference material?




Wow. Now that’s a referece book! I’ll be picking one of these up, I think.