Gear Design Simplified

I work for a gear company and often reference this book for formulas. Good layout makes it easy to find basic formulas like one to increase pinion diameter to avoid undercut. Try finding that in the Machinery's Handbook. Oh, it's there, but it's not nearly as easy to work with as this book. Downside, I wish it had a section on involute splines.

GDS is not for everyone, but if you are interested in understanding how to calculate gear ratios for complex planetary and internal gear systems, this book will tell you. It is roughly organized into general sections, and the text is primarily in the form of tables. A simplified picture illustrates every gear system covered. If you're the kind of person who (like me) is fascinated by a small planetary gear system which can deliver a 296:1 ratio, you're likely to spend hours reading GDS.