Knowledge You Can Build On — Est. 1998
OT - thanks for the link to archive.org
Mike Brazeau
I was not aware of this site. There is more than a winter's reading on any topic imaginable. Just read a book on the efforts to bring Quebec into the Thirteen Colonies before the Revolution. Found a multitude of old books on that period in our joint history. I guess aging has eliminated any of that knowledge I might have had from high schools days. Was all new to me!
Re: OT - thanks for the link to archive.org
Rum
Oooh boy... now you're into it 
There is also project gutenberg (gutenburg.org) which has somewhere north of 50,000 free ebooks.
I've been currently reading:
"Shifts and Expedients of Camp Life, Travel & Exploration by W. B. Lord"
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/46446
which is a very interesting discussion of the "adventuring" period of British expansion with a focus on materials and equipment.
While you're reading all of this Archive also has the live music archive:
https://archive.org/details/etree
old time radio:
https://archive.org/details/oldtimeradio
A fantastic collection of out of copyright 78rpm and cylinder recordings from the early 1900's
https://archive.org/details/78rpm
plus some old films and many other things.
Now that I've ruined your days productivity... moving along .. hehe.
archive.org
Geoff Whaling
Plenty of good wood turning texts available, Holtzapffel, Plummier etc.
Re: OT - thanks for the link to archive.org
Mike Brazeau
Gutenberg I am aware of and have found a couple of old turning books there. You are right, this is bad news for my inquisitive mind. It is an incredible age that we live in. I was a complete math and science kid and now enjoy reading particularly about the early years of North American settlement and all of the issues around that. Still love science though and that is another internet time waster. I have been making a vow to try and get more workshop time in this winter and also repair jobs completed around the house. Somehow think it might be in jeopardy.
Re: Turning non ferrous metals on the lathe
Frank Joseph
I have used copper on turnings you can split a section into stripes then wrap it in a channel set with brass screws and expoy it is easy and can look good,,
