Wood lathe conversion

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Disclaimer: yes, i know it's not "proper", possibly not very safe, definitely unlikely to get more than a 1/16" accuracy, not resellable,  not OSHA approved, etc. etc. etc. So try to contain the peanut gallery comments. Anyone ever converted or seen/worked with first hand a wood lathe converted for lathing metal? Are the threads the same so 2 and 4 jaw chucks can be mounted? ThanksBtW200amp Air Liquide MIG, Hypertherm Plasma, Harris torches, Optrel helmet, Makita angle grinders, Pre-China Delta chop saw and belt sander, Miller leathers, shop made jigs etc, North- welders backpack.
Reply:there is no tool carriage on a wood lathe.miller thunderbolt 250vlincoln square wave tig 175 prolincoln idealarc mig sp250everlast tig 210EXTeverlast power plasma 50chicago electric (hf) 130 tig/90 arcchicago electric 90 amp flux wire3 sets oxy/acet
Reply:Originally Posted by boatbuoythere is no tool carriage on a wood lathe.
Reply:Turning on a simple lathe is indeed possible. In fact that's how they did it before engine lathes where invented and even today watch makers do it to a extremely high precision.   A few points from my past experience to do this.   One you need to slow the lathe down. WAY down. As in you need the lowest speed to get down around 100 rpm possibly slower depending on how big a piece you plan to turn. This will require a jack shaft or even two depending on how large a pulley you can mount on the lathe itself.   Two you need to build a graver. If you search for lathe and graver you'll come up with some info on this. Mine I built long ago was a piece of 3/8" pipe welded to the end of a piece of 1/2" pipe. A setscrew was setup to allow clamping a 1/4" HSS lathe bit into the smaller pipe. The pipe was filled with lead shot and a motor cycle grip was used to seal it and provide a handle.   Three. Another method than can be useful for pulling larger amounts of metal off faster is to use a angle grinder on the spinning piece. Care needs to be used but amazingly accurate work can be produced if done properly.   I actually built the lathe that I did all this work on. I did have to revise it a couple of times but it did work in the end. But it's slow taking much metal off this way. Skill is needed for accurate work as well. The lathe really needs to be pretty well built and stiff for this to work well.  Posts 17 and 19 in the following thread show my lathe and a cut off saw I built with it way back when. The saw is still in use though the lathe has been retired.http://weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread.php...ighlight=pressMillermatic 252XMT 304'sDynasty 280DXHypertherm PowerMax 1250Miller Trailblazer 302 EFIOptima PulserXR feeder and XR Edge gun and more athttp://members.dslextreme.com/users/waynecook/index.htm
Reply:Originally Posted by boatbuoythere is no tool carriage on a wood lathe.
Reply:Thanks Roy, good info to know. Not much need to thread and for long stuff I can improvise. I'd mostly be doing sculpture parts so I can adapt a bit to how the part comes out, hence not needing much better than a 1/16" tolerance. If it's a tool that becomes used a lot/ makes money, I'll step up to the real deal. Part of the issue is I'm on a relatively small island and the used selection is few and far between. Just missed an beautiful condition Atlas with a bunch of tooling. Murphy's Law.  It's not a desperately needed tool, but lots of things in the doodle book that I could use it for. Thanks  Originally Posted by WyoRoyActually the old Delta wood lathes came with the option of a metalworking cross slide. By Delta I mean one of the iterations Delta has gone through over the years...could be Delta Rockwell, Delta Milwaukee, etc.Now, to answer the original poster's question about whether the arbor is the same so he can mount metal lathe chucks. There isn't a definative answer to that question as wood lathes are much the same as the different brands of metal lathes. Each manufacturer built their product and wanted you to buy accessories from them and not the competition. So...like as not the headstock threads were proprietary. That said, a lot of those threads were also used on early style metal lathes with threaded back chucks. Probably the easiest solution would be to go out and measure the thread pitch and size and have a look in a machine tool catalog to see if chuck back plates are available for the size owned. If not, find a friend with a metal lathe and have him/her turn you up a back plate to match.EDIT: Now the downside of using a wood lathe as a metal lathe....no lead screw so forget about cutting screw threads or anything accurately longer than the length of the cross slide travel without having to reposition the cross slide.RE-EDIT: BTW, if you just happen to have a Delta wood lathe, be aware that each time Delta got into bed with another manufacturer...and they did it often...the bed design would change somewhat. So, if you do indeed have a Delta wood lathe be aware the cross slide you can at times find for sale off eBay needs to be measured to see if it will physically fit the bed. I learned the hard way as my old Delta Milwaukee came without a tailstock. Got one cheap off eBay but it was for a Delta and the way spacing was different. Played Hell mounting that art deco designed tailstock onto the mill table to cut the keyway to fit the old bed...seemed that the only flat surface on the darned thing was where I needed to mill!
Reply:Originally Posted by bert the welderYep, figured I'd have to get inventive there
Reply:Bert, I did the Port Hardy to Victoria, BC road several years back after taking the ferry from Prince Rupert. Irish Fixit's recommendation on a tool post grinder set-up might be just the way to go to modify parts for sculpting. I'd even bet that that site for interesting project posted a day or so ago probably has 'builds' for one...and maybe even a cross slide. Now as far as Irish Fixit's recommendation of using a cross slide vise...he must have gotten a far better one than I had. Mine was near worthless with slop unless I torqued down on the gib adjustments until it was darned near immobile.Lincoln PrecisionTig 275Miller 251Miller DialArc 250Bridgeport millHossfeld bender & diesLogan shaperJet 14 X 40 latheSouth Bend 9" 'C'Hypertherm 900Ellis 3000 band saw21"Royersford ExcelsiorTwo shops, still too many tools.
Reply:Yeah Irish! i thought you'd be the man with a plan! I figured on the need for lower speeds and extra pulleys where on the menu for sure.Hadn't heard of a "graver" but it sounds like a heavy duty version of a wood lathe tool or like the long handle tools they use when spinning metal disks/ bowls/lampshades. I'll look it up for sure.Your a man after my own heart on the angle grinder idea. For tapering long spear points, I chuck up 1/2" round rod in my drill, which is mounted on a stand that holds the drill and has a sliding rest that the round rod rests on. lock on the trigger and have at her with a stone first then smooth out with a flap wheel. It will handle up to 10' long so I can make really long tapers. Works great! had it in mind to adapt this idea on the the converted wood lathe. Thought was to make a holder for the angle grinder using the side handle mount holes to attach. Take that and mount it in a x/y milling vise to act like a tool holder on a "real" metal lathe. Could use a zip cut to make thin slots etc. Mill vice my also work to hold carbide/HSS tool bits as well. Sounds like the Jawed chuck's are the big unknown at this point. I like your homemade unit. I get a good deal on off cuts at my local supplier. I should keep an eye out for some nice C channel. That might be good for the "ways". Thanks for the good tips Irish!!!!  Originally Posted by irish fixitTurning on a simple lathe is indeed possible. In fact that's how they did it before engine lathes where invented and even today watch makers do it to a extremely high precision.   A few points from my past experience to do this.   One you need to slow the lathe down. WAY down. As in you need the lowest speed to get down around 100 rpm possibly slower depending on how big a piece you plan to turn. This will require a jack shaft or even two depending on how large a pulley you can mount on the lathe itself.   Two you need to build a graver. If you search for lathe and graver you'll come up with some info on this. Mine I built long ago was a piece of 3/8" pipe welded to the end of a piece of 1/2" pipe. A setscrew was setup to allow clamping a 1/4" HSS lathe bit into the smaller pipe. The pipe was filled with lead shot and a motor cycle grip was used to seal it and provide a handle.   Three. Another method than can be useful for pulling larger amounts of metal off faster is to use a angle grinder on the spinning piece. Care needs to be used but amazingly accurate work can be produced if done properly.   I actually built the lathe that I did all this work on. I did have to revise it a couple of times but it did work in the end. But it's slow taking much metal off this way. Skill is needed for accurate work as well. The lathe really needs to be pretty well built and stiff for this to work well.  Posts 17 and 19 in the following thread show my lathe and a cut off saw I built with it way back when. The saw is still in use though the lathe has been retired.http://weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread.php...ighlight=press
Reply:Originally Posted by irish fixitNot much rigidity in a wood lathe to handle the forces involved. However one shortcut to the cross slide problem would be a cross slide vise. At the very least it would give you a starting point. http://www.grizzly.com/products/Cros...ing-Vise/G1064
Reply:Originally Posted by WyoRoyBert, I did the Port Hardy to Victoria, BC road several years back after taking the ferry from Prince Rupert. Irish Fixit's recommendation on a tool post grinder set-up might be just the way to go to modify parts for sculpting. I'd even bet that that site for interesting project posted a day or so ago probably has 'builds' for one...and maybe even a cross slide. Now as far as Irish Fixit's recommendation of using a cross slide vise...he must have gotten a far better one than I had. Mine was near worthless with slop unless I torqued down on the gib adjustments until it was darned near immobile.
Reply:What headstock thread do you have on your lathe? I'll look up likely prospects for you.Lincoln PrecisionTig 275Miller 251Miller DialArc 250Bridgeport millHossfeld bender & diesLogan shaperJet 14 X 40 latheSouth Bend 9" 'C'Hypertherm 900Ellis 3000 band saw21"Royersford ExcelsiorTwo shops, still too many tools.
Reply:Originally Posted by bert the welderYeah Irish! i thought you'd be the man with a plan! I figured on the need for lower speeds and extra pulleys where on the menu for sure.Hadn't heard of a "graver" but it sounds like a heavy duty version of a wood lathe tool or like the long handle tools they use when spinning metal disks/ bowls/lampshades. I'll look it up for sure.Your a man after my own heart on the angle grinder idea. For tapering long spear points, I chuck up 1/2" round rod in my drill, which is mounted on a stand that holds the drill and has a sliding rest that the round rod rests on. lock on the trigger and have at her with a stone first then smooth out with a flap wheel. It will handle up to 10' long so I can make really long tapers. Works great! had it in mind to adapt this idea on the the converted wood lathe. Thought was to make a holder for the angle grinder using the side handle mount holes to attach. Take that and mount it in a x/y milling vise to act like a tool holder on a "real" metal lathe. Could use a zip cut to make thin slots etc. Mill vice my also work to hold carbide/HSS tool bits as well. Sounds like the Jawed chuck's are the big unknown at this point. I like your homemade unit. I get a good deal on off cuts at my local supplier. I should keep an eye out for some nice C channel. That might be good for the "ways". Thanks for the good tips Irish!!!!
Reply:Most wood lathes use a 1"-8 spindle. I have a converted Rockwell that I use to for metal spinning. To convert one to to be a full blown metal lathe you'll need to add some bits as others have mentioned.  I'd suggest you look at the gingerly lathe book for some ideas. It sounds like a fun project.A quick search found a (rather boring) youtube video with a converted lathe and some of the stuff he's made. If you search for homemade lathe you will get a lot of results.[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOD7gHmSBBA[/ame]Here's a picture of my lathe I use for metal spinning. I know this isn't what your planning on doing but it's a great use for a wood lathe. I like having the wood lathe around for turning patterns so being multifunction on a low production machine is nice. The finished horn is sitting on the bed. Attached Images
Reply:Originally Posted by WyoRoyWhat headstock thread do you have on your lathe? I'll look up likely prospects for you.
Reply:Thanks for the info! Metal sinning is pretty cool.Nice that you can do it on a small scale. I'll check out the video. looked on the web and found a few things to check out. Good to know that it is feasible in case a metal  lathe doesn't come up for a decent price.Yeah, seen this one. Patience tester!  Originally Posted by forhireMost wood lathes use a 1"-8 spindle. I have a converted Rockwell that I use to for metal spinning. To convert one to to be a full blown metal lathe you'll need to add some bits as others have mentioned.  I'd suggest you look at the gingerly lathe book for some ideas. It sounds like a fun project.A quick search found a (rather boring) youtube video with a converted lathe and some of the stuff he's made. If you search for homemade lathe you will get a lot of results.Here's a picture of my lathe I use for metal spinning. I know this isn't what your planning on doing but it's a great use for a wood lathe. I like having the wood lathe around for turning patterns so being multifunction on a low production machine is nice. The finished horn is sitting on the bed.
Reply:Interesting that channel wasn't enough. What size did you have? Did you have two pieces of channel running parallel with the webs facing each other?(that's what I was thinking. And would you just have one section of square pipe for the ways or two parallel? I doubt I'd need more than 12-18" between centers. I figure I'd tinker with the vise as needed. And I like the idea to weld onto a nut if needed. I'll keep that in mind for sure.Thanks! Originally Posted by irish fixitOne thing I learned after building that was if I was to do it again I wouldn't use channel iron. Not enough rigidity. If done again it'll be with square tubing or even solid square. Much easier to build as well as much more rigid. I'd go on the large size for the tubing if possible especially if building a long lathe.  I did say start on the vise. I know they're not that well made. But they are a good source of the basic materials needed to build already in the right shape. Some form of truing and adjustment will need to be made.   Not that there aren't chucks out there to do what he needs. However it's not that hard to make a mandrel for a plain back chuck with the bare lathe itself. Take a nut the right size to fit the spindle. Weld a disc to the nut bigger than needed to fit the chuck. Mount on lathe and use the lathe to turn the disc to fit the chuck.    I also made a taper for a 5/8" jacobs style chuck on my simple lathe. Welded a nut to a piece of round stock, turn with a graver, and file to fit the taper using standard spotting methods to get the taper to fit. Don't even need precision measuring tools. Just a fair amount of patients.   There's also the bell chuck option. Not very pretty or easy to use but easy to build cheap.
Reply:Originally Posted by bert the welderInteresting that channel wasn't enough. What size did you have? Did you have two pieces of channel running parallel with the webs facing each other?(that's what I was thinking. And would you just have one section of square pipe for the ways or two parallel? I doubt I'd need more than 12-18" between centers. I figure I'd tinker with the vise as needed. And I like the idea to weld onto a nut if needed. I'll keep that in mind for sure.Thanks!
Reply:Personally it's a waste of time..Fun?Yeah maybe..But for what it will do in the real world VS just getting the real thing?Never happen.Good for drilling holes but without a real working gearbox and compound....IMHO or whatever.....zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:Originally Posted by zapsterPersonally it's a waste of time..Fun?Yeah maybe..But for what it will do in the real world VS just getting the real thing?Never happen.Good for drilling holes but without a real working gearbox and compound....IMHO or whatever.....zap!
Reply:Originally Posted by irish fixitif you can't afford a real engine lathe then it's a better than not having a lathe at all.
Reply:Originally Posted by MikeGyverHonestly I disagree completely. It's complete nonsense. >1/16" accuracy? what are you planning on making, caveman tools? save your pennies and just buy one, you're capable of saving money, right? hell of alot better option than the instant gratification option (and if that's remotely gratifying then there are bigger issues lol).
Reply:Originally Posted by irish fixitNo question that it doesn't even approach a real engine lathe. But if you can't afford a real engine lathe then it's a better than not having a lathe at all. I've been there with the want and need of a lathe but no money to even consider getting one.   Sometimes you have more time than money. Not the best circumstances to be in but it happens.
Reply:Originally Posted by Jon KI couldn't afford a large lathe based on cost or space, so I grabbed a Grizzly G8688 "mini lathe".  It works great and with a 5" chuck conversion I can turn and machine so pretty significant work.http://www.grizzly.com/products/7-x-...al-Lathe/G8688It was like $700 delivered - far less than trying to convert a wood lathe (which in my opinion will not work).
Reply:The crazy part about the mini lathe is that with the 5" jaw I can chuck up like 4" round stock 10" long.  It's rather insane, actually.  Just need to go slower than a big lathe would.  It's been perfect though for my hobbyist stuff.Miller Diversion 180Hobart Handler 140 (Soon to be replaced with Miller 211?)Miller Spectrum 625 ExtremeYeah I sometimes wish for a smaller lathe being setup again. But I've not got room right now. Sometimes it's nice to have a small chuck for the smaller work.   Of course it was wood but I made a vase 5"dia and about 12" long from a log with my old lathe. The metal working came from making the drill bit to drill it with. That I made on the lathe as well.Millermatic 252XMT 304'sDynasty 280DXHypertherm PowerMax 1250Miller Trailblazer 302 EFIOptima PulserXR feeder and XR Edge gun and more athttp://members.dslextreme.com/users/waynecook/index.htm
Reply:Originally Posted by irish fixitIt was 4" channel. I cut a slot down the center which was difficult to get accurate enough to serve as a guide for the tailstock. Channel or any open form of metal is not a good choice because they can twist easily.  Tubing on the other hand resists twisting as well as being stiffer overall. Square tubing lends itself better to these needs than round do to it being difficult to building anything to go along the round tube. My first try at a wood lathe had a piece of 2" pipe with a piece of 1/2" x 1/8" strap welded to it as a key. It took lots of time and work to build and didn't work well after I got done.   If I was doing it now I wouldn't even consider building it to small. It's not that much more work or money to build it longer. I'd go at least 4' long on the bed personally. I'd probably use 2" x 3/16" wall tubing for the bed. Two of them with say a 3/4" or 1" gap between them. You could go slightly lighter and smaller but I definitely wouldn't go less than 1 1/2" x 1/8" wall tubing. Bigger than the 2" would be better but can get expensive. Packing the tubes tightly with sand or pouring no shrink concrete (not standard) in them could help with any chatter.   By putting two tubes side by side you automatically create the keyway needed to keep the tailstock in line with the headstock. That brings me to the headstock and tailstock problem. I'd try and keep those as a tubular or box type structure as well to help with the stiffness. On mine I had a small piece of I-beam for the headstock and I could tell that it flexed. I believe the tailstock was made with channel iron for the riser and it had similar problems.   Keep in mind that when cutting metal stiffness is key to preventing chatter. Anything you do to prevent vibration will greatly increase the productivity and ease of use.   Without having a lathe and milling machine to build a lathe you have to get creative for a lot of things. It is possible but can be a lot of labor intensive work. Keep in mind that you should try and keep things stiff but adjustable in some form to help with the alignment of the spindle and tailstock. Even if it's just in the form of shims under the headstock bearings and the like.
Reply:Originally Posted by Jon KI couldn't afford a large lathe based on cost or space, so I grabbed a Grizzly G8688 "mini lathe".  It works great and with a 5" chuck conversion I can turn and machine so pretty significant work.http://www.grizzly.com/products/7-x-...al-Lathe/G8688It was like $700 delivered - far less than trying to convert a wood lathe (which in my opinion will not work).
Reply:Originally Posted by zapsterPersonally it's a waste of time..Fun?Yeah maybe..But for what it will do in the real world VS just getting the real thing?Never happen.Good for drilling holes but without a real working gearbox and compound....IMHO or whatever.....zap!
Reply:Originally Posted by bert the welderThanks Irish! When considering channel, I hadn't considered one channel with a slot cut in. I was thinking a 4-6" channel x2, back to back with a gap between them, like you mentioned with the square. I agree square would make more sense. I could fill it with sand and cap the ends, making it a good weighty base. Noted about the head and tail stock as well. Bolt together will be good for making small adjustments to alinement.
Reply:Originally Posted by MikeGyverHonestly I disagree completely. It's complete nonsense. >1/16" accuracy? what are you planning on making, caveman tools? save your pennies and just buy one, you're capable of saving money, right? hell of alot better option than the instant gratification option (and if that's remotely gratifying then there are bigger issues lol).
Reply:Originally Posted by bert the welder ... I should keep an eye out for some nice C channel. That might be good for the "ways".
Reply:Originally Posted by Fabn4FunNononononono!  XX2!  Except for the "square" part.My first homemade wood lathe was two pcs 8/4 (1-3/4") x 6" white oak about 5' long and spaced for 1/2" bolt, about 40" to the tailstock.  Worked pretty good!    ... for wood...Replaced the bed with two 8" standard channels with flanges in and spaced for 1/2" bolt (to hold down the tool rest, headstock and tailstock) - a nice "box beam".  As the chisel trimmed the square blank to round, the lathe bed started singing and ringing - resonating at different frequencies as speed, end distance and diameter changed - so much so it cut interesting chatter patterns into workpiece, either ruining it or requiring a lot of sanding.  Replaced that one with two 2x6x3/16 rectangular tubes 6'8" long, capped the ends, drilled and tapped a 1/2" hole in each, filled them with sand (about 100# of it!), spaced them with 1/2" HR plate, 4" I-beam legs ... solid as a rock and well damped.  No vibration or chatter.  And yes, I turned metal on it.  Slowly.  Carefully!   That one's sitting in a friends basement out on the coast, hope to get back and pick it up someday.  Wish I had it now.  Ironically, got the sand idea from some speakers made in the 60's by a company called Waldorf.  The wood sides and back were hollow and filled with sand to prevent resonance.    Guess that was audiophile back in the day!    I dunno why I posted this when I was reading post 18 before reading the thread!  Oh well ...
Reply:Originally Posted by irish fixit... It would give a wider bed to allow for more side ways resistance to what's mounted on it.
Reply:http://www.usedvictoria.com/classifi...Lathe_19270433This just came up on my local used site. Paint's not perfect but lots of tools and I know they can be as much as the lathe. $1200 seems a bit steep, BUT, I'm comparing that to prices you guys get in the mainland, States. A lot more of them around there, so maybe $1200 is fair for up here on an island. Funny I start talking about making one and a real one appears on que.200amp Air Liquide MIG, Hypertherm Plasma, Harris torches, Optrel helmet, Makita angle grinders, Pre-China Delta chop saw and belt sander, Miller leathers, shop made jigs etc, North- welders backpack.
Reply:Originally Posted by bert the welderhttp://www.usedvictoria.com/classifi...Lathe_19270433This just came up on my local used site. Paint's not perfect but lots of tools and I know they can be as much as the lathe. $1200 seems a bit steep, BUT, I'm comparing that to prices you guys get in the mainland, States. A lot more of them around there, so maybe $1200 is fair for up here on an island. Funny I start talking about making one and a real one appears on que.
Reply:Originally Posted by Fabn4FunYou're right irish.  I haven't used mine since probably 1999, and I'd forgotton how "narrow" it felt when getting ready to tighten up the tool rest holder.
Reply:Thanks again Irish!!!!Paint observation was tongue firmly in cheek.  But I agree. Fresh paint would set my alarms off for cracks being covered. I like that it came with lots of parts, etc. Will give my impetus for learning more about what they are. I usually size up the seller as much or more than whatever I'm buying used. I know people more than machinery. The lack of QCGB was something that gave me pause for the price. Though I don't know what time it takes to manually change out the gears? Your experience? (or others? Chime in guys....) Anyone know the model it is? Wondering how much info online there will be for it. Manuals how to guilds, etc.? Originally Posted by irish fixitLooks fairly clean from the pics. As for paint I prefer it in this condition. Tells us that it's not been painted and otherwise hiding problems. There is a good selection of tools and attachments coming with it. There's something funny on the face of the 3 jaw chuck, looks like it might of had a little turning done on the face for some reason. The jaws also look fairly worn.   Positive points are that it looks to of been taken care of fairly well. The only thing that looks like it has any serious wear is the chuck. It's a real metal lathe and there's a large used market for parts and attachments.   Negative. Well it's a Atlas meaning that's it's a light weight lathe with square ways. No quick change gearbox (but it looks like it's got the change gears). I believe that there's pot metal gears for the back gear in the headstock which are known to get broken.   Price seems a bit high to me but as you say you've not got a large selection to choose from. I know how that is being more or less in the middle of nowhere as far as machine tools go.   It couldn't hurt to take a good look at it. I'd check the change gears and the back gears for broken teeth or other damage. Check for any wear on the ways (though looking at it I don't think it's had that hard a life).   I had a friend get the slightly better version of this with quick change gearbox and only some of the attachments for higher than that locally several years ago. He went through it fixing everything that was wrong and bought nearly all the attachments available. He used it for a few years before selling and buying a larger Logan lathe.
Reply:The truth be told is that unless you're doing threading you'll probably leave it in one gear most of the time anyway. It's sometimes nice to be able to change feed speed on the go to help with finish, breaking chips, and or eliminating chatter. But most of the time a nice mid range feed for turning will get you by.Millermatic 252XMT 304'sDynasty 280DXHypertherm PowerMax 1250Miller Trailblazer 302 EFIOptima PulserXR feeder and XR Edge gun and more athttp://members.dslextreme.com/users/waynecook/index.htm
Reply:Bert,poke around in here for awhile.http://opensourcemachine.org/Lincoln SA 200Esab Caddy 160Thermal Arc 201TSMiller Dialarc HFI don't like making plans for the day because then the word "premeditated" gets thrown around the courtroom....
Reply:Originally Posted by irish fixitThe truth be told is that unless you're doing threading you'll probably leave it in one gear most of the time anyway. It's sometimes nice to be able to change feed speed on the go to help with finish, breaking chips, and or eliminating chatter. But most of the time a nice mid range feed for turning will get you by.
Reply:Originally Posted by dubl_tBert,poke around in here for awhile.http://opensourcemachine.org/