One of the shortcomings of mini-lathes is the lack of a clutch mechanism for the leadscrew. It is not wise to rely on disengaging the split nut to isolate the leadscrew as the handle can fall under its own weight, potentially leading to a disaster. One must make a rule of reaching to the back of the headstock to disengage the tumbler reverse as a precaution whenever self-act is not required. If a handle is fitted to the far right hand end of the leadscrew, to allow manual feed, then another problem arises. Even with the tumbler reverse disengaged, a significant amount of effort is required to turn the full train of change gears.This is particularly true when the standard 16:1 train for finishing cuts is left in place. One solution to this problem is to divide the leadscrew in two and add a dog clutch.This is rather drastic and the area where the clutch would go is inside the control box.
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