Backgear

What is the backgear for and how does it work? The backgear is a clever arrangement of gears, which in addition to the reduction provided by the countershaft, provides low spindle speeds—25 to 50 rpm—and high torque. This enables the lathe to turn large diameter work without stalling. Low spindle speeds are also useful when cutting threads which run up to a shoulder because a slow spindle speed gives the operator time to stop the carriage before running the tool into the shoulder.

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