While reading the latest posts about Metric conversions, a thought popped in my head. The most common SB leadscrew of 8 tpi. (.125 pitch) is pretty close to 3 mm. Suppose I could find a compound gear pair which with the QCGB set at 8tpi would make it act like a 3mm pitch lead screw. That would also allow a gearbox change to 16 tpi to cut 1.5 tpi, 24 tpi to cut a 1mm pitch, etc.
I would be looking to make or buy those gears already except for a couple of problems.
1) I recently moved to the mountains of NC and am surrounded by unopened boxes and more.
2) My lathe is in pieces, literally. The pipe frame cabinet separated from the underdrive, from the bed, from the headstock, from the carriage, etc. You get the idea.
3) I have no shop to work in. Can't get someone to build it for me with all the storm damage around. A while back I would have said I'll build it myself, but those days are gone. I am sure that I'm one of the oldest members of this forum if not the oldest.
Another thing that bothers me is this: if this is a viable approach, then why hasn't someone already done it in the last hundred years or so. I would much appreciate it if some of the gear gurus out there would weigh in on this. I am not the dullest knife in the drawer, but I also know there are sharper ones in there.
I would be looking to make or buy those gears already except for a couple of problems.
1) I recently moved to the mountains of NC and am surrounded by unopened boxes and more.
2) My lathe is in pieces, literally. The pipe frame cabinet separated from the underdrive, from the bed, from the headstock, from the carriage, etc. You get the idea.
3) I have no shop to work in. Can't get someone to build it for me with all the storm damage around. A while back I would have said I'll build it myself, but those days are gone. I am sure that I'm one of the oldest members of this forum if not the oldest.
Another thing that bothers me is this: if this is a viable approach, then why hasn't someone already done it in the last hundred years or so. I would much appreciate it if some of the gear gurus out there would weigh in on this. I am not the dullest knife in the drawer, but I also know there are sharper ones in there.