- Joined
- Jan 2, 2014
- Messages
- 8,851
What exactly is that back gear used for?
It allows you to slow the spindle down considerably.
Slow spindle speed is great for turning large diameters and also when cutting threads (of any diameter), because there it's usually only your reaction time in dis-engaging the feed that stops the tool from hitting a shoulder or the chuck/faceplate/dog etc.
-brino