101.21400 back gear

[Bi11Hudson]

The "indexing" function is used very seldom these days. I only used mine to figure out what it was for. Haven't used it since. There are folks without a milling machine and/or an indexing head that still use one. Usually with a plate mounted outboard. There are numerous articles about building one. You have one if you ever need it. 60 holes will divide by threes, fours, and fives. Useful for some operations. A Dremel tool mounted to the cross slide comes to mind.

It will not be strong enough to remove a chuck or other maintenance job. It just locks the spindle with a little bit of force.

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[TechNova]

The "indexing" function is used very seldom these days. I only used mine to figure out what it was for. Haven't used it since. There are folks without a milling machine and/or an indexing head that still use one. Usually with a plate mounted outboard. There are numerous articles about building one. You have one if you ever need it. 60 holes will divide by threes, fours, and fives. Useful for some operations. A Dremel tool mounted to the cross slide comes to mind.

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I made a ring that needed 4 equally spaced set screws, in reading about the indexing I think I could have used it to lay out the 4 points accurately
before drilling them in the drill press. A tool bit could put a small scrape mark in the ring when the carriage is move longitudenally. spindle not moving of course. Indexing the correct number of holes would layout the next hole. I don't have a mill, yet

 

[mickri]

I use the index feature to scribe lines on small parts as a form of knurling. I have also used it to scribe equally spaced lines around a part for drilling holes. Does it get used a lot? No. But it is a handy feature to have when you need it.

 

[wa5cab]

The indexing thing was thought to be a big thing in the 1930's. But as it locks the spindle there aren't any standard lathe operations that can make use of it. In any case, there are 60 holes in the face of the bull gear and also in the face of the cone pulley that was supplied if the machine was supplied from the factory without back gears. Which practice ceased around 1940. Just do not engage the pin in the headstock in any of the 60 holes in the bull gear.

On the subject of the difficulty in engaging the direct drive pin into one of the two holes in the large end of the cone pulley, I would recommend permanently marking the location of the two holes so that you do not have to waste time looking for one of them. This is perhaps easier done on the late cabinet model 12" as there is a flat surface on the end of the spindle pulley next to the bull gear where you can use a punch to mark the location of the two holes. For most models, you will need something like a triangular file.