# The PN 2977 carriage lock from Littlemachineshop.com for the harbor Freight 7X10



## waynecuefix (Nov 3, 2017)

I recently purchased the carriage lock which attaches to the threaded holes on the left side of the carriage. These are the same holes which also accept the follower rest. These holes are plugged with screws at the factory to prevent the holes from becoming plugged with debris. The Littlemachineshop carriage lock uses the same lever as used on the carriage stop which is a spring loaded ratchet type lever. Lifting the lever allows a ratchet action so that the locking screw can be advanced in small increments.

Installation is a breeze. The saddle is attached with two screws provided and the locking t-type nut is placed in the slot under the lathe ways and the locking screw and lever is then inserted through the hole in the saddle and threaded into the t-nut. I found this threading was done easier with a phillips screwdriver while lifting the locking lever from the ratchet post.

There was only one problem with the Carriage lock on my 7X10 lathe. It works fine as long as the crosslide is not advanced as far as the lathe center. But when I use a boring bar I must advance the crosslide further and the compound rest collides with the screw head on the carriage lock. I solved this problem by removing the phillips head screw, washer and spring from the carriage lock. This allows the lever handle to be removed after the carriage is locked and it can be set aside until needed to unlock the carriage, or the lever can be just left on the post if desired. I have the 93212 Harbor Freight lathe. Most other lathes will not have this clearance problem.

All in all I found it to be a very effective carriage lock and even less awkward and more easily locked with the ratcheting spring, screw and washer removed. The only drawback to me is the price. It was 35.95 plus shipping but considering I lack a milling machine to make one and that a profit must be made for such an accessory to be produced I accepted that drawback and am quite pleased with this device.

This carriage lock will fit a long list of mini lathes and this list can be found on the lottlemachineshop.com site. An online video of this carriage lock:


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## Ken from ontario (Nov 3, 2017)

That is a great purchase Wayne, it is nice to have the capability to lock the carriage when it is not needed, I made one myself but if I didn't have a mill I would have bought the one from LMS, the only complaint I have with mine is the hex head cap screw that is used for locking the carriage, the hex hole keeps getting full with metal shaving which make it hard to unlock the carriage (using a hex key) but other than that I love the rigidity it provides, I even lock the carriage when I do facing.


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## royesses (Nov 3, 2017)

I replaced the lever with a SHCS and use a hex key to lock/unlock it. The handle just gets in the way.


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## waynecuefix (Nov 4, 2017)

royesses said:


> I replaced the lever with a SHCS and use a hex key to lock/unlock it. The handle just gets in the way.


I started to do that but it meant going to the hardware dept at Lowes. By just removing the Phillips screw the spring and washer, Then the lever can be used as a wrench. The lever can be left in place or lifted off and set aside just like an allen wrench.


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## royesses (Nov 4, 2017)

Sounds like you have a better way. I'll try it.
Thanx!
Roy


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