Change gear vs quick change usage

[martik777]

I am looking at a change gear lathe and having only ever used a quick change gear box, I was wondering how they are used to control fine feeds in practice.

Does one use a change gear with an in-between feed rate for general turning or do you actually change the gear when making the finish cut?

I can't imagine having to change a gear several times during a cut.

 

[pdentrem]

One setup equals one feed. So one changes gears if having to change the feed rates or thread pitch.

They can give you more options than a standard 40 choice box.