Improved Lathe Feed Lever Pivot Stop

[Paul Jones]

This is a very easy improvement I made to my 12” geared-head lathe but it is a very important change for the safe running of the lathe. The feed lever pivot stop was significantly worn and could accidentally engage the wrong cross vs. longitudinal feed selection because of the loose fit. Replacement parts are no longer available for the lathe.

I machined a 0.850 x 0.700 rectangular part from 0.125” thick CRS stock and accurately located and drilled a 0.238 dia. hole (Letter B Drill) for an M6x15mm socket head cap screw. I reused the existing screw location in the lathe carriage but used a longer screw. I also rebuilt and adjusted the feed lever detent adjustment mechanism to provide a more positive lever control. The combined improvements now allow me to confidently shift and engage either the cross or longitudinal feed directions without taking my eye off the part being machined. I highly recommend making this type of improvement in cases where the feed lever pivot stop is significantly worn for lathes of this type of design.