I don't like having to change gears between thread cutting and turning to get a proper feed rate on a finishing pass so I modified my lathe to include a lead screw drive from the tail stock side. I bought a lead screw, tail stock bearing from eBay so I wouldn't have to modify the original one, other than that, everything else I already had in the shop. I cut about 1/4 of the lead screw bracket/bearing off to accommodate the pully. The motor and 25/1 reduction drive are bolted to a steel plate that rotates on a bolt. The tensioner is just a section of threaded rod with a nut and Delrin handle. It takes about two seconds to add or remove the belt, so switching back to thread cutting is not an issue. There is an on/off toggle switch mounted just under the table, you can see it below the handle of the crescent wrench in the first photo. A variable speed, geared motor with reverse would have been much more useful but I didn't have one of those in the shop, that will be a future modification though for sure.
Shawn
Shawn
