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Mini-Lathe: Metric Change Gear Tables
Running my assortment of custom 3D printed change gears through the LittleMachineShop calculator and copying the results into a spreadsheet for E-Z formatting produces a useful table:
The same table in text-ish format, minus the colored highlights marking the custom gears:
Pitch A B C D Actual Error In 10 pitches 0.10 20 80 20 80 0.099 0.786% 0.008 20 79 20 80 0.100 0.468% 0.005 20 80 20 79 0.100 0.468% 0.005 0.20 20 79 40 80 0.201 0.473% 0.009 20 80 40 79 0.201 0.473% 0.009 40 79 20 80 0.201 0.473% 0.009 40 80 20 79 0.201 0.473% 0.009 0.25 20 55 35 81 0.249 0.225% 0.006 20 81 35 55 0.249 0.225% 0.006 35 55 20 81 0.249 0.225% 0.006 0.30 20 57 35 65 0.300 0.023% 0.001 20 65 35 57 0.300 0.023% 0.001 0.40 20 55 45 65 0.400 0.088% 0.004 20 65 45 55 0.400 0.088% 0.004 0.50 21 50 45 60 0.500 0.012% 0.001 21 60 45 50 0.500 0.012% 0.001 21 80 60 50 0.500 0.012% 0.001 42 35 21 80 0.500 0.012% 0.001 60 50 21 80 0.500 0.012% 0.001 0.60 35 57 40 65 0.600 0.022% 0.001 35 65 40 57 0.600 0.022% 0.001 40 57 35 65 0.600 0.022% 0.001 40 65 35 57 0.600 0.022% 0.001 0.70 35 55 45 65 0.699 0.087% 0.006 35 65 45 55 0.699 0.087% 0.006 45 55 35 65 0.699 0.087% 0.006 45 65 35 55 0.699 0.087% 0.006 50 77 55 81 0.700 0.006% 0.000 50 81 55 77 0.700 0.006% 0.000 55 77 50 81 0.700 0.006% 0.000 0.75 42 50 45 80 0.750 0.012% 0.001 42 80 45 50 0.750 0.012% 0.001 45 50 42 80 0.750 0.012% 0.001 45 80 42 50 0.750 0.012% 0.001 0.80 40 55 45 65 0.799 0.088% 0.007 40 65 45 55 0.799 0.088% 0.007 45 55 40 65 0.799 0.088% 0.007 45 65 40 55 0.799 0.088% 0.007 20 55 79 57 0.800 0.010% 0.001 20 57 79 55 0.800 0.010% 0.001 1.00 21 50 60 40 1.000 0.012% 0.001 42 50 45 60 1.000 0.012% 0.001 42 60 45 50 1.000 0.012% 0.001 42 80 60 50 1.000 0.012% 0.001 45 50 42 60 1.000 0.012% 0.001 45 60 42 50 1.000 0.012% 0.001 60 50 42 80 1.000 0.012% 0.001 1.25 21 50 60 32 1.250 0.013% 0.002 35 40 45 50 1.250 0.013% 0.002 42 40 45 60 1.250 0.013% 0.002 42 80 60 40 1.250 0.013% 0.002 45 40 42 60 1.250 0.013% 0.002 60 20 21 80 1.250 0.013% 0.002 60 40 42 80 1.250 0.013% 0.002 1.50 42 40 45 50 1.500 0.013% 0.002 45 40 42 50 1.500 0.013% 0.002 1.75 65 42 57 80 1.751 0.029% 0.005 2.00 42 40 60 50 2.000 0.012% 0.003 42 50 60 40 2.000 0.012% 0.003 60 40 42 50 2.000 0.012% 0.003 2.50 42 32 60 50 2.500 0.012% 0.003 42 40 60 40 2.500 0.012% 0.003 42 50 60 32 2.500 0.012% 0.003 60 20 42 80 2.500 0.012% 0.003 60 32 42 50 2.500 0.012% 0.003 3.00 65 50 80 55 3.002 0.061% 0.018 65 55 80 50 3.002 0.061% 0.018 80 50 65 55 3.002 0.061% 0.018 3.50 57 40 65 42 3.501 0.029% 0.010 57 42 65 40 3.501 0.029% 0.010 65 21 57 80 3.501 0.029% 0.010 65 40 57 42 3.501 0.029% 0.010 65 42 57 40 3.501 0.029% 0.010 4.00 60 20 42 50 4.000 0.012% 0.005 5.00 55 21 60 50 4.989 0.215% 0.107 55 35 80 40 4.989 0.215% 0.107 55 40 80 35 4.989 0.215% 0.107 60 21 55 50 4.989 0.215% 0.107 80 35 55 40 4.989 0.215% 0.107 80 40 55 35 4.989 0.215% 0.107 35 45 81 20 5.001 0.012% 0.006 45 55 77 20 5.001 0.012% 0.006 77 20 45 55 5.001 0.012% 0.006 Mini-Lathe Metric Change Gear Trains The basic formulas:
TPI = 16 / ((A/B) x (C/D)) Pitch = 25.4 / TPI = 1.5875 x ((A/B) x (C/D))
So, for example, a 45-50-42-60 train will produce a 1 mm thread pitch with 120 ppm error adding up to a mere 1 micron in 10 pitches:

Mini-Lathe change gears – stacked 50-42 – installed Overall, the errors are so low as to not matter, even without using the custom gears, but it’s the principle of the thing …