Quote Originally Posted by bogstandard View Post
the covers are not there to keep swarf out, that is just a secondary feature, they are supposedly a safety feature to stop fingers getting mashed.
Yep, I remember at school the teacher would disable all the auto-feeds on the lathes before the health and safety man came round - because they didn't have covers! Was a bit annoying on the once a year or whatever that he came...


Quote Originally Posted by GeorgeD View Post
Swarf on the lead screw can hinder the auto travel and in turn possibly ruin the job?
I doubt it would ruin the job. The swarf will wear the half nut which i guess would make a tiny difference to the accuracy....but not ruin it.