what's this?

[Colten Edwards]

I've got a switch that I'm unsure of what it's supposed to do. Here's a pic of it on the headstock of my lathe.

 

[PeterT]

I'm guessing it is the forward reverse switch that gets activated by power lever on your apron. Lever rotates the bar, bar rotates the flat sided cylinder, the flats move the switch contact levers: forward/off/reverse.

 

[PeterT]

Mine looks like this

 

[Colten Edwards]

that looks to be about the correct information. thanks.