Designed in 1944, the unfortunately-named "Pick-O-Matic" screwcutting set was conceived as a half-way house to a full screwcutting gearbox. The mechanism used changewheels grouped into "Gearsettes" of which six were available: three were used for threading (to give a range of pitches from 5 to 64 t.p.i.) and three for fine carriage feeds (along the bed) from 0.0024" to 0064" per revolution of the spindle. For each setting of the changewheels 6 different feeds or threads could be selected; three were obtained from the "translation" gearbox fitted to the end of the leadscrew, whilst moving a two-position sliding gear arrangement fitted to a stud on the quadrant arm - a mechanism reminiscent of that used on a traditional Norton-type screwcutting gearbox - put them into high or low ratio. The gears were arranged into sized pairs and, consequently, could be attached to their mounting studs without the need to adjust the latter's spacing; a slotted steel yoke held the gears in place. 
The normal "leadscrew-reversing gearbox" was removed and replaced by the tumble-reverse mechanism used on the re-badged lathes that Atlas supplied to the Sears, Roebuck Company for sale under the Craftsman label. The Pick-O-Matic was normally a factory-installed unit but could also be retrofitted on any F or D series lathe. However, the device did not last long and had disappeared from the catalogs during 1947; however, even today, there are still examples in use, several owners having been in touch to say that their particular lathe is equipped in this way - with even a long-bed version turning up in England. A special screwcutting manual (copies available) was issued with every Pick-O-Matic and listed the thousands of odd threads and feeds (including metric pitches) that could be obtained by juggling combinations of standard and special gear sets..