Sounds like MY story.

I have a woodturning lathe....made in England by Myford. It included a small flat-blade screwdriver to aid in assembly. Of course, I already HAD 27 flat-blade screwdrivers of various sizes.

Now, 14 years later, the lathe needs to have the grease in the headstock cleaned & replaced. (not a 'sealed-bearing' type machine)

To do this, the shaft must be removed. To remove the shaft, a small threaded machine screw must be removed. The instructions say "take a short ¼BSF bolt to use as a tommy-bar...etc"

What they do not say is where in the entire USA one might obtain such a short bolt. It seems BSF (British Standard Fine) items are, or used to be, used in 'some' machines in the UK, and in a few older Triumph motorcycles. Now...if Myford had INCLUDED one of these items (probably costing 50¢ at most) instead of a screwdriver with the $1700 lathe, all would be well....but I have been to machine shops, and scoured the internet and they are hard to find. I 'think' I have a lead for a supplier in Canada....but it will probably cost me...oh....$14.45 or so.