Ed,
That's is outstanding! I can't wait to see pics.
On the clutch thing, I just guessed based on what I had seen in the past on flywheel driven punch presses. Wood clutches against metal spiders must be oiled for two reasons - one is that the wood will deteriorate in short order if run dry and the other is that it grabs and won't let go. Metal on metal with oil in-between just slips (axles, lathe spindles, crankshafts and a host of other things designed to do so) so these combinations are run dry. The manufacturer just had to figure out a self releasing taper so the parts would not wedge together. I can't remember that number off the top of my head but it is in Machinery's Handbook if anyone cares.
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