The document discusses different types of gearboxes:
1) Sliding mesh gearbox where gears slide to engage different speeds but have high wear.
2) Constant mesh gearbox where gears are always engaged and dog clutches select speeds, reducing noise and wear.
3) Synchromesh gearbox improves on constant mesh design by using synchromesh devices instead of dog clutches to smoothly engage gears of different speeds.
The document also discusses selecting spindle speeds in a geometric progression to provide an optimum range of speeds using minimum gears. Examples are provided of selecting standard, derived and non-standard speeds.