Although casual use of a lathe as a grinding  machine can have grave consequences for its longevity, if careful precautions are taken to keep the abrasive dust away from slideways, screws and bearings, no harm need be done. In the days when one lathe might be called upon to perform many functions, all makers of precision bench lathes, including Cataract, offered their customers a comprehensive range of grinding attachments.
The Cataract accessories were not greatly different from those of their competitors, with the possible exception of the beautiful "Universal Three-slide Grinder", illustrated below.

Cataract Universal Three-slide Grinder
Designed to be used for both internal and external grinding the unit was attached to the bed in the same manner as the compound slide rest. The middle slide was not fitted with a feed screw, but was provided with an adjustable stop so that the upper section of the unit could be instantly withdrawn from the work - and reset immediately in the same position without disturbing the setting of the feed dial.
The hardened, ground and lapped spindle, 10" long, 0.490" in diameter with a Hardinge No. 3 taper in each end, had a maximum travel of  2.625" and could be run at 10,000 rpm. The swivel base was 4.5" in diameter and the upper part of the assembly was securely held to the lower by four bolts.
In use, the longitudinal feed of the spindle was controlled by hand - the round black knob on the end, fitted with hardened and ground bearings, providing a thumb and finger grip; all the grinding attachments listed by the Cataract operated the sliding feed in this simple but effective way.

Universal Grinder
This 10,000 rpm  unit, only 3.625" x 4.5" x 2", was mounted on a stud which allowed universal movement around a vertical axis. Designed to allow the grinding of components which would otherwise have required specialised equipment and machinery, the device mounted in place of the toolpost - and hence its movements were controlled by the feed screws of the compound slide.

Adjustable Height Grinder
This grinding head was held in the toolpost T slot of the top slide and its cross feed controlled by the slide rest feed screw. Suitable for internal and external grinding, the 8.125" long spindle, 0.490" in diameter and capable of 10,000 rpm was hardened, ground and lapped all over and fitted with a Hardinge No. 3 taper in each end - a feature which led the makers to claim that the spindle could be reversed to compensate for wear. As usual, the longitudinal feed was controlled by hand - the round black knob on the end, fitted with hardened and ground bearings, providing a thumb and finger grip with which to advance and return the spindle.

Permanent Height Grinder
This was the simplest grinding head available for the cataract lathe and built to run exactly on centre height. The only means of making any adjustment was to pack shims underneath the base.