Little is known of the Childs Company other than that they made a variety of small horizontal and vertical millers obviously aimed at the amateur and possibly small professional workshop. Whilst most makers in the 20th century contented themselves with a Model number for their smallest machine of "0", and sometimes "00", Childs branded their as the "00000", an entirely apt designation for what was a horizontal miller of miniature (almost model-like) proportions. Unfortunately, details of that particular machine are awaited (one does exist) and instead I will have to describe what was, in comparison, a monster, the Model 0000. This an overall height (on its legs) width and depth of 40, 10 and 12-inches respectively - similar to the first version of the English-made Centec. However, although small, the machine, with its distinctive ribbing to overarm and knee, was of unusually heavy build; its weight was around 100 lbs whilst its specification and features both hinted at the intention for it to be used as a serious workshop tool. Although, in comparison with the rest of the machine, the single T-slot table was enormously thick it was only 2.5" wide and its working area reduced to just 1.75" x 8.5" by a surrounding coolant trough. Longitudinal movement was around 7 inches and traverse and vertical both just a little more than 3. Handwheels were provided at a both ends (many similar machines had to be content with one) with crisply engraved, bevelled-face zeroing micrometer dials that could be locked by neat, knurled-edge wheels that drew the dial along the axis of the feed shaft and so avoided upsetting the reading. Instead of the round-overarm so frequently found on millers of this class the Childs was equipped with a robust-looking, much more rigid dovetail type - and with a decently-sized drop bracket and a mandrel driven by a Morse taper spindle or, in some cases (and presumably intended for stub milling only), one that took Brown & Sharp collets of the ordinary screw-machine type. The main column sat in a cast-iron tray with the properly-constructed 9-speed all-V-belt drive countershaft slung, in an exposed position,  between the stand legs and - hinting at a capacity for hard work - final drive to the spindle by twin belts passing upwards through the column. That the drive was exposed in this way was essential when speeds had to be changed by juggling the position of two belts: one between motor and an intermediate shaft and a second from that shaft to another above. To provide a suitable  mounting point for the lever that slackened the belt, a long cast arm was arranged to hang down from the underside of the chip tray's front edge.  An alternative, very much more compact (and almost certainly cheaper) drive system has also been reported with an input pulley on the lefty-hand face of the column connected to an internal speed-reducing worm-gear assembly inside. With this arrangement, all that was needed was a suitable bench with a motor bolted in place behind.
Of unusual design for so small a machine, the other known Childs miller, a miniature vertical "ram-type", appears to have had all its major parts made from rectangular castings. The vertical column was off-set to the right of the table's lateral centre line - giving a rather unbalanced appearance - with the "knee" sliding up and down the left-hand face under the control of a vertical screw.
If any reader owns of one these machines, or can contribute additional information - especially copies of sales or technical literature - the writer would be interested to hear from you..