Garvin were an American firm, based in Spring and Varick Streets in the heart of the shipping district of New York City. The company offered a very wide range of products amongst which were millers in plain, horizontal, vertical, manufacturing, duplex and hand-operated types; smaller types of planers and profilers; "screw machines" (capstan lathes), a variety of spiral-gear and worm-milling attachments, spring-coiling machines, rotary tables, index centres of many kinds, tool and cutter grinders, die slotting machines, dividing heads, countershafts (including an ingenious slow-speed spiral-geared model), support bracketing, single and gang drill presses, headstocks, compound slide rests, capstan tooling  - and a range of screwcutting and plain-turning lathes. The plain lathes, illustrated below, were of a type very common during the early years of the 20th Century and designed for hand work, polishing, forming and brass and wood turning.

The lightest Garvin plain lathe built in 10-inch and 12-inch swings and designed for hand work, polishing, forming and wood turning. Note the swing-down, quick-release handles used to lock the tailstock and tool rest - a thoughtful touch and obviously designed to be helpful in a hard-working, industrial environment.

A heavier Garvin lathe - the 12-inch - fitted with a combined screw and lever-feed tailstock which could be changed from one action to the other by simple tightening or loosening a lever - further details of this device are at the bottom of the page.

The largest Garvin plain lathe was the 15-inch, available in capacities of 20.75",  23" and 28.5" between centres - with the latter machine weighting a not-inconsiderable 765 lbs.

The Garvin combination screw and lever-feed tailstock.
The tailstock barrel was carried inside a sliding sleeve which was normally free to move under the control of the lever (K). When the sleeve was locked by the handle (H) the normal action of a screw-feed barrel could be used by rotating the handwheel (N). A depth stop (G) was fitted to the side of the casting.