Almost certainly dating from as early as the 1920s, this lightweight Montgomery Ward wood-turning lathe would have been intended to compete with the likes of the contemporary Craftsman, Companion and Dunlap machines offered by Sears, Roebuck & Co. Whether or not the lathe was made by Montgomery Ward or by one of the suppliers to Sears - Herberts Machinery Co, Atlas Press or Double A (AA) products - is not known but it certainly bears a resemblance to that made by Herberts and sold as the Sears during 1933 (at just $9.50)  as the "Companion Medium Duty". If this was the case, the Montgomery had a superior specification with a gap bed and a bowl-turning attachment - though on the example below some parts of the latter fitting appear to be missing.