If you have a Mystery Lathe send some clear photographs - preferably taken against a white background - and they will be added to these pages
Discovered recently in one of the southern American states, this unusual, round-bed 3 inch centre height by 18 inches between centres, backgeared and screwcutting has its origins in a variation of the school- shop built lathe shown in the May 1929 issue of Industrial Arts Magazine (USA). Some
of the article and plans have been reprinted by Lindsay Publications in their book entitled "Projects from Early Issues of Industrial Arts Magazine", Lindsay catalog number 22512
The specification is comprehensive: tumble reverse to cut right and left hand threads, a robust, not to say rather over-engineered backgear assembly, proper headstock bearings with bolt-down caps (not cheap split bearings) and a compound slide rest.
The compound slide and its handles, the toolpost and probably the cross slide casting appear to be from a very early AA Products machine and may have been adapted from a scrap lathe to save time when the "school-built" lathe - if that is what is - was constructed.
