War-time 1945 catalog illustration - in line with essential war-time economy measures, both the quality of the paper and printing left something to be desired  -

Dial indicators and measuring rods. When the machine was to be used as a true jig borer some method better than using the feed-screw micrometer dials was necessary to position the table accurately. The contemporary solution was to fit a kit containing two 1-inch range dial-test indicators and a set of 7 very accurate rods from 1 to 4-inches in length and the necessary steel troughs into which they could be placed. Thus equipped the operator could, with care, position to within fractions of one-

Vernon 7-inch rotary table. 2.75 inches deep with an adjustable zero pointer.

Because the spindle nose was threaded the only satisfactory way of mounting a boring head was to make one with an integral fitting. The Vernon unit was 1.5" across the flats. 2.75" long and could hold a 1/2"-diameter boring bar and offset

The Vernon swivel-base capacity vice was cast from semi-steel and had hardened jaws. The Acme feed screw opened the 4-inch wide jaws to a maximum separation of 3 inches; the height complete with the swivel base was 3.25" and with the base removed 2.1875".

Some versions of the Vernon were fitted with a modified drive system that allowed a wider speed range with both step-down and step-up ratios. This was achieved by fitted two multi-step pulleys to the motor shaft with the upper 4-step either free to rotate (in ball races) or to be connected to the lower and smaller 2-step by a pin. The intermediate pulley now acted to either increase or decrease the speed thus providing both a fast and slow range, the arrangement being not dissimilar to that used on the early Atlas 9-inch lathe.

Remarkably, some 60 years after it was first manufactured in America, the Vernon Miller/Jig Borer saw a new lease of life as the Taiwanese-made Chin Tsan CTV-700. Although the Chinese machine had an identical two-stage V-belt drive system through an intermediate pulley, the top speed was only half that offered on the original.
At least two sizes of table were offered: 23.5" x 9.5" and 32" x 9.5" and, although the lateral travel at 7" was longer its longitudinal, at 10.25", was shorter. The head could be moved through 270 mm (10.5") on its vertical way and the R8 quill had 130 mm (5") of travel either by quick-action drill or fine worm and wheel feed. The main mechanical difference between the two machines was in the elevation of the head: instead of a counterbalance weight within the column, the Progress used a screwed rod, operated by a handle on the left-hand side of the head working though bevel gearing. The motor, surprisingly, was a rather too-powerful 3-phase unit 2 h.p. - though later machines, built in the 1980s, had more sensible 1.5 h.p. units fitted It is thought that numbers of these machines were sold to US High Schools - but this is, as yet, unconfirmed..