Late-model Wade Precision Bench Lathes had a much more substantial headstock casting with the spindle running in ball (and later roller bearings) - the first maker of traditional Precision Bench lathes to offer the option of a change from the long-established hardened-steel pattern; the more rigid headstock casting was also adopted for use on the plain-bearing models.

No. 3 Lathe headstock fitted with traditional hardened-steel, double-angle cone plain bearings - with angles of four and forty degrees. Machines with this type of smooth-running bearing, developed originally for use in watchmaker's lathes, are known to have survived over fifty years of regular use.

The hardened spindle and hardened-steel double-cone bearings.
After hardening the shoulder, collar and threads on the spindle nose were reground to produce as perfect a concentric location as possible for the fittings that would be screwed to it.

No. 5 and No. 7 lathes: section through the headstock assembly showing the bearing immediately behind the spindle thread to be a double-row roller and, just back from that (and also contained within the front housing), a precision ball thrust bearing. The rear of the spindle was supported in a deep-groove ball bearing - to ensure that the spindle was held as rigidly as possible all the bearings were set under a slight preload, .