The Wade, like all other genuine "Precision Bench Lathes", employed both the "Chase" and "Top Slide with Changewheels" methods of thread generation.  The former system was developed by Joseph Nason of New York who obtained US Patent No. 10,383 on January 3, 1854 for an "arrangement for cutting screws in lathes." On wade lathes fitted with the "Chase" method a T slot, which ran down the back face of the bed, held adjustable supports which carried both the Master Thread - tucked up underneath the headstock - and the long "transmission rod" on which the cutting-tool slide pivoted and slid. The Master Thread was also known as a 'hob' or 'leader' and available ex-stock in 5,  5.5,  6,  6.5,  7,  8,  9 and 10 TPI versions - with others made to special order.
A "half-nut", held in the end of an arm connected to the "transmission rod", pressed on the thread and conveyed its pitch, via an adjustable toolholder, to the workpiece. The interconnection of the cutter holder and the half nut allowed the nut to be lifted out of engagement and the cutting tool returned by hand to the start without stopping or reversing the lathe. A little additional depth of cut could then be applied by the tool slide or "stop screw", the half-nut rested back on the Master Thread - and the cut restarted. The tool slide fitted to the Wade lathe, unlike the simple clamp on the rival Waltham lathe, was especially well designed and carried the tool on a compound slide rest which allowed it to be adjusted both laterally and vertically.
Whilst this system produced absolutely accurate threads, and was especially suited to delicate operations on thin-wall tubes used to construct such items as microscopes, the length of thread that could be cut, and the number of threads per inch or mm, depended upon the availability of the appropriate thread master - although in the case of the Wade additional gearing was provided to extend the threading range of each Master by a multiple of 1 to 10. For instance, a 10-pitch master would cut 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 80 and 100 TPI. Each hardened Master Thread was provided with an appropriate flute at one end so that it could be used to "hob out" its own half-nut.
To use the attachment the lathe was run in reverse for right-hand threads - with the toolholder moving from left to right. For left-hand threads the master thread and its nut were reversed, and the toolholder moved from right to left.
Early Wade lathes with chase screwcutting had to use a special bed and headstock (illustrated below). The bed carried a large T slot down both front and back surfaces and the headstock casting was extended rearwards to provide two mounting arms to carry the master thread.
A very simple form of this screwcutting mechanism can be seen on the Goodell-Pratt Pages.
The "Top Slide with Changewheels" screwcutting arrangement is shown at the bottom of this page.

A very early Wade lathe, still with the American Watch Tool Co. logo fitted with a "Top Slide with Changewheels" screwcutting attachment.
This attachment, unlike the "Chase" screwcutting type, could also deal with internal threads. The set of changewheels normally supplied would cut thirty common threads between 30 and 100 TPI; to extend the threading range other changewheels were available to order. Like the rival Waltham lathe, no universal joints were used in the drive - the changewheels of which, when in use, were normally covered by a gear guard.

Front view of a very early Wade Precision Bench Lathe (still with its American Watch Tool Co. logo ) fitted with Chase screwcutting. To fit the first versions of the attachment a special bed with T slots front and rear was required.