Manufactured by the Arcade Mfg. Co, in Freeport, Illinois and advertised during the 1930s and 1940s, the Arcade was a tiny machine, almost a toy, and sold complete on a heavy cast-iron 18" x 12" base with a 110-volt electric motor and - surprisingly- a small vice. With a centre height of perhaps 3 inches and taking 10 inches between centres, the lathe was aimed at enthusiastic boys and would only have been of use for very small between-centres works - but did enjoy the advantage of being easy to hide away and take up only a tiny space on the dining room table.
The Arcade was supplied as a complete kit in a ready-to-run state and complete with a 4 1/2" faceplate-cum-sanding disc with the sanding paper attached, a 65/8" x 91/8" saw table with a saw blade and mitre gauge, jigsaw (described by the makers as a 'sabre saw') with the necessary blade, a 1/2" capacity 'drill chuck', a 3/8" x 4" grinding wheel, a spur drive centre and three turning tools.
With a shipping weight of 38 lbs, the Arcade was listed at a shop price of $18.95 with carriage extra.
Arcade also made a variety of other woodworking equipment including several simple drill presses; two wood lathes like the Model Maker No.15 - one without the base casting and the other with a built-on countershaft; a five-way combination machine that was much more massive that the one shown below and incorporated a lathe, drill press, fret saw and sanding disc; woodplaner/shaper; bandsaws, and table-mounted saw benches.