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 - but it was of a relatively heavy build and sold complete on a robust 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. However, it did enjoy the advantage of being easy to hide away and take up only a tiny space on the dining room table.
Supplied as a complete kit, the Arcade was a plug-in-and-go purchase and fitted 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, a 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 similar to the Model Maker No.15 - one without the base casting and the other with a built-on countershaft. There was also a five-way 'combination machine' that was much more massive and incorporated a lathe, drill press, fret saw and sanding disc. Other items made were a woodplaner-cum-shaper, and several sizes of bandsaws and table-mounted saw benches.
If you have another product sold by Arcade, the writer would be pleased to include it in the Machine Tool Archive..