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Boice-Crane (Wilton Division) made various types of power tools, including a selection of wood lathes intended for amateur and educational use, and in the 1940s and early 1950 their range included, amongst others, the two amateur and one professional or educational machines illustrated below.
The more robust lathe of the amateur pair had a 50 inch long bed with 10" swing and able to take 34" between centres; the 4-step V pulley in the headstock could be driven from either from the rear, or underneath. The bed, which had a gap able to swing 14", was internally ribbed and machined on its top surface. The double-ended spindle was 1.25" inches in diameter and ran on ball bearings - while the single faceplate was not, as might be expected, threaded from each end, instead, the left- and right-hand threads were actually combined, the multiple starts of one interlacing with the other as one would interlace the fingers of both hands. Holding and turning the faceplate the threads are seen to "cross" each other like this twice, once in each 180 degrees of rotation - a most unusual yet effective arrangement.
Despite an insubstantial appearance the lathe weighed 115 lbs so must have been a reasonably robust machine. With a No. 1 Morse taper tailstock the tailstock spindle was fitted with "self eject" for the centre.
With a bed built from two steel channel sections the other lathe hadh the most elementary type of headstock and tailstock. The capacity was 10" x 30", the weight 30 lbs and the headstock spindle carried a 4-step V-belt pulley overhung outside the left-hand bearing..
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