A Gamage lathe from the 1950s (now in the USA) showing the special headstock as well as some well-engineered departures from standard by a previous owner: a Myford ML10 cross-feed screw and bracket have been fitted to the cross slide, a "stop" fitted to control the tailstock offset and a graduated dial fitted to the tailstock end of the leadscrew.

The much improved and more rigid headstock used on some examples of the Model S was also specified for the Gamage version.  It used an entirely different casting, with the front section brought up level with the centre lines of the bearings together with a section cast in below the left-hand bearing to allow the fitting of a tumble-reverse mechanism - although it is doubtful if the option was ever fitted.

Gamage version of the Portass Model S. The taller tailstock of this particular example (in comparison to the Standard Portass S below) is obvious.

An original mid 1950s Model S Portass. This was the best-selling backgeared and screwcutting Portass lathe and made in considerable numbers both before and after WW2. Over the years at least four versions of the lathe were offered with their centre heights ranging from 3 to 3.625 inches - and with between-centre capacities from 12 to 16.5 inches.
Some Model S lathes were fitted with compound slide rests, others made do with a single, swivelling top slide. The version illustrated above, one of the last made in the mid 1950s, has a redesigned bed with vertical stiffening ribs cast into the section of the bed beneath the gap, a larger spindle and bearings, a compound slide rest and the dog-clutch lever is straight and points downwards - rather than being dog-legged and pointing upwards as on the earlier machines. Both flat and V-belt drive pulleys are found fitted to these lathes of 1950s, presumably to the choice of the original customer.

This, the smallest Gamage lathe yet found, was almost certainly a simplified version of the 2.5-inch centre height Portass (or, as explained above, possibly by Flexisepeed) and made from 1927 onwards. Also badged as a Zyto (in a backgeared and screwcutting form) it was also sold - in an identical form - marked as the plain-turning "Junior", though if this version was sold by Portass, or a third-party tool dealer, is not known. Another version, badged Portass, was rather better equipped with a full compound slide rest and a leadscrew supported in bearings at both ends. The Gamages, built down to the lowest price possible, made do with a swivelling top slide and an overhung leadscrew held at the tailstock end only. The tailstock could not be set over, though on one of the Portass versions it could. The model shown here has non-original and larger V-pulleys in place of either the narrow flat or V-type designed to take a round leather rope.

Although not branded this is also a lathe sold by Gamage. A number of modifications have been made including a 3-step headstock pulley, a different rather better tailstock with a long-travel barrel and a swivelling tool slide mounted on a raiser block.