Overhead Countershaft Drive on Unit Bench. This was a particularly well-thought-out system with as many as 24 speeds and with the all-ball-bearing countershaft carried on neat, cast-iron uprights attached to the bench. The system included a built-in drive to power toolpost-mounted accessories and the spindle speeds could be selected by either hand levers or foot pedals. However, despite all these conveniences, by the 1940s this type of drive arrangement was beginning to look distinctly old-fashioned .

Unit Bench with Horizontal Safety Drive. Yet anther variation on the open-bench mounting but this time with a rear-mounted countershaft fitted with an electric motor having spindles emerging from both ends. Whilst one motor shaft was utilised to drive the lathe-spindle countershaft, the other was employed to power the counterweighted "overhead". This stand was fitted with cast-iron legs, but if the customer wished to save weight, the option was available to replace these with ones fabricated from pressed steel; at the same time the threaded steel tie rods at the back of the stand were changed for ones made from flat steel strip.

Rivett 608 with a 5C collet headstock on the maker's metal cabinet stand. Stamped: Model 608/PB/5C  Serial 636  6/24/1941.