Marked 'STD' on the inner face of its headstock casting, this was a previously unknown make of lathe. Assuming it to be in ex-factory condition - and not cut down from an ordinary lathe in any way - the lathe's design qualifies it as a "speed" model, a type often used in a production where some minor modification or extra simple operation was needed on a job. As normally supplied, the bed of a speed lathe is fitted with some sort of table, or, depending upon its intended use, a screw or lever-feed compound slide rest assembly.
When discovered, the STD was found to be in almost unworn condition, suggesting an easy previous life and little use from new. With no thread on the spindle nose, it would have been able to accept only draw-in collets (the one surviving appear to be unique to the machine) or the maker's collet-mounted 3-jaw chuck or a suitable blank backplate, as shown in the photographs.
With the headstock clamped to the bed using a quick-release lever for easy repositioning, and only two speeds on the spindle's cone pulley, these facts almost certainly confirm that the STD was not modified from an ordinary bench precision lathe, but intended for production or special-purpose use. The bed, too, is of an unusual shape; might it have been intended for mounting on the table of a grinding or milling machine?
A modern example of the speed lathe was the Swiss-made Vektor, while others have included the English Whippet and Rindis, the American Cataract, Hardinge and the French Metaubell - shown in the red advertisement on this page.