To tension the belt, in the absence of any means of  moving the motor, a simple adjustable jockey pulley (top left-hand corner of the picture) sliding on a stud, was fitted above the belt run. Unfortunately this "modern" method of engineering a headstock drive had the effect of reducing the number of spindle speeds from 16 to 8 but with a still-respectable range of 55 to 2300 rpm with the maker's recommended 1/3 hp 1725 rpm 60 cycle motor.

View from the back of the headstock showing the backer engagement lever and, further to the rear, the stud and nut used to hold the main drive belt jockey pulley.

A simple but adequate single-sided apron with proper double clasp nuts and a "geared-down" drive from the handwheel to the leadscrew was used and remained unchanged for the life of the machine. Like that used on its larger brother the cross slide was of the "short" type that tended to wear the ways in their middle section; it carried a sheet metal cover at the rear to protect the feed screw. The top slide could be rotated through 360º and, happily,  was T-slotted - so easing the fitment of alternative toolposts to the simple and traditional single holder fitted as standard. Unfortunately, both feed screw micrometer dials and handles were tiny - though by way of compensation all the carriage hand controls, even the leadscrew clasp-nut handle, were chrome plated.

Carriage assembly Atlas 6-inch Mk. 2. The small micrometer dial allowed the cross slide to pass over the top of it. Unfortunately the gib strips were made of hard plastic and the whole of the compound assembly is improved by replacing them with ones in steel.

Rear of the compound slide showing evidence of cost cutting: the cross slide was of the "short" type - which wore just the central portion of its ways - and an adjustable gib strip was fitted at the back of the saddle. This had become an old-fashioned method of adjusting the saddle to the bed in the 1920s and, although more complicated to engineer, the strip should have been placed at the front, so leaving a "solid" rear face to take cutting thrust directly against the bed.