Offered as one of a small range of conventional backgeared and screwcutting lathes, the early 1940s Purcell 8.5-inch Conemaster and 8-inch Record lathes had 46" (optionally 76") between centres. The Conemaster was, as its name suggests, a flat-belt drive machine whilst the Record, which was otherwise identical, was fitted with an all-geared headstock - such a choice being typical of that offered by a number of makers during the 1930s and 1940s. Although both resembled, in their general lines and arrangement, the well-established Visby and New Visby types (indeed, the latter continued in production alongside them) the controls were modernised and a much heavier construction used, especially for the bed that, besides altered prismatic ways, was made much deeper and supported on a headstock-end plinth twice as long as before.
Offering a sound specification and a decent capacity, the lathe had a bed of close-grained cast-iron with conventional V and flat ways (early Purcell lathes used four Vs) with heavy, elliptical girths between the walls. Following the fashion from earlier decades, the bed, though deep at the headstock end, reduced in depth over its centre section; however, this was much more limited in extent than previously and considerable shorter than on many competing lathes - and even left over ten inches beneath the standard-fit gap section. The gap, when removed, allowed a disc of material just less than 26 inches in diameter and ten inches thick to be turned on the standard-fitment fourteen-inch faceplate.
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Purcell Conemaster 8.5-inch belt-drive lathe with spindle drive by an internally-mounted 4-speed gearbox and speed change by a pair of levers mounted on the front face of the headstock-end plinth. Final drive to the spindle on this model was by no less than six "B" section V-belts
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Mounted on a long saddle, that lacked the T-slotted wings of earlier lathes, the compound slide rest was fitted with 'balanced handles', tapered gib strips and zeroing micrometer dials of a reasonable size (that read to 0.001") and a "click-indexing" 4-way toolpost.
Of very ordinary, but substantial construction, the ultimate rigidity of the 22.5-inch long belt-drive headstock was limited by its half-depth casting, a feature necessary to accommodate a hinge-up top to allow access for speed changes. Hardened and ground, the 1.8125" bore spindle ran in parallel-bore, conically-seated and adjustable bearings lined with anti-friction white metal - the front being a reasonable 3.375" in diameter and 5.125" long. As an option, a drop-forged spindle could be provided, fitted with flanged nose instead of the usual thread; a double-thrust ball race was fitted on both types to take axial loadings. Helical backgears were used - a Purcell tradition - that, whilst capable of quiet running and great strength, did require the fitting of hardened-steel thrust washers to take the extra end loading generated by this type of assembly.
Two different drive systems were offered, both with a five h.p. motor - either a 950 r.p.m. single-speed, or 720/1440 r.p.m. two-speed. The less-expensive system used a multi-V-pulley drive from the motor to an internal countershaft - and then a generously wide 3.5-inch belt to the headstock to give six speeds of: 22, 40, 72, 138, 250 and 452 r.p.m. with a 1-speed motor and twelve of 16.5, 30, 33, 54, 60, 103, 108, 187, 207, 339, 375 and 678 r.p.m. with the 2-speed. The more expensive arrangement employed an internally-mounted 4-speed gearbox with speed changes by a pair of levers mounted on the front face of the headstock-end plinth. Final drive to the spindle on this model was by no fewer than six "B" section V-belts - the system giving eight speeds of 19, 30, 50, 83, 120, 197, 325 and 528 r.p.m. with the 1-speed motor - and a very useful sixteen speeds of 12.5, 20.5, 25, 34, 41, 55, 68, 80, 111, 130, 160, 215, 261, 350, 430 and 700 r.p.m. with the 2-speed.
Screwcutting and feeds were provided by a Norton-type quick-change gearbox with a tumbler selector combined with a three-range box controlled by a quadrant lever to the left of the main box. On the right, a lever selector was used to engage and disengaged the leadscrew -on the geared-head version of the lathe this was missing, the engagement being achieved by sliding a gear into mesh. Thirty-six English pitches from 4 to 60 t.p.i. were available, together with twenty-six metric from 0.25 to 7 mm. The thirty-six feeds varied from 0.002" to 0.031" sliding and from 0.001" to 0.010" surfacing - all per revolution of the spindle. In order to permit a wider range of threading, supplied with the lathe were an extra set of changewheels comprising 40t (two), 45t, 50t, 55t, 65t, 70t, 75t, 80t, and a 127t metric translation wheel. Although not sealed, or provided with sump lubrication, a central oil reservoir was fitted that directed oil through wicks to the various bearings - the gears had to be lubricated by the forgetful, oil-can-wielding operator.
Single-walled (when a double-wall oil-sump arrangement would have been expected on this class of machine) the apron was, nevertheless, strongly constructed. Feed selection was by a traditional Purcell-type, three-position quadrant lever, with engagement by a single lift-up-and-down lever working through a "Johnson" clutch. This arrangement provided a sensitive, instant engagement and disengagement of the drive and was a vast improvement on the original screw-in-and-out engagement used on the early Visby and New Visby Models. 
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Different in having a geared headstock , a 0.5" reduction in centre height, a larger spindle bore of 2.125" a No. 4 Morse taper nose and a convenient third-rod control system for starting, stopping and reversing the spindle, the Record was otherwise nearly identical in specification to the cone-drive models described above.  Drive was by a 5 h.p. motor mounted externally on a hinged and height-adjustable plate at the rear of the headstock plinth. Both single and two-speed motors were offered, the former providing eight speeds of 29, 44, 69, 99, 125, 190, 294 and 420 r.p.m. and the latter sixteen of 22, 33, 45, 51, 67, 74, 96, 103, 143, 148, 193, 220, 286, 315, 440 and 630 r.p.m. The provision of a third-rod spindle control, with a lever pivoting from the left-hand wall of the apron, brought the lathe up-to-date (this was a popular fitting on other makes from the 1930s onwards) and provided a hitherto unknown ease and security of operation.
Totally enclosed, the headstock had positive lubrication, from a pressure pump of the plunger type that oiled both spindle bearings and the hardened and ground gears. Fitted as standard, and built into the input 5-step V-belt pulley, was a combined multi-plate clutch and brake unit. The main spindle was manufactured from a forging, hardened and ground all over and running in parallel-bore bronze bearings held in tapered housing that provided a method of adjustment by ring nuts.
Interestingly, in addition to the 8-inch Record (a geared-head version of the Conemaster) at the same time, from the mid 1940s until the mid 1950s, Purcell were also offering a geared-head version of the 8.5-inch New Visby. This model (see below for further details) whilst otherwise almost identical to the Record differed from all other types in having a double-walled apron with power feeds engaged through an instant acting drop-in-and-out worm mechanism.
Equipment provided with all Conemaster and Record lathes consisted of: the previously mentioned changewheel set, faceplate, catchplate, headstock spindle Morse taper sleeve, two Morse centres, fixed steady, travelling steady, 4-way toolpost, electric suds pump, chip tray and nozzle assembly and the necessary spanners..

Hardened and ground, the 1.8125" bore spindle ran in parallel-bore, conically-seated and adjustable bearings lined with anti-friction white metal - the front being a reasonable 3.375" in diameter and 5.125" long.