First manufactured in 1941 the 121/2" x 20" Rivett 1020 was a limited production model, followed by the    1020R and then superseded by the more common 1030 - which looked much like a Monarch 10EE toolroom lathe. Superbly made and comprehensively specified it had a cast-iron bed fitted with hardened steel ways and the headstock, with a 1.25" bore spindle, incorporated a rev counter, essential when operating the infinitely variable speed drive unit - which was offered with various ranges including 25 to 2500 rpm. and 22 to 3600 rpm.
The lathe, together with its cast iron cabinet stand weighed over 3900 lbs, or 1.6 tons. The advertising flyer for the machine summed its capabilities in this neat sentence:
"It combines the feather-touch sensitivity of an instrument lathe with that heavy-biting ruggedness which carbide cutting tools require."
During the 1940s and 1950s Rivett also produced two plain turning lathes: the 918S  had a 9" swing and admitted 18" between centres (with an infinitely-variable speed drive between 100 and 3750 rpm) while a smaller lathe, the 715, had a 7" swing lathe, 15" capacity between centres and used the same drive system but with a speed range from 200 to 3500 rpm.