Circa 1965 Stanley catalogue: few machine tools makers in the UK offered sliding bed or "extension" lathes machines - though the type had been available from the late years of the 19th century with Harrington in the United States being a leading proponent of the type. By installing a sliding bed lathe, a small jobbing, sub-contract or repair workshop was able to tackle a much wider variety of work - at a cost little greater than paid an ordinary machine. Unfortunately, Stanley neglected to include in their publicity literture any example of the jobs that could be accommodated but the two pictures below, from the Harrington Company, give an idea of what could be accomplished.

To make the most of their sliding-bed lathes, Stanley offered an unusual extra, a rear-mounted auxiliary bed that enabled the outside diameter of the largest workpieces to be machined over almost their whole length