My guess is this is a spring winding lathe. The lack of ways and a cross
slide suggest this was never meant to do anything but turn. Also the head
stock seems to be a gear reduction box, and the bearings look like they are
lubricated with grease via zirks.

I am curious what you mean by:

The tailstock is spring loaded and when the headstock spindle is rotated
anti-clockwise as
you look from the tailstock moves towards the tailstock.


--

Roger Shoaf

About the time I had mastered getting the toothpaste back in the tube, then
they come up with this striped stuff.

"David Billington" wrote in message
...
I was given this tool some years ago by a machinist specialising in gears
and splines that didn't know what it was.
I thought it might be of some use on a mill but haven't used it yet.
The tool was manufactured by the Monarch Tool Company Ltd, Kirkheaton,
Huddersfield, UK.
Internet searchs found no reference to the company.
The tailstock is spring loaded and when the headstock spindle is rotated
anti-clockwise as
you look from the tailstock moves towards the tailstock. It sit on a
graduated swivelling base.

http://metalworking.com/DropBox/monarchmysterytool.txt
http://metalworking.com/DropBox/monarchmysterytool.jpg

Any thoughts as to what its purpose is would be appreciated.