Mr. Henrick J. Hjorth had his Hjorth Lathe & Tool Company works at Woburn Massachusetts in the USA (with the registered office at 27 School Street, Boston) and produced a range of what were known in their day as "Bench Lathes" - today we have to add the word "Precision" to that description, if we are to understand the meaning of the phrase as understood in the late part of the nineteenth and early part of the twentieth centuries.
The screwcutting lathe pictured above, based on a 1911 patent, was still available in much the same form in early 1930s. The capacity was 18" between centres and the swing 83/4"; the bed was 36" long and the machine weighed, with basic equipment, 143 lbs.
Spindle speeds depended upon the precise countershaft specified but were normally arranged to be 1000 rpm on top speed and 500 rpm on bottom. Whilst not shown on the lathe above, a backgear assembly was offered to reduce the speeds sufficiently for safe screwcutting which, on the Hjorth was transmitted to the top slide through a universal-joined shaft - a not uncommon method on early precision bench lathes.
The compound slide rest, with a 51/2" top movement and a 41/2" cross movement, was topped by an eccentric toolpost very similar to that found on Rivett lathes.
Both the headstock, with a 3/4" bore, and the tailstock were fitted with a Brown and Sharpe No. 6 taper, 21/2" long. One of the optional tailstocks was very unusual in being fitted with a combination screw and lever-feed actions; the screw feed had a maximum travel of 23/4" and the lever feed 41/4".
The mounting plates beneath the lathe feet were slotted, to allow a modicum of adjustment for belt tensioning.
A host of other special accessories was available, including a remarkable bed-mounted combination vertical milling, gear-cutting and dividing attachment; some examples of these accessories can be seen on the accompanying pages..

Although the Hjorth would normally have been supplied as a plain-turning lathe, with a simple tip-up tool rest, this comprehensive screwcutting attachment was produced to drive the top slide of the optional compound slide assembly.
The tumble reverse  (A) was driven by a gear (B) which slid onto the end of the headstock spindle.
The tumble-reverse assembly, and its method of engagement with a gear formed on the inside of the largest diameter of the headstock cone pulley, bears an unmistakable likeness to that employed on the Rivett 8-inch Precision lathe - even to the thin, spring-steel engagement "lever".