A lathe holds a workpiece in a chuck or between centers and spins it while a tool removes material to create cylindrical features — turning diameters, facing ends, boring holes, cutting threads and parting off. It is one of the oldest machine tools; the CNC version is called a turning center.
Key lathe specs include swing (the largest diameter that clears the bed), distance between centers (the longest part it holds), chuck size and bar capacity.
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