On 20 Apr 2005 18:53:36 GMT, Ignoramus14555 wrote:
On Wed, 20 Apr 2005 11:40:43 -0700, Harold and Susan Vordos wrote:

If one had but one choice for a lathe, it would have
to be an independent 4 jaw, otherwise many jobs would be impossible to hold.
They are often slower, but very flexible.

Wouldn't that mean, though, that every time I insert something into
the jaws, I need to perform a complicated centering operation??? That
seems rather painful.

Correct on both counts. But useful when you need something non-concentric.