kneenut wrote:
I am interested in machining and read this ng everyday but... being
ingorent about machining, what is the difference between types of
lathes, mills...ie., gap, engine, turrent, knee etc.

Application and design. Like going into a shoe store and pondering the
differences one finds there... ;-)

Your best bet would be to look at pictures, rather than trying to get it
all described textually here. The difference between a turret lathe and a
engine lathe might be comparable to a pneumatic nailer and a claw hammer.
Meaningless without a mental image of both, eh?

Can you imagine the difficulties in facing a 100 lb plate on a typical
lathe, as opposed to doing the same on a vertical lathe? Gravity will be
your friend or foe, depending on that choice.

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