I'm looking into my first lathe. Either the harbor freight 7x10 or 7x12.
From what I can gather it's decent for the price.
What is the largest piece I can grab from the outside on either of these machines? I know it's a 7x10 but I can't see that jaw opening that large. I think I need something to go 4 or 5" as I can't imagine doing anything larger.
How is this unit for tapping/threading? I do mainly aluminum work and have a plasma cnc. So my goal in mind is to learn how to use this and eventually convert it to cnc for small bungs and other parts to aid in my fabrication parts. And I can't find a solid cnc kit, but I guess I have plenty of time before going that route.
And any good resources out there for how to learn how to use one? Speeds and feeds and tooling etc?
Any help is appreciated.