When I was looking into agi they offered a mini lathe with there course. So far I have only found a south bend lathe with a 14 inch swing and an 8 foot bed for 500 dollars its in good condition but just to big it weights almost a ton. I have seen suggestions of going with a 8 or 9 inch swing however they all have 3/4 hp motors and 3/4 thru the spindle. When you look at a 7 inch by whatever lathe they can be picked up for around 500 and the bed extended to almost 28 inches for less than a grand. I'm looking for something just to turn down and thread barrels. What makes these 7x lathes not have percison work with a extended bed?