Hey y'all thanks for the replies, sorry about the spelling error but at least it gave a few folks something to talk about even if they don't know much about a lath either :-) If I hang out here very much I assure you it won't be the last time I am caught spelling something wrong.
To everyone who shared some info about lathes and the components that make them unique I appreciate the information very much. I had not really thought about how very critical the mass and weight is to this particular tool, but it makes perfect sense that this tool perhaps more than any other needs the weight to simply stay in one place. I can now see real benefits of the bigger is better theory for the parts that hold and support the piece that is rotating too since it may never be balanced and at times may be dangerously out of balance. Wood turning is not something I have given a lot of thought to and I don't know if a lathe is in my future or not. Some of the projects I am looking at suggest turning some of the pieces. I think I can cut them round enough with a scroll saw but we will see. My curiosity was tweaked so I thought I would ask what to think about when pondering the merits of a lathe.
Charlie