What is a lathe bed?

The bed of a lathe is the central beam that runs down the machine. The head, which holds and turns the workpiece, is fixed at one end, there is a tailstock at the other end which can be adjusted along the bed, and usually a carraige in between, which holds turning tools. The workpiece that can be turned in the lathe is limited to what will fit in the head without hitting the bed. A gap bed lathe has a gap in the bed near the head, so a larger workpiece can be turned.