Machine tools are powered machines used for metal cutting and finishing operations to shape workpieces. Lathes are one of the earliest and most important machine tools, capable of turning, facing, boring, drilling, threading, knurling, and other operations. The basic elements of a lathe include the bed, headstock, tailstock, carriage, saddle, and tooling such as the cross slide and compound rest. Turning operations produce straight, conical, or curved surfaces, while other operations like facing, boring, and threading create specific surface features.