RE: need lathe help
Are you going to machine the stators? If so, it is best to use some sort of grinder rather than a tool bit. The stator material is soft and if the tool digs in you can bend the stators. I have reduced the diameter of some stators for a CD-ROM motor and I glued the stators together with cyano and then use a grinding wheel in a dremel held in the tool post.
Michael