[InFlight]

There seems to be an assumption that a basic lathe comes from the factory, and continuously maintains perfect alignment between the tail stock ram axis and the spindle axis; to allow perfectly on-center holes to be drilled.

The reality is it takes a somewhat experienced machinist with a test bar and a dial indicator to adjust the tail stock to be aligned perfectly laterally and vertically. The average FRC lathe is use is likely only accurate to 0.01 inch on-center.

Drilling center holes to the stated -0.0000/+0.0006 on center tolerance would be a non-trivial challenge for many FRC teams. To do it consistently you would need to use a collet holder in the spindle.