Dick Coers
I think it's a market based on machine quality, and availability of those lathes. You can rip a piece of wood with a good blade on a Rigid table saw and get a pretty good cut. Use a good chisel on a Rigid lathe, not the same result. How many high end lathes are sold each year, and for how many years? I have no idea, but it can't be the same as all the table saws sold each year. Same goes for age of the machine. Throw a good blade on a 50 year old unisaw, great result. 50 year old Delta lathe with a 150 lb. block of wood, impossible. There just aren't the number of high quality lathes out there for the price to drop. Wait about 30 years and they might be a dime a dozen as all us old timers go 6' under, or hit the nursing home.