Originally Posted by Hackman  .....I've got crazy ideas in my head about bandsawing parts of the 7x10 off to make a gap bed lathe. |
I hope you are joking. No insult intended but this does qualify as a crazy idea.
When you cut significant chunks out of something that is cast you are going to relieve stresses in the metal. There is a chance you would finish up with the ways and the surface the head is bolted to no longer co-planar or parallel.
Gap bed machines have the bed reinforced around the gap and as far as I know the final finishing on the critical surfaces is done with the gap installed so that everything is true.