pamtnman,
Single point thread cutting is easy, and may be the most satisfying of the lathe operations. The best way to learn is to have a friend show you, then practice. The set up is the main thing, the lathe does the rest.
SKB,
I tap cut a 1'-8 thread to make a chuck back plate for my first lathe, it took so much force and cheater bars on the tap handle that it broke my favorite vise ( given to me by my favorite uncle that got me into working on guns and handloading). Large coarse threads are hard to cut by hand (14 tpi is not especially coarse, admittedly), because you have to move so much metal. Plus single pointing them keeps them "centered".
Mike
