Thanks Rich, I think I understand what you mean. As Dickeybird mentioned, I see it more as routing than turning. I've only recently realized that servos have a place in CNC, always thought of them as too limited.
I do plan to use the lathe configuration only for positioning, not using the rotational force for cutting. Are you saying that the higher torque of a servo is needed only if cutting as a normal lathe? As a traditional woodturner, I see the need for rotational Horse Power when the cutting force comes from the material to be cut, rather than the cutting tool. My plan is to use the lathe only to achieve symmetry, the only force needed is to turn the spindle (almost zero) and to overcome the resistance of the wood pushing against the spinning cutter. Btw, the steppers I bought for this are 400+ ounce/inch.
My limited CNC experience is with steppers, but I will start learning more about servos, if not now, I'll eventually have a need for them.