Machine tool

A machine tool comprising:

• a base mount having an upper surface provided with at least two machinable regions and workpiece handling regions;
• a column supported above the base mount and movable in a first direction;
• a first drive means for moving the column in the first direction;
• a spindle head for supporting a tool, the spindle head being supported on the column and movable in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, the spindle head being movable over the machinable regions;
• a second drive means for moving the spindle head in a second direction;
• at least two tables for respectively mounting a workpiece thereon, the tables being arranged in parallelism and movable in a third direction perpendicular to the first and second directions, each of the tables being movable in a first mode wherein the tables move independent of each other and a second mode wherein the tables move together in an integral manner between each of the machinable regions and the workpiece handling regions;
• a plurality of third drive means having numbers equal to the numbers of tables for moving the tables independent of each other or synchronously in the third direction depending upon the movement mode;
• and
• a numerical control unit connected to the first, the second and the third drive means for numerically controlling movements of the column, the spindle head and the tables, whereby machining to a large scale workpiece spanning more than one table is achievable by the integral motions of the at least two tables in response to an operation of the third drive means.