Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)Almost 40 years ago it was my job to write a technical description of a small Chinese lathe that my employer wanted to offer for sale. I was impressed with the technical skill and workmanship of that first Chinese machine tool offered in North America.
Now I am the owner of a shiny new Chinese combo lathe / mill from Grizzly.
My new machine arrived with much more than was advertised. It has a quick change lathe spindle nose instead of the far more common bolt on style chuck mount.
Included with the lathe was a 3 jaw & 4 jaw chuck plus a face plate whereas most of the similar small lathes offered today come with one bolt on 3 jaw chuck. To round out the chucks there was also a face plate!
When I dug a bit deeper into the lathe accessories I also found a quick change tool post. The tool carriers are grooved for boring bars too.
Although this is a small hobby lathe the tool system can accommodate 1/2" square tools.
When I setup the mill I found it was equipped with a quick change Colet set and a milling vice too!
Does this machine have any down sides? Yes. Are they major? Well, not exactly.
The G0516 is not a geared head lathe. It requires shifting the V belt for spindle speed changes. The new belt is really tight and hard to shift from one groove to the next. Back gearing is by a cogged belt, no gear changes on the spindle.
Feed changes and thread cutting requires mounting different gears. Some of the gear changes provide a bit of a challenge. Thread cutting to a shoulder requires skill and patience (there is no thread dial or spindle brake).
From the very first lathes with automatic feeds/ thread cutting, fitting of the shaft support has been a challenge for the machine fitters. My machine is no exception, the shaft support is misaligned. Winding the carriage to the far right causes the feed screw to bind in the half nut base.
The milling head and column are well made and run well. Removing the installed drill chuck required the application of brute force. Seems this is not unusual, someone else wailed about the problem of removing the drill chuck in another forum. Anyone wishing to precision bore a deep hole would be wise to carry out a careful perpendicular alignment of the milling column. My machine has no indication of any alignment checks by the builder and there is no accuracy certificate with the machine.
Overall I am pleased with the design and craftsmanship of this hobby machine.
I feel it is well worth the modest cost.
One word of caution. This is a heavy piece of equipment. It requires care and forethought before attempting to move it from the solid wood crate to a final resting place. It also needs to be bolted down, albeit the maker has neglected to provide bolt down dimensions!. I used a chain hoist , wood wedges and a counter balance cable between the hoist chain and the end of the lathe bed to keep things on a even keel while hoisting.
I know I will have many hours of pleasure from my new toy!
Click Here to see more reviews about: Grizzly G0516 Combo Lathe w/ Milling Attachment
Precision, versatility and high quality in a small package are what you get with our new G0516 Lathe Mill Combo.The 6 speed lathe includes big machine features like a 4-way turret tool post, cuts both metric and inch threads, see-through eye shield, 3/4 HP motor and a 9 3/4" swing.The milling head features its own 4/5 HP variable speed motor, tilting column, MT#3 spindle taper and 8" of vertical travel.It bolts onto the back of the bed and is sturdy and versatile.This is an exceptional value and will make a great addition to any shop.
Click here for more information about Grizzly G0516 Combo Lathe w/ Milling Attachment
