Grizzly G0516 Combo Lathe with Milling Attachment

I have to save this is a very well made lathe and it came with many extras and in perfect condition.It's works very well, it does arrive well greased and messy but once you clean it off it really is a productive piec of machinery.obviously it's not as precise as a real heavy duty big lathe but i have to say this thing really works great for what it is.Only thing it didn't come with was cutting bits and it takes 1/2 inch bits.I'd definitely purchase from grizzly again.

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!

First I want to say I am fairly new to lathe and mill working. I took a couple classes at the local community college and have worked on a mill and lathe for my work for about 6 months. I quit that job for a higher paying job and didn't have access to machines at my new job. I have also wanted to start doing work on my guns so I have been looking for a little lathe and mill to do this on for about a year. Finally I got the money together to buy this combo. Now let me admit that changing the gears and belts is a pain and changing from the lathe to the mill isn't fast BUT it is what you pay for. The machine as a whole is great. I have only done a few things with it and I am not in a hurry so I take my time and the machine gets it done. Small cuts and the finish is great. The next thing I noticed when I unpacked the machine was all the boxes that come with it. You Get a 3 jaw chuck, 4 jaw chuck, face plate, turret tool holder, quick change tool holder, Collet chuck for the mill and collets, milling vice, and mill table. The only thing you need to buy extra is cutters. Finally let me say this is a great combo for the money and if you do get tiered of changing from the lathe to the mill you can get a table to mount the mill on so you will have two seperate machines. This is a great buy and would buy it again in a minute. I do not write revews very often but when I am really impressed so this is a big compliment from me to grizzly.Thanks

I bought this machine (G0516) about 10 years ago at the Grizzly, Muncie PA scratch and dent Tent sale with a friend. I have a fair amount of very basic experience with machine shop equipment, including mills and lathes. While this machine is far smaller than the equipment that I was familiar with at school and then work, I have to admit that this machine can hold its own. I wanted a lathe with a threading feed, and this has just that. I recently (after almost 10 years) became tired of the very basic lathe tool post, and the shimming, etc. I bought an AXA spec (I think) quick change tool post and the associated holders. I had to machine off the locating post that was part of the original cross-slide to make accomodation for the new lathe tool holder. Thus far, the biggest challenge is finding a 9/16 - 18 tap and the required 33/64 drill. Apparently, I have everything up to 1/2 inch, and virtually nothing beyond in both drills and taps. Anyway, the necessary drill and tap should arrive tomorrow, via Amazon, and hopefully, we're back to work. In summary, I think that this is a great machine for small work. It has a lot of capabilities, and the machine kit came with both a 3 and 4 jaw chuck. To top it all off, I purchased mine for about $400 at the scratch and dent sale. I'd give it and the Grizzly service a 10 out of 10, considering the value that I received for the price that I paid.

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