Grizzly G0516

This forum is dedicated to those hobbyists with the 3-in-1 metalworking machines. Mill-Drill-Lathes. Tips, techniques, modification and use of these machines is topical.

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vascon2196
Posts: 30
Joined: Thu Sep 10, 2009 12:46 pm
Location: Mass

Grizzly G0516

Post by vascon2196 »

I purchased a Grizzly G0516 3-in-1 machine about a year ago. I got into making small stationary steam engines as a hobby and for the price and what it had to offer made it an easy decision to make.

HOWEVER....if I had the cash (and patience) I would have bought a separate lathe and mill. It gets really old really fast when you start a project using your lathe and have to mill a keyway or something and then have to (take the tool post off, clean the cross-slide, attach milling tabel, attach and square up milling vise) and then mill a keyway. Then if you want to part the finished piece off you have to take all of the milling components off and set up again for your lathe. PITA.

I already had the lathe tool post tapped holes strip out on me in a little over a year from the constant back and forth between the lathe and mill.

Also, the milling attachment that comes with the lathe is great for aluminum and brass but steel....it just doesn't have what it takes. If I do have to mill steel I have to take very light cuts (.005 to .010"). Drilling isn't really an issue.

The lathe works great I must say. Changing speeds is a pain because you have to change belts around manually.

To give you a true honest answer (in my opinion) becasue I am a 3-in-1 owner, I would suggest you purchase a lathe and a mill separately. Grizzly is nice because of the price and the tooling is relatively inexpensive as well but if you want to spend the money and get some really nice machines do yourself a favor and get a Smithy.

I am use to my 3-in-1 now but if I could go back, I would have gotten a separate lathe and mill probably from Smithy.

That's my opinion.

Chris
SlickTX
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Joined: Mon Dec 01, 2008 9:33 am
Location: Coppell, TX

Post by SlickTX »

Why don't you buy the milling base from Little Machine Shop? That's what I did when I first got my G0516. The milling machine has never been attached to the lathe.
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vascon2196
Posts: 30
Joined: Thu Sep 10, 2009 12:46 pm
Location: Mass

Milling base

Post by vascon2196 »

I looked into that a while ago but I wasn't sure if it was going to work. How does it work? Was it easy to install? What about the wiring?

Just curious.

Thanks,

Chris
gunboatbay
Posts: 134
Joined: Wed Nov 12, 2008 10:09 am
Location: Pender Harbour, B.C.

Post by gunboatbay »

Vascon,
I agree with SlickTX's recommendation if your main gripe is the inconvenience of switching back and forth. I was considering purchasing the LMS unit, but got lucky. One of the fellows on the minimill group removed the entire powerhead from his Grizzly minimill to make some sort of CNC machine and wanted to sell the remaining parts. Fortunately he was within and hour's drive, so I really made out.
FYI using the LMS unit is an easy bolt-on change and electrically all you need to do is change the plug on the end of the power supply cord.
Whether you leave the mill unit in its factory configuration or move it to the LMS unit, you're still going to have the lack of rigidity problem that you mentioned in your other thread. This mill unit has a major design/construction flaw that is centered around the main column attachment/pivot point with the base. Truing-up all the mating surfaces and replacing the big 'springy' washer with a solid piece of 3/8 or 1/2" steel will do wonders for increasing the rigidity. There's a well written article in the files section of the minimill group about evaluating/curing this problem, which I recommend reading:
http://f1.grp.yahoofs.com/v1/YHu7SkEL-d ... on%201.pdf
That's a pretty long URL, so you may have to cut and paste it.

Art
SlickTX
Posts: 7
Joined: Mon Dec 01, 2008 9:33 am
Location: Coppell, TX

Post by SlickTX »

The mill seems to work just fine. I did pick up a 3 wire cord at Home Depot and just wired it in where the old cord was. Not hard at all.

I used the lathe and the mill to make some steel hard points to attach to my wood bench. The hardpoints were 1 1/2" steel round about 1 1/2" long (long enough to go through the 2 X 4 bench top). I drilled and tapped to 3/8 X 16 then turned down all but 1/2" to a 3/4" diameter. The result was a profile like an upside down letter T. I drilled two small holes through the fat part for small wood screws. Then I through punched the base of the mill where I wanted it to be, drilled a small diameter pilot hole in those 4 spots, ran a 1 1/2" spade bit up 1/2'' from underneath, ran a 3/4" spade bit from the top, then inserted and screwed tight the hard points. When not bolted to the hard points I move the mill to the side and run the bolts up from the bottom to keep the threads clear. The mill is amazingly steady.
bobz3denver
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Re: Grizzly G0516

Post by bobz3denver »

By the way - you don't have to rewire the mill. A PC power supply cable plugs right onto the end of the mill cable. If you're concerned about amps, find a cable for a 1000W power supply. You can pick these up for CHEAP at your local PC repair joint - if you don't have a couple laying around the house already.
There are no rules here, we're trying to accomplish something!
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