Review on Grizzly Industrial G0768-8 Variable-Speed 16" Benchtop Lathe - Professional Quality Results! by Paul Haswood

Update: Having used this lathe for 3 years I can say that I am still happy with it but, some things have come up that have made me wish I had the room for a larger lathe. The torque of the motor at low speed is not very good. When cutting smaller parts, you don't notice it because the motor is in a favorable part of the torque / speed curve for the motor. I have had trouble cutting larger pieces at slow speeds as there is not enough low end torque.The rigidity of the lathe is less than great. I have had some times when the compounds slide has vibrated loose causing a lot of chatter. When I get everything tightened up, it cuts like a dream for a while. But after machining some 4" diameter 416SS, it seems like everything loosened up. Mind you, I made the parts to exactly 4.000" so when she is tight, she runs very well.I am still happy with the lathe overall and would recommend it if you don't have the room for a larger lathe. If you have the room, you will want a larger lathe. I just don't at the moment.Original review April 25, 2017: I received my lathe a month ago and I couldn't be happier with it. The biggest reason that I purchased this particular model was that I didn't have the equipment to lift, nor the room to house a bigger lathe. I looked at the G4000 and it's weight was substantial with a reduction in features (no variable speed, no cam-lock tail stock, no reverse threading) for the same price and only a slight upgrade in the amount that it could swing. If I could deal with the weight and size, the G0602 would be the lathe to get; but such was not the case. My wife and I lifted this lathe from its very nicely done crate straight onto the bench without horrendous effort.The size of the lathe is very good. I have been surprised at how large a piece I can fit into the lathe without going to extremes. The 7X14 lathes have proved their worth in this department and with the extra room on the G0768 it is even easier. The lathe had done a good job of of cutting some very hard stainless with a well sharpened HSS bit. I have used the cheap carbide cutters to good effect because the speed of the lathe is very high (2000 rpm without modification). The variable speed is a god-send when one is a beginner machinist as it allows you to get out of trouble very quickly and to change to a more appropriate speed in a flash. I have crashed the carriage and the belts slipping helped reduce the damage ( %-p).The fit and finish of the lathe are excellent. I took the whole lathe apart to clean all of the expected grit from the ways and slides only to find very little of it. The bottom of the slides are as sharp as a razor; you have been warned.If you need a lighter lathe that can easily be moved up and down stairs or in and out of vehicles; this is your lathe. For a first lathe this is also an excellent lathe although the cheaper 7x14 lathes would be a better choice because if you get into machining, soon you will be wanting a larger lathe no matter what you start with. If you decide machining is not for you, you haven't invested as much. If weight and space are irrelevant, there are larger lathes for not too much more money that would suite better over the longer haul such as the G0602.For those in the starting machinist category the G0768 offers some great features and there are some unique modifications that can be done. I recently purchased a milling slide for this lathe and I am loathed to drill and tap holes into my cross slide. The G0769 is the same lathe with a vertical milling head and the cross slide from that model fits the G0768. The s cross-slide from the G0769 has t-slots milled into it to hold the work down for milling. These t-slots will be very useful to hold my milling slide to allow me to mill small items on the G0768 without the hassle and expense of the G0769's milling head.The G0768 is a great candidate for CNC conversion. I have seen several kits for this purpose although I doubt I will be installing one; at least not until I am proficient at manual machining.A quick word on Grizzly's service; EXCELLENT! The lathe was packed beautifully in a nice crate (which was immediately claimed by my wife lol). The delivery by Saia was flawless. My wife accepted the delivery from a lift gate truck driver who coordinated with her the precised time it was to be delivered. The driver unloaded the crate and put it in the garage for her. He was very professional and courteous.While I was checking out every piece of the lathe I found that the second set of jaws for the 3 jaw chuck would not fit properly. I called Grizzly's technical service department and they sent a new set free of charge. The second set arrived quickly. Grizzly also carries a full set of spare parts for the lathe which you may not think is important at first ( I surely didn't) until there are modifications you would like to make but are afraid to do so for fear of ruining your equipment. For example, I wanted to add some other types of tool posts to the compound slide that would require substantial modifications that would have precluded going back to the original tool-post holder should I need to. Grizzly has the replacement in stock so I can use my existing compound slide to machine the new one without taking away my ability to go back to the original configuration should I wish (need) too if the modifications don't work out. That gives me a great piece of mind when making major changes to the machine.The accuracy of the lathe is impressive. Over an 8" piece of precision ground steel I get NO change in my dial indicator linearly, none. I get about 0.002" of run out without truing up the chuck. The tool-post, compound-slide, and cross-slide are very rigid and I find no-play on the dial-indicator which is far better than expected. The dials on the slides are accurate so you know when you accidentally added another thousandth to a cut than you had intended, your part is 1 thousandth smaller than intended (ask me how I know lol).The face-plate is very nice. I have been able to mount flanges without any problem and it runs very true.I really like the tail stock. It is adjustable in every direction but didn't require adjustment as came from the factory true. The cam-lock action is a must. I didn't know how much the tail stock had to be moved and the tail-stock on this lathe is great! When checking the lathe out I found the dead-centers pointed true to each other without adjustment.Cons: Well, I sincerely don't have many. The compound angle adjustment is a pain in that one has to pull the compound slide all the way back to access the two cap-screws that lock the angle. Teleger music has already done a video on how to modify the compound slide to fix this (another modification I will do to the new compound slide when it arrives (see how comforting having spare parts readily available? ).The tool-post is a pain (as they all are) because you have to shim the tools. I have ordered a quick change tool post, QCTP, but the first one I ordered was an AXA which will not fit properly. The 0XA QCTP is a good fit but will require modifications to the compound to mount it.The motor seems a little under powered but I know that it is my horrible tools. When I put int a properly sharpened too I can take off 0.040" cuts in hard stainless without any problem. With carbides I can take more but the lathe slows down 20% or so but it still makes the cut.The chucks, while accurate and true, are not smooth. I will be doing some work to clean them up to get them to run smoother.All in all, this is one of the best purchases I have made in a while. I will be posting videos on the the un-boxing and some maintenance items soon. I am happy to answer any questions you have.By the way, I don't have any association with Grizzly, I just bought the lathe after a lot of agonizing.