Grizzly G0768 8 X 16 Lathe

jdsc

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Brand new to the forum and looking at my first lathe. Have had some experience, though long ago with simple turning and now looking to add a lathe to my garage for small projects. I've looked at the 7 x lathes and want to try something a bit bigger. As most say, buy the biggest you can afford and you won't regret it.

As a result the G0768 seems to offer quite a bit but there just isn't much information available online. Can anyone that has one give me some feedback as to their experience with this. How is the runout, how about the electronics, reliability, etc. I have watched the YouTube videos by BobN and those are very informative but would like some more information if possible.

Thanks in advance.
 
Hi, Still hoping for a reply and some input on the Grizzly G0768 8 x 16 lathe. There just isn't much of anything online about this lathe unless I'm looking in all the wrong places. Thanks again for your help.
 
Hopefully somebody will be able to help you out. I know nothing about them, but keep trying.
 
I don't have much in the way of direct experience with it, but someone local bought one and I helped get it set up for him. Overall, it is no better or worse than the 7x14 quality-wise IMO. Some are better than others, but it's a crap shoot. You get a slightly wider bed (3/4"?) and the compound has a bit more meat to it, which is always good as this is a weak link on these smaller lathes. But you have the same HP rating as the 7x14, so no extra oomph in the power department. Can't speak to the electronics, but Griz has pretty good customer service should something fail. The spindle bore is no bigger than the 7x14 either. I'd call it a 7x14 on a mild weight training regime. :)

I guess it would help to understand what you want to do with this thing. If this is the biggest you have room for, or at your max budget that's one thing. If you can swing a few hundred dollars more (and have the room for it) you get a WHOLE lot more bang for your buck with the 10x22 but the lower cost version doesn't have the variable speed. Always trade offs. :)
 
Thanks for the reply and input. Space and budget are the two things that lead me to the G0768. The 7x are too small and I think this might fit the bill. It has the variable speed the larger ones don't offer unless you bump the budget quite a bit. It will be used for general projects, nothing specific, but every once in a while I'll find a need for a lathe and this seemed like a good compromise. Hence my interest. I'm really surprised at the lack of information on this lathe and that concerns me. I was hoping to find out about it's accuracy, or lack thereof, and it's reliability.
That being said, the 10x22's offer a lot more for a small increase in budget and there is a wealth of information on these plus ideas on how to maximize their performance and accuracy. For me, it's pushing the size limit a bit, but if I can make it work it's definitely a contender.
Once again thanks for the input and hopefully others will chime in on their experience with the G0768.
 
Still looking for someone that has the Grizzly G0768 lathe for a first hand report.
Thanks.
 
Thanks for the suggestion Falcon67. In all honesty, that is the way I am leaning right now. In fact, one step further towards a 10x22. A little more budget wise, but a lot more capability wise. I like the idea of the variable speed and the reverse lead screw the G0768 offers, so I am looking at the PM1022, which has everything I am looking for plus a powered cross feed. It would be breaking the budget, but it's much better to ask for forgiveness, etc., etc........
I'm still curious why there is so little information available on the G0768. Almost nothing. Makes you wonder.
 
The members here are really great at helping you "break your budget". They did it to me as well.
 
That PM1022 looks like a good machine with lots of features. Not cheap, but - I bought a mini-mill from HF. Nice, did a few things with it. Took only a couple of months to realize how useful such a thing is and that for many things, that machine was way too small. Sold the mini and spent WAY more money on a square column mill/drill. To shorten the story, try hard not to buy twice. The pain soon fades as you discover the versatility of the tool. Which is also to say I should have gone straight to knee mill territory. :) I use my 9x20 a lot, but the new 12x36 has reversable lead screw and power crossfeed, both look to be good features to have.

Something else FWIW - I think these light weigh lathes have a practical swing of about half the stated swing depending on the part. I could mount a 9" piece of something on my 9x20, but I'm not sure the machine could do much of anything with it.
 
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