opensourcefan
OSF
Disclaimer
The following is an account of knowledge gained while researching my small lathe purchase. Keep in mind I only know what I know, don’t know what I do not know and don’t claim to know everything. I am not recommending a particular machine, take this info and apply it to your own situation and needs.
The Basics
So... you are interested in an 8x16 lathe. You may have narrowed your decision down or up to this size. I did the same and let me help sort out some 8x16 info.
The 8x16 is made in China, along with the 7x(x), 9x(x), 10x22. These are probably the variations you were/are looking at or came across while ending up at this one. I had a tough time deciding until I went and saw them in person and got a feel for actual size. Once I did though I knew the 8x16 was for me.
These lathes are offered under many different brand names and model numbers. Grizzly (G0768), BestEquip, Vevor, Numobams etc. Some have no names at all, just model numbers. Warco has a few models close to the 8x16, they are not exactly the same specs as the 8x16’s but the WM-240 is the closest. When we are talking specs here, it’s just the 8 swing and 16 length. The model numbers vary depending on the manufacturer and installed features. It seems as though WM-210V is the base or core model which most are derived from and seem to reference. But you will see all kinds of designations. WM210V, G0768, MX210, MX-210V, NU210-G, TS-210, AMAT-210, D210 and on and on. As you can see the 210 is your hint but check the specs as you may find some 8x14 machines using these model numbers as well.
It's important that you are aware that not all the machines are the same. You will see many different variations so be careful and ask questions or ask for actual photos to know what you are getting. This is not a simple re-branding thing by factories of the same machines. Also note that photos can’t really be trusted, especially on auction sites. Most of the photos are used by everyone and you’ll find different machines in the same set of photos, never knowing what you’re actually going to get.
Distribution chain
It appears that most, if not all the castings for these lathes are made in the same place. Most likely to the same basic standards. Manufactures then take the castings and build machines from them. I believe most of the parts also come from their perspective manufactures. So really the differences between all the lathes lies in the features, quality control, tweaking and finishing.
Companies acquire all the parts and build the lathes. Photos can be found all over showing large numbers of these lathes being put together and tested in different factories. Some manufactures claim that their factories adhere to a recognized standard.
Some of the machines are available direct either via aliexpress or Alibaba or even a factory website as in the case of NUMOBAMS. The rest of the machines are shipped in bulk around the world and sold at higher prices by distributors. Most distributors are likely working on behalf of companies in China which is evident when you begin communicating with them.
Some machines are made under contract specifically for a company. For the 8x16 Grizzly, Chester and Warco come to mind. There are many others but those just seem to be brand designations more than specifically tweaked machines. For the 7x12, almost everyone has there own version and color.
A machine direct could be as low as 700 USD, the same machine is usually 1200 USD once in North America. If you are in the USA it may not be worth purchasing direct however if you are in Canada there is bigger financial savings buying direct. The cost of that lower price is the longer ship time.
Quality hints
Some things are immediately obvious of a lower quality product:
Issues (most common required fixes, tuning and mod requirements)
There will be issues upon delivery, expect them, prepare for the them mentally and tactically. It’s not a big
- Manufacturing debris, dirt, metal shaving, burs etc will need to be dealt with
- Paint corrections
- Tuning of slides will need to be done for smooth operations. This may entail adjusting the gibs, adding gib screws, lapping the slides, adding bearings to the wheels and rods, or all of the above
- Deburr pulley’s and shafts
- Check control board for loose connections and un-soldered components
- Check the security of every bolt and screw. Don’t forget, they all took a 50 day boat ride
If you want to turn your machine into a super accurate beast then check out this video. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiOGM5hoSXYTcOpqEtYlV4g
Common To All Features
Variable speed, powered carriage, forward / reverse motor, RPM LCD, emergency switch, 4 way tool post, back splash, drip tray,
Configuration Features
- Voltage 110v or 220v
- Motor wattage (I’ve seen 550, 600, 750, 850, 900, 1100)
- Metric or imperial? (imperial comes with more change gears for a greater thread selection
- Tail stock assembly cam lock lever (side or rear)
- Spindle bore diameter and chuck to match. No sense having a large spindle bore if you can’t get your Material through the chuck opening
- Pulley belts, narrow (5mm) or wide (15mm)
- Gears, plastic or metal or mix
More Rare Factory Features
The 8x16 doesn’t offer a lot of major factory add-on type features but there are a few:
- Reverse / Fwd dial for threading. This is not a common feature to find, currently I’ve only seen it on the Numobams and Grizzly. Keep in mind they’re probably the same lathe.
- Threading dial indicator
- DRO – Digital Readout
Accessories
Piece of Mind
Even though these 8x16’s are inexpensive, quickly thrown together, built on the cheap, in not the best conditions doesn’t mean this is a bad product. Just know, that upon delivery you will need to spend a week or so inspecting, cleaning, tweaking, modifying and maybe rebuilding or down right replacing parts. Once that process is done though you will know your machine inside and out. You can also feel assured that there are billions of parts out there that will just bolt on should you need to replace something in the future. The better the quality of the initial machine, equals less work needed to be done upon arrival.
Where to buy
If you have the stomach for it, buy direct. If you don’t mind waiting a couple to a few months for it to arrive, buying direct will save you money and possibly get you a lathe specific to your needs.
Direct (China) – Make contact using Aliexpress, Alibaba or their website.
Local – The Chinese lathe distributors are usually quite thorough in spreading their items so you’ll find them everywhere, Amazon, Walmart, eBay etc.
Showroom Direct
My Direct (Overseas) Buying Experience - (Manufacturer to be revealed in my upcoming machine review.)
I tried to buy locally, I really really did. My attempts on ebay were frustrating. Shipping was either $600+ not including fees. One listing I actually did buy but the seller misrepresented the weight and after the purchase stated that it couldn’t be shipped at that price. That seller then tried to get me into a bunch of other machines that I didn’t want... bait and switch...? Nothing was available in Canada and as stated above, no companies bring in this lathe as their own. Warco, Chester don’t appear to ship to Canada, Grizzly was too expensive once all was taken into account.
After all that I gave up and determined going to the source (China) was the best option. It turns out that I was able to custom order my machine to some degree and build a relationship with the builders themselves. The cost was considerably lower for a better quality, more specific to me, more feature full product.
Time Zones - The biggest issue for me was the time difference, there was a lot of email tag happening with almost 12hrs between each message. You can see if you have questions or concerns the going back and forth could take a while.
Language – There was no issue with language here. The person that I was emailing with wrote English just fine.
Professionalism – The person that I spoke with was super professional and very proud of their machines. They were eager to make a package that I wanted and were up front about costs.
Purchase Security – Go with your gut. Use a payment source that has buyer protection. Do your due diligence in gathering whatever evidence you need to feel comfortable.
Shipping Time – If you buy direct and you don’t want to pay triple digit shipping, it will be coming by boat, a huge cargo ship to be exact. If you’re on the west coast of North America it shouldn’t get stuck in the Suez Canal. It will however take about 50 days to float its way to you.
Hope you found this useful. Any questions or anything you think should be added DM me.
The following is an account of knowledge gained while researching my small lathe purchase. Keep in mind I only know what I know, don’t know what I do not know and don’t claim to know everything. I am not recommending a particular machine, take this info and apply it to your own situation and needs.
The Basics
So... you are interested in an 8x16 lathe. You may have narrowed your decision down or up to this size. I did the same and let me help sort out some 8x16 info.
The 8x16 is made in China, along with the 7x(x), 9x(x), 10x22. These are probably the variations you were/are looking at or came across while ending up at this one. I had a tough time deciding until I went and saw them in person and got a feel for actual size. Once I did though I knew the 8x16 was for me.
These lathes are offered under many different brand names and model numbers. Grizzly (G0768), BestEquip, Vevor, Numobams etc. Some have no names at all, just model numbers. Warco has a few models close to the 8x16, they are not exactly the same specs as the 8x16’s but the WM-240 is the closest. When we are talking specs here, it’s just the 8 swing and 16 length. The model numbers vary depending on the manufacturer and installed features. It seems as though WM-210V is the base or core model which most are derived from and seem to reference. But you will see all kinds of designations. WM210V, G0768, MX210, MX-210V, NU210-G, TS-210, AMAT-210, D210 and on and on. As you can see the 210 is your hint but check the specs as you may find some 8x14 machines using these model numbers as well.
It's important that you are aware that not all the machines are the same. You will see many different variations so be careful and ask questions or ask for actual photos to know what you are getting. This is not a simple re-branding thing by factories of the same machines. Also note that photos can’t really be trusted, especially on auction sites. Most of the photos are used by everyone and you’ll find different machines in the same set of photos, never knowing what you’re actually going to get.
Distribution chain
It appears that most, if not all the castings for these lathes are made in the same place. Most likely to the same basic standards. Manufactures then take the castings and build machines from them. I believe most of the parts also come from their perspective manufactures. So really the differences between all the lathes lies in the features, quality control, tweaking and finishing.
Companies acquire all the parts and build the lathes. Photos can be found all over showing large numbers of these lathes being put together and tested in different factories. Some manufactures claim that their factories adhere to a recognized standard.
Some of the machines are available direct either via aliexpress or Alibaba or even a factory website as in the case of NUMOBAMS. The rest of the machines are shipped in bulk around the world and sold at higher prices by distributors. Most distributors are likely working on behalf of companies in China which is evident when you begin communicating with them.
Some machines are made under contract specifically for a company. For the 8x16 Grizzly, Chester and Warco come to mind. There are many others but those just seem to be brand designations more than specifically tweaked machines. For the 7x12, almost everyone has there own version and color.
A machine direct could be as low as 700 USD, the same machine is usually 1200 USD once in North America. If you are in the USA it may not be worth purchasing direct however if you are in Canada there is bigger financial savings buying direct. The cost of that lower price is the longer ship time.
Quality hints
Some things are immediately obvious of a lower quality product:
| Stickers instead of metal placards, stickers on crooked, rough castings, flaking / missing paint, bent panels with large uneven gaps, hand wheels and handles, missing backlash adjustments at hand wheels, lack of tail stock adjustment set screw. Some things are harder to see or notice when only looking at photos: Gear quality, spindle bearing quality, finishing of shafts and pulley’s, smoothness of slides, bearings or no bearings, spindle / chuck runout |
Issues (most common required fixes, tuning and mod requirements)
There will be issues upon delivery, expect them, prepare for the them mentally and tactically. It’s not a big
- Manufacturing debris, dirt, metal shaving, burs etc will need to be dealt with
- Paint corrections
- Tuning of slides will need to be done for smooth operations. This may entail adjusting the gibs, adding gib screws, lapping the slides, adding bearings to the wheels and rods, or all of the above
- Deburr pulley’s and shafts
- Check control board for loose connections and un-soldered components
- Check the security of every bolt and screw. Don’t forget, they all took a 50 day boat ride
If you want to turn your machine into a super accurate beast then check out this video. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiOGM5hoSXYTcOpqEtYlV4g
Common To All Features
Variable speed, powered carriage, forward / reverse motor, RPM LCD, emergency switch, 4 way tool post, back splash, drip tray,
Configuration Features
- Voltage 110v or 220v
- Motor wattage (I’ve seen 550, 600, 750, 850, 900, 1100)
- Metric or imperial? (imperial comes with more change gears for a greater thread selection
- Tail stock assembly cam lock lever (side or rear)
- Spindle bore diameter and chuck to match. No sense having a large spindle bore if you can’t get your Material through the chuck opening
- Pulley belts, narrow (5mm) or wide (15mm)
- Gears, plastic or metal or mix
More Rare Factory Features
The 8x16 doesn’t offer a lot of major factory add-on type features but there are a few:
- Reverse / Fwd dial for threading. This is not a common feature to find, currently I’ve only seen it on the Numobams and Grizzly. Keep in mind they’re probably the same lathe.
- Threading dial indicator
- DRO – Digital Readout
Accessories
| Steady rests, quick change tool posts, 4 jaw independent chuck, centers, tail stock chuck, DRO Some lathes are sold as complete packages with all of the accessories and more to get you started. Keep in mind cutters and tooling may not be the best of quality. Most certainly the toolbox that they come in is often broken. |
Piece of Mind
Even though these 8x16’s are inexpensive, quickly thrown together, built on the cheap, in not the best conditions doesn’t mean this is a bad product. Just know, that upon delivery you will need to spend a week or so inspecting, cleaning, tweaking, modifying and maybe rebuilding or down right replacing parts. Once that process is done though you will know your machine inside and out. You can also feel assured that there are billions of parts out there that will just bolt on should you need to replace something in the future. The better the quality of the initial machine, equals less work needed to be done upon arrival.
Where to buy
If you have the stomach for it, buy direct. If you don’t mind waiting a couple to a few months for it to arrive, buying direct will save you money and possibly get you a lathe specific to your needs.
Direct (China) – Make contact using Aliexpress, Alibaba or their website.
Local – The Chinese lathe distributors are usually quite thorough in spreading their items so you’ll find them everywhere, Amazon, Walmart, eBay etc.
Showroom Direct
- USA - Grizzly appears to be the only one selling an 8x16 lathe (G0768)
- Canada – None, I’ve contacted King and they’re not interested
- UK – Chester (DB8VS), Warco (WM 240)
My Direct (Overseas) Buying Experience - (Manufacturer to be revealed in my upcoming machine review.)
I tried to buy locally, I really really did. My attempts on ebay were frustrating. Shipping was either $600+ not including fees. One listing I actually did buy but the seller misrepresented the weight and after the purchase stated that it couldn’t be shipped at that price. That seller then tried to get me into a bunch of other machines that I didn’t want... bait and switch...? Nothing was available in Canada and as stated above, no companies bring in this lathe as their own. Warco, Chester don’t appear to ship to Canada, Grizzly was too expensive once all was taken into account.
After all that I gave up and determined going to the source (China) was the best option. It turns out that I was able to custom order my machine to some degree and build a relationship with the builders themselves. The cost was considerably lower for a better quality, more specific to me, more feature full product.
Time Zones - The biggest issue for me was the time difference, there was a lot of email tag happening with almost 12hrs between each message. You can see if you have questions or concerns the going back and forth could take a while.
Language – There was no issue with language here. The person that I was emailing with wrote English just fine.
Professionalism – The person that I spoke with was super professional and very proud of their machines. They were eager to make a package that I wanted and were up front about costs.
Purchase Security – Go with your gut. Use a payment source that has buyer protection. Do your due diligence in gathering whatever evidence you need to feel comfortable.
Shipping Time – If you buy direct and you don’t want to pay triple digit shipping, it will be coming by boat, a huge cargo ship to be exact. If you’re on the west coast of North America it shouldn’t get stuck in the Suez Canal. It will however take about 50 days to float its way to you.
Hope you found this useful. Any questions or anything you think should be added DM me.
