CXA works out perfectly on a 16, in my opinion. CXA1 and CXA2 both take up to a 3/4 shank, while CXA1S and 2S can take 1 inch. I would look for 3/4 tooling. I find that I sometimes have to shim the tool blocks up to get the cutter on center when I use smaller shanks, which is not very often these days.
Ah carbide inserts.. Difficult is maybe not the right word. I would say carbide is not always the most appropriate choice for a machine like a 16. Carbide works best at higher SFM rates than you can get from most 16's with smaller diameter parts. Don't get me wrong, I use carbide inserts in my 16 almost constantly. But you need to understand the limits of the machine and tooling in order to work comfortably.
I understand the appeal. There is an impression of quick work pace, ease of use, simple set up convenience to carbide inserts. Many people will justify the cost of carbide for those reasons. In practice carbide takes a bit of getting-the-hang-of.. I have been using insert tooling daily for many years. When I have to look up specs for something new I get a headache from the alphabet soup used to describe grades and styles of inserts. I have not found a magic, one insert does everything well solution. But I am still looking, and I do use HSS often as well.
If most of what you are doing is steel, you might look for a CCMT insert for turning and facing, and a parting blade that takes a GTN insert. If you do any aluminum, a CCGT insert goes in the same holder. These are positive rake and pretty easy to good results from, though I am sure you could ask 10 people and get 10 different answers.
If you give me an idea of what you are turning I can suggest what I might use in that situation.
Best,
Marc
