# Getting an new Lathe Looking for input on Grizzly



## Nutz-n-Bolts (Aug 12, 2010)

Hi gang, I'm defiantly going to get off my wallet for a new mini-lathe soon. I was almost fooled into wanting a Micromark 7x16 lathe. But found the Grizzly 7x14 and I'm thinking it looks like a much better value. It's about 250 dollars less and comes with a face plate and steady rest standard (you have to pay extra for Micro-mark's) Even the cross slide throw is greater on Grizzly's

Has any one had any experience with these two machines and have any comments they'd like to share? Does one or both use plastic gearing? Is plastic a problem?


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## Kovacjr (Jan 2, 2008)

Randy if you can afford the G4000 its a much better machine. The smaller ones are very underbuilt. 3" chuck does not hold much as it limits what you can stick through the spindle as far as material. You can also look around for a 6" atlas. Can pick them up for about 200 and its the same machine as these but from the 70s of you buy the blue one.


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## Nutz-n-Bolts (Aug 12, 2010)

Thanks for the info Jason. I just got the power on in our new garage/room above today. You can see my other equipment in the photo. There is a Bridgeport Rigid ram CNC and a Lodge & Shipley 18 x 60ish cone head Lathe. I thought i would go with a smaller lathe since I'll have the old gal for the big stuff. Would you agree or do you mean even for a small lathe it's under built or might twist ?


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## Kovacjr (Jan 2, 2008)

I use my 6" Atlas all the time. Ive used the smaller ones and they are just too small. The best small lathe i have used is a 10 Southbend. Very versitale and takes up a small footprint compared to the larger one you have. The benifet to the 10" is the tooling that can be bought cheap. 

Are you far from this one?? http://www.ebay.com/itm/South-Bend-...434?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27bf2cfe1a


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## Gary Armitstead (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Kovacjr on 16 Oct 2011 09:14 PM 
I use my 6" Atlas all the time. Ive used the smaller ones and they are just too small. The best small lathe i have used is a 10 Southbend. Very versitale and takes up a small footprint compared to the larger one you have. The benifet to the 10" is the tooling that can be bought cheap. 

Are you far from this one?? http://www.ebay.com/itm/South-Bend-...434?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27bf2cfe1a 
This looks like a great lathe and a fair price with all that's included.


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## Nutz-n-Bolts (Aug 12, 2010)

I'm Definetly not too far from that lathe to get it. Would it be realistic to turn even the smallest of parts on it? Would accuracy be Just as good as the Mini Lathes? Thanks Guys!


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## Dwight Ennis (Jan 2, 2008)

I'm personally not real big on Grizzly. I bought a combo shear/brake/slip rollers from them. The first one arrived damaged (really piss-poor packaging) and I had to refuse delivery. I called them and they wouldn't send me a replacement until they'd received the original back. One would think they could check with their shipper and verify that I was telling the truth and shipment was indeed refused. The second tool also arrived with minor damage (again, very poor packaging), but not so bad that I was willing to refuse it and await a third one (I needed it for the loco I was building). Quality of the tool is so-so.


MHO - when it comes to tools - especially precision tools like a lathe or a milling machine - you definitely get what you pay for. Such machines require precision in their manufacture in order to turn out precision work. I would not buy such a machine from Grizzly, which essentially sells Chinese-made tools. We all know what a crap shoot Chinese quality control is. You may get a decent tool and you may not. Unless you know how to go through the lathe and bring it up to snuff, you may be in for one helluva disappointment. IMHO, far better to spend more up front and get something that will last a lifetime then buy something cheap and regret it later - or worse, find it completely unusable. 


Again, just MHO. It's your money.


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## Semper Vaporo (Jan 2, 2008)

I will agree that you get what you pay for and unfortunately, "quality" is equated with "expensive".

But I will have to retell my story for your possible edification.

I bought the MicroMark 7x12 MiniLathe. I was frustrated in that I could not make two parts alike! I determined in my mind that the machine was too structurally weak. Take a big bite in the stock and you can see the tool post tilt and the tilt is a combination from just about everything on the lathe warping slightly... the post itself, the carriage and the bedway all add to the movement of the bit when it hits the work.

I determined that I could do better if I had a bigger and better machine! I began to subscribe to machining magazines to read the adverts for the bigger and better machine tools. Of course the price jumped by a power of 10. My lathe was in the $500 range, and the bigger and better machines were in the $5,000 range. The weight also took a similar jump and I wondered how I would get such a beast down my basement stairway! (Cut a hole in the roof, dining room ceiling, and dining room floor and use a crane?)

I then met a man via the internet who was coming to the states from England to visit his son and wondered if there was a place nearby where he could run his Garden Live Steam Locomotive (he described it as "My Project Engine"). I had my Aster USRA Light Mikado and he said he'd like to see it run also so we settled on a place to meet.

At the meet I was suitably proud of my Aster as he admired it for a few minutes. Then he said he should probably get his engine out. The only "Project" type engines I had ever seen or heard of were back-woodsy kludges with a vertical boiler and a wobbler cylinder and, quite frankly, I am not at all interested in that kind of "toy". But in the interest of "international relations" I was sure I could fein some interest in his "Project Engine".

Be brought out a very nice custom wood carrying case and when he opened it and withdrew an utterly beautiful English outline 0-6-0 with tender, I was astonished. (Secretly, I wondered if he had been too embarassed to bring his "Project Engine" to be seen with "my Aster" and had instead brought a commercial engine of some sort.) There were several other people at the meet and someone asked where he had purchased the engine (wasn't ME!). His answer was that he had made it all himself in his home machine shop, and rather apologeticly added that the cylinders and wheels were from castings, but he had turned them on his lathe.

That word "lathe" sure perked up my ears! If that is the kind of work you can turn out on a lathe I really wanted to know which one he had... I was gonna plunk down the dollars to get the same kind!

Someone asked (again, not me) what kind of lathe he had. I was quickly recalling all the adverts I had been reading and was trying to remember the prices so I'd know how much I was about to spend.

His response?

"I have that little Mini-lathe from MicroMark. It is not much of a machine, but it does what I want."

(Thanks, Ted, you saved me a lot of money!)

It is said that it is a poor workman that blames his tools. So, I won't badmouth the MicroMark lathe. I have been practicing lots with mine and as of this date, if you want ONE of anything, I MIGHT be able to supply a useable part... but if you want TWO, you will have to accept a pair that don't look anything alike! (I bet if I were to make an 0-4-0 there would be at least 2 wheels that would never touch the rails.)


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## xo18thfa (Jan 2, 2008)

I agree with Jason, don't over look an Atlas 6" They are excellent machines and widely available. You can get threaded backplates from LittleMachineShop.com and hang on any chuck you want. You can also get a small 0XA quick change tools post set from LMS (A2Z CNC brand) and other neat stuff. There are basically 2 generations of Atlas 6". The newer ones have a squared headstock, the older version is rounded. Over time you can accumulate the attachments and have a quality heirloom machine set.


I have a Grizzly G4000 and I rate it "fair" The compound rest is very weak and extremely difficult to set. It requires a rather extensive modification to use a QCTP.


That 10" at ebay is attractive except it has a 3 phase motor. Phase converters are very expensive if you don't already have one.


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## Nutz-n-Bolts (Aug 12, 2010)

Thanks for all the input guys. I think I may try to snag that 10" south bend. I sent the guy a few questions about pick up and payment. I need to get a 3 phase converter for the other 2 machines so that doesn't scare me too much. I already have a dedicated 240 volt outlet wired and ready for the converter. They have some nice 3hp rotary converters on feebay for about $300. I'll let you all know how thing turns out. Thanks again for the great advice!


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## Kovacjr (Jan 2, 2008)

Randy 

Glad you will get it. I was very temped to buy it myself, my friend and I were discussing it this afternoon when we were able to get out there to pick it up. The 3 phase doesnt matter as its just a motor sitting in a cabinet via a belt They are super smooth and quiet. That price though is a steal no matter what the motor.


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## Dwight Ennis (Jan 2, 2008)

It is said that it is a poor workman that blames his tools.True enough Semper, and it's certainly possible to produce good (or even excellent) work with a crappy machine. I had a little Unimat originally that I bought some 25 years ago. When assembling a Bangham whistle, I managed to turn the required "centering tool" to within 0.0005" but I was fighting backlash, etc. all the way. The question then becomes, do you want to spend time producing, or do you want to spend time fighting your tool?


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## Kovacjr (Jan 2, 2008)

Randy You actually have more accucracy on the 10" lathe than the mini lathes you are looking at. Not until you get into the swiss mini lathes and watch lathes do you start to get into a better mini lathe. Though at 10,000+ it better be.

Most of my work is done on the 10" SB or my 6" Atlas in my shop. Its easier to work on a larger lathe with small stuff then a small lathe with small stuff. Tooling is also easier to get. Buy it and you wont be sorry. You can sell it to me if you dont like it.


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## Nutz-n-Bolts (Aug 12, 2010)

Posted By Dwight Ennis on 17 Oct 2011 08:20 PM 
It is said that it is a poor workman that blames his tools.True enough Semper, and it's certainly possible to produce good (or even excellent) work with a crappy machine. I had a little Unimat originally that I bought some 25 years ago. When assembling a Bangham whistle, I managed to turn the required "centering tool" to within 0.0005" but I was fighting backlash, etc. all the way. The question then becomes, do you want to spend time producing, or do you want to spend time fighting your tool? 

Dwight, you are sounding more like a seasoned guru every day !

Hey Jason, Thanks for all your input. I figured this was the case with this lathe. You can still get plenty of accuracy down small and it's easier since the lathe isn't groaning and at it's working limits stress wise. I'm definitely going to try and get it. I even have the "bosses" approval. She is great about this kind of stuff. My sister lives in Cleveland so we will even get to stop in for a visit. Thanks again for the help and the link to this little gem!


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## Dwight Ennis (Jan 2, 2008)

Dwight, you are sounding more like a seasoned guru every day !Nah... I'm just lazy and want the easiest time of it I can get.







Besides, until I can retire (in 1 year, 87 days), my hobby time and energy are limited and I don't wish to spend it unproductively.


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## Nutz-n-Bolts (Aug 12, 2010)

Well gentlemen, 
I am the proud new owner of a 10" South bend. I go to pick it up next weekend. Thanks again for all your help and advice. Hopefully this will enable me to provide you all with more interesting posts than I have in the past!


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## Kovacjr (Jan 2, 2008)

And Im the new proud owner of a indexing turret tailstock for my 6" atlas! Evilbay striks again! Rare to find a version from a old 6" lathe. Will adapt it to mine.


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## Dwight Ennis (Jan 2, 2008)

Congrats to you both!


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## Nutz-n-Bolts (Aug 12, 2010)

Nice snag Jason. Funny thing about Feebay. It's a love/hate relationship for all of us!


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## Nutz-n-Bolts (Aug 12, 2010)

Just wanted to post an up date. Got it home safe and sound. I also picked up 30 collets form the guy for $75 ! I came with lots of other goodies too including 5" chuck and three face plates. I'm so glad I got this instead of one of the mini lathes. My 3-Phase converter should be in route by now so hopefully soon I'll be able to fire her up. That should give me time to scrub and lube the old gal.


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## Kovacjr (Jan 2, 2008)

Sweet looking toy! Will never be sorry about the purchase.


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## Gary Armitstead (Jan 2, 2008)

Outstanding buy Randy.







I noticed that your lathe has "V" ways, not just the flat ways normally found on lesser equipment. All those collets for $75 is a steal!


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## oldgamergeek (Nov 1, 2011)

I have a ancient Atlas 10" gear change that still cuts parts better than some of the new machines.


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## xo18thfa (Jan 2, 2008)

Gorgeous machine. A little clean up and fresh paint, she'll be brand new again.


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## Nutz-n-Bolts (Aug 12, 2010)

Thanks for all the nice comments guys. Ive gone over it some and she seems in pretty god shape. The oil cups weren't even bone dry. My wife called this morning to tell me my 3-phase converter arrived, so it's only a matter of time. I have a work bench to build and some interesting copper work to finish in relation to our house heating then I can give the new man cave my full attention. I still have most of my tools to organize into my new cabinets (just hung this weekend) and soon to come work bench. It's all very exciting stuff though. Thanks for all the advise!


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