1JaredSchmidt
Member
My dad and I have been thinking of getting a bigger lathe. Is this lathe a good choice? Thanks! http://www.grizzly.com/products/Variable-Speed-Lathe/G0456
Is this Grizzly lathe Good?
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R2
Member
From here it seems to be the goods,but as I don't live in the US or even know much about the Gizzly my opinion is not well informed.
Rifleman1776
Member
That is an updated version of their previous top of the line lathe. I am on my second Grizzly lathe and have been ecstatically pleased with the performance of both. My new (current) lathe is the G0632
http://www.grizzly.com/products/g0632
For a couple hundred dollars less than the 0456, it doesn't yield much in features. The 0456 does have the gap over headstock for very large pieces and has the sander on the end which some would say is a worthless feature. In my shop I couldn't use it because of space/location considerations. But that would be something only you can decide.
Do note, with the 0456, the slowest low speed is 500 rpm. That can make turning large rough bowl blanks not only risky but dangerous. The G0632 has a slow, soft, start from 0 rpm. (for practical purposes, it is about 200 rpm)
I have many Grizzly tools and all have invariably been reliable and have proven to be the best value on the market. In other words, usually more bang for the buck than other brands. Grizzly service has to be the best anywhere and is always given with a smile and professionalism.
http://www.grizzly.com/products/g0632
For a couple hundred dollars less than the 0456, it doesn't yield much in features. The 0456 does have the gap over headstock for very large pieces and has the sander on the end which some would say is a worthless feature. In my shop I couldn't use it because of space/location considerations. But that would be something only you can decide.
Do note, with the 0456, the slowest low speed is 500 rpm. That can make turning large rough bowl blanks not only risky but dangerous. The G0632 has a slow, soft, start from 0 rpm. (for practical purposes, it is about 200 rpm)
I have many Grizzly tools and all have invariably been reliable and have proven to be the best value on the market. In other words, usually more bang for the buck than other brands. Grizzly service has to be the best anywhere and is always given with a smile and professionalism.
Ron in Drums PA
Member
No, I'd stay away from grizzly lathes.
1JaredSchmidt
Member
Why is that Ron?
Rifleman1776
Member
Because I recommended them.
jhs494
Member
I have a Grizzly model 0584. It has .040" side to side play in the tailstock. This is the fit between the tailstock and the bed. Very sloppy. This isn't wear this is the out of the box slop in the fit.
It still works but I would not buy another one. This is just my opinion.
Although it may have been a good price,
I feel I got what I paid for.
It still works but I would not buy another one. This is just my opinion.
Although it may have been a good price,
I feel I got what I paid for.
ashaw
Member
I Have a General Maxi Lathe VS and very happy with it.
wdcav1952
Activities Manager Emeritus
Will your father adopt me??
Ron in Drums PA
Member
There is a reason why Grizzly has good customer service, they need it.
* The fit on their lathes are sloppy out of the box
* The hole in the banjo for the tool rest is undersized, so you will not be able to upgrade to a better tool rest.
* I've heard many people who have owned Grizzlys that they would never buy another lathe from them again. I've never heard anyone ever say this about a Nova, Jet, Rikon or Powermatic.
Nothing personal Frank, I just disagree with the advice you give. There have been times I agreed with you, but you seem to forget that.
Rifleman1776
Member
One by one: Ron said:
"There is a reason why Grizzly has good customer service, they need it."
Of the five major, and numerous smaller, Grizzly tools I have, I have needed service, maybe three times. The overload switch on my planer was too sensitive. They replaced with a smile. My new lathe got scratched during unpacking and a small handle was broken. They supplied me with a can of touch-up paint and a new handle. A three jaw chuck was a bummer, replaced with a smile and apologies. Many calls from me with questions answered quickly and professionally. Before buying my current lathe (G0632) I asked a question they didn't have a ready answer to. The researched then not only sent me the answer but a $50.00 gift certificate for bringing this oversight to their attention. That was followed up with a phone call from a top executive offering his personal apology. That call resulted in an hour and a half conversation about tools in general. Do they need the good service? Depends on your point of view. To be a top company in a highly competitive field, I would say yes.
"The fit on their lathes are sloppy out of the box"
Pure hogwash. Absolute nonsense. I have seen many Grizzly lathes. They are fine and ready to go. Top quality all the way. This can be proven just by looking at their products.
"The hole in the banjo for the tool rest is undersized, so you will not be able to upgrade to a better tool rest."
I might have to give a 'maybe' on this. The banjo hole is ).98something. A full 1" post will not fit. I don't know if that is a criticism. I am able to upgrade with just a little work. I also do know that many products, lathes and much other 'stuff', has proprietary specifications so you must buy their products. Call this point a matter of opinion.
"I've heard many people who have owned Grizzlys that they would never buy another lathe from them again. I've never heard anyone ever say this about a Nova, Jet, Rikon or Powermatic."
I won't doubt your word. But, I would like to be able to contact some of those "many" people. I do know one person who cussed his Nova for a couple years because he had to keep sending the head back for repairs that never seemed to get fixed correctly. BTW, the head is very heavy and he had to pay all shipping. Now that it is fixed, he loves his Nova. Folks is funny. Those I have known love their Grizzly's. The guy I sold my old one to has called and written multiple times thanking me for selling it to him he is so happy. Another BTW, many of the Jet and Grizzly models come off the same line at the Chinese factory where they are made. There are sometimes minor differences in specs but many are either identical or nearly so. Maybe some people don't like green.
Not stated here, I'm not trying to put words into Ron's mouth. But, some people have told me they hate the Grizzly company because of the name of the owner (hope I spell it right) Shiraz Bilola. He is of mid-eastern ethnicity (Iraq or Iran). To some people that justifies hate. As I see it, he has become an American and an American success story. He supports conservative political issues, including the 2nd Amendment. His company exudes good service, good products, great value, friendliness and the essence of free enterprise. If you hate that, well, that's your problem.
Final word. I'm loyal to the Grizzly brand because it has proven to be the best value for the items I have bought from them. Their service is great and their store is relatively local to me. If their products start to go downhill in quality or price rise to eliminate value and service deteriorates, I'm gone. My first loyalty is to myself and my pocketbook.
Fini.
Ron in Drums PA
Member
Frank, I'm not trying to start a fight
Turn safe and enjoy
Turn safe and enjoy
Russianwolf
Member
The guy runs a more American company than many "American" companies can claim to be anymore. By this I'm talking about the overall company, not the place were things are made. Once upon a time, "Made in America" meant quality and service (the reason I drive a 40 year old AMERICAN truck), now for the most part it's a bad joke.
When I called Griz for service, the phone was answered in Missouri, not India. The person on the other end actually knew about the tools I was asking about and worked to get the problem fixed. I received regular updates from them (initiated by THEM) until the new part hit my doorstep. All postage was paid by them, and they wanted the old part back so "we can see what went wrong and not have this problem for other customers".
I have two Grizzly's in my shop, and more will be joining as I upgrade other things. One of their disc/belt sanders is next on my list.
On the original topic. I looks like a nice lathe, but I would actually rather go with the model one step below it. It has a better speed range, and can pivot to turn larger items.
Rifleman1776
Member
Good post, Mike.
I was recently told that the Lockheed-Martin plant in Texas has just replaced ALL their tools with Grizzly exclusively. That is many hundreds of machine tools. Companies like that ain't run by no idjits, they made the change for a reason and it wasn't to get sloppy made, poor fitting lathes in their shop.
BTW, I drove the same Dodge truck for 23 years and 500,000 miles before replacing with another Dodge. The new one, I found out, after the fact, was actually built in Mexico. Diff. went out at 70,000 miles and the trans. just after I got the diff. bill paid.
I was recently told that the Lockheed-Martin plant in Texas has just replaced ALL their tools with Grizzly exclusively. That is many hundreds of machine tools. Companies like that ain't run by no idjits, they made the change for a reason and it wasn't to get sloppy made, poor fitting lathes in their shop.
BTW, I drove the same Dodge truck for 23 years and 500,000 miles before replacing with another Dodge. The new one, I found out, after the fact, was actually built in Mexico. Diff. went out at 70,000 miles and the trans. just after I got the diff. bill paid.
Russianwolf
Member
I just went and opened my Griz catalog to the "sampling of our customers", included in the list are:
Tool Compaies:
Black and Decker
Ryobi
Industry leaders in "quality" products:
Boeing
Chris Craft Boats
Fleetwood Motor Homes
GE
Gulfstream
John Deere
Learjet
Lockheed
NASA
Toyota Industrial
True Artists:
Gibson (guitars)
Suhr Guitars
I think all these places know quality tools.
Tool Compaies:
Black and Decker
Ryobi
Industry leaders in "quality" products:
Boeing
Chris Craft Boats
Fleetwood Motor Homes
GE
Gulfstream
John Deere
Learjet
Lockheed
NASA
Toyota Industrial
True Artists:
Gibson (guitars)
Suhr Guitars
I think all these places know quality tools.
Kalai
Member
I tried a grizzly lathe about 7 years ago I think, I did not get there top lathe but I did not get the cheapest either, anyway when I got it I was very unhappy, it was a piece of junk, so I got grizzlys top of the line lathe and that was junk too. I must say that the lathes they have now look better and I have heard some good things about them, it looks like it might be a good lathe to get but I have not tried any of there newer lathes but I must say you can not beat Powermatic or General, I have both of them and they are great, I also have delta and rockwell lathes and they are good too. it all depends on what you are going to turn, I make a living turning so I need good lathes and I have tried many different lathes and turned thousands of bowls, I hope you find my input usefull, aloha.
Kalai
Kalai
Rifleman1776
Member
Originally posted by Kalai
I tried a grizzly lathe about 7 years ago I think, I did not get there top lathe but I did not get the cheapest either, anyway when I got it I was very unhappy, it was a piece of junk, so I got grizzlys top of the line lathe and that was junk too. I must say that the lathes they have now look better and I have heard some good things about them, it looks like it might be a good lathe to get but I have not tried any of there newer lathes but I must say you can not beat Powermatic or General, I have both of them and they are great, I also have delta and rockwell lathes and they are good too. it all depends on what you are going to turn, I make a living turning so I need good lathes and I have tried many different lathes and turned thousands of bowls, I hope you find my input usefull, aloha.
Kalai
Would you please be specific about the "junk" comment?
And, it should be pointed out there are thousands of dollars difference in the prices of the Griz and PM or General.
Ron in Drums PA
Member
Junk - noun
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/junk
2. anything that is regarded as worthless, meaningless, or contemptible; trash
7. cheap, worthless, unwanted, or trashy.
We all know that most Taiwan lathes are made in the same factory, did you ever wonder what happens to the lathes the better brands reject?
Remember, you get what you pay for.
Russianwolf
These big companies you listed not only have buying power, they can demand certain specs on the equipment they purchase and reject containers full of equipment that isn't to spec. Don't be fooled into thinking that they are buying the same product as we can though the catalog.
Kalai
Member
Hi, I did not like the motor, it was not a continous duty and not very strong (reminded me of sears maximum developed motors), the tool rest was to small and the cast iron it was made from striped to easyly after tightening, the cast iron over all seemed not very good, it is easy to damage compared to some other cast iron I have had, the tail stock is not acurate, and after trying the top of the line model I found myself wanting to go back to my old delta and rockwell or even a sears lathe. Remember I do a lot more bowls than pens and like I said they seem to be a bit better now, atleast they look like they are made better now but I still will not buy another one to find out. I find it better in the long run to spend a bit more money in the begining to get good tools. This is my opinion and it is based on there older grizly lathes NOT the newer ones, and I should point out that I was surprised and just figured that grizly was just starting out in the wood lathe aspect and needed to learn a bit, because before I had the grizly lathes I had a sander and planer and was satisfied, I also seen and used the 14" bandsaw and it seemed good too.[8D] aloha.
Chris
Kalai
Chris
Kalai
Rifleman1776
Member
Originally posted by Kalai
Hi, I did not like the motor, it was not a continous duty and not very strong (reminded me of sears maximum developed motors), the tool rest was to small and the cast iron it was made from striped to easyly after tightening, the cast iron over all seemed not very good, it is easy to damage compared to some other cast iron I have had, the tail stock is not acurate, and after trying the top of the line model I found myself wanting to go back to my old delta and rockwell or even a sears lathe. Remember I do a lot more bowls than pens and like I said they seem to be a bit better now, atleast they look like they are made better now but I still will not buy another one to find out. I find it better in the long run to spend a bit more money in the begining to get good tools. This is my opinion and it is based on there older grizly lathes NOT the newer ones, and I should point out that I was surprised and just figured that grizly was just starting out in the wood lathe aspect and needed to learn a bit, because before I had the grizly lathes I had a sander and planer and was satisfied, I also seen and used the 14" bandsaw and it seemed good too.[8D] aloha.
Chris
Kalai
Interesting. And, I thank you for replying objectively. FWIW, my first Grizzly lathe was a G1067Z that I bought about ten years ago for $325.00. The 1/2 hp motor did what it was supposed to do. Granted, it was not powerful enough for all I wanted. But, it was a $325.00 lathe and I have since upgraded to a 220V 1 1/2HP at considerably more dollars. The old lathe lined up perfectly, point to point first time out of box and remained accurate to the day I sold it. You formed your opinion and that's all right. I just would add that I possibly could form a similar opinion of all Delta tools by comparing my $89.00 table saw to $1,000.00 models of other makes. Sure would be interesting to have you come to my shop (that's an invite to stay at Casa Fusco as a guest) and try my new G0632. I betcha ye would be impressed.
Russianwolf
Member
Yeah, some can, others would only be buying maybe a d0zen of any tool, so no, they would not and they are the one's I think make the "better" product. Leerjet for example doesn't make 10000 jets a year with the kind of interiors that scream over the top excellence (burl woods all over the place), but the ones they do make are prestine.
It's also why I mentioned Suhr Guitars, they are pretty low volume comparitively and I believe an article I read said that all the tooling they have is from Grizzly.
Ron in Drums PA
Member
I firmly believe that you get what you pay for. Sometimes the cheapest product will wind up costing you more in the long run in either down time or upgrade. Of course a tape measure is a tape measure no matter where you buy it from.
BTW - Martin Guitars was once on Grizzly's list on companies, I wonder why they are no longer present.
I know there are people who purchase only on price and then justify what they buy as the "best deal"
BTW - Martin Guitars was once on Grizzly's list on companies, I wonder why they are no longer present.
I know there are people who purchase only on price and then justify what they buy as the "best deal"
loglugger
Member
I get really tired of hearing "you get what you pay for" anyone that pays quite a bit less for anything is taking a chance that it is going to have something not up to par. There are some really good buys that with a little adjusting and fine tuning you will have a tool as good as the best of them. If you don't know anything about machinery then you should pay the price and get a good one out of the box, if you are willing to take the time and do the adjusting and fine tuning you can make a good tool out of some of the cheaper not so good tools.
Bob
Bob
Kalai
Member
Hi Frank, that is a nice offer, I will take you up on that if I ever visit your area. If you ever come to the Big island of Hawaii I hope you look me up, aloha.
Chris
Kalai
Chris
Kalai
Rifleman1776
Member
Originally posted by Kalai
Hi Frank, that is a nice offer, I will take you up on that if I ever visit your area. If you ever come to the Big island of Hawaii I hope you look me up, aloha.
Chris
Kalai
BTW, you wouldn't be the first Hawaiian to be a guest here. And first one used my lathe also. They were e-friends, now are good personal friends.
nwcatman
Member
i agree. had one, never again. got rid of it as fast as i could.
Russianwolf
Member
there are exceptions to every rule.
I've used tablesaws that ranged in price from $100-2000. The $2000 saws are very nice, but the saw I have cost $300 new (Ryobi) and provides beautiful, repeatable cuts on everything I use it for. I've even resawn 16/4 Wenge with it and while not the fastest on the cut, it did a great job of making an overlapped cut that only needed light sanding to smooth to a glue joint. I'll replace it at some point, but the replacement will be a $3k+ Euro style saw (reason, nothing else offers the features to replace my current saw's features).
I also have a Hitachi 12 inch bandsaw that you would be hard pressed to beat for anything less than three times the price. I can even put a riser block in to to raise the max cut to about 11 inches. The only thing I wish it could do is take a nice thick resaw blade, but for $115 hey, I can forgive that.
Wanna compare the "get what you pay for" of the $20,000 Jeep Wrangler and a $100,000 Hummer H1?
Ron in Drums PA
Member
What a sad state of affairs.
Is this what consumer expectations have fallen to in this country?
We buy something new than have to fix it before we can use it?
I don't know about you folks, but this scares the bejabbers out of me.
Rifleman1776
Member
I would wonder also. One cannot draw conclusions from changes like that. In my area are many companies that build fishing boats. They will sometimes change the motors they put on. e.g from Mercury to Honda, etc. That doesn't mean Mercury suddenly got bad. It is a business decision with various elements involved.
BTW, I have always emphasized "best value" for me. To some that might interpret as best deal. Best value does not always mean lowest priced. And I always emphasize 'for me'. These purchasing decisions are personal. What I would choose for myself and the reasons behind those decisions might not fit the needs of others. I share my observations and experiences.
Rifleman1776
Member
Ron, that is nothing new. I have sold and traded in guns for many years. Most, including the well-known American brands, need some kind of tune-up for optimum performance as they come out of the box.
And, since I am fighting off barbs about Grizzly products, none of the Grizzly tools I have ever purchased needed repairs before I could use. Small exception, the planer mentioned needed the overload/heat switch replaced because it was too sensitive. Griz did it with a smile under warranty.
Ron in Drums PA
Member
Yes, that nice and all, but this topic is about grizzly lathes and a 15 yr old person looking to get his first lathe. Lets not forget that. The last thing I would want to see is Jared get disappointed in turning because of a crummy lathe.
For the record... I own Ryobi, Hitachi, Craftsman, B&D, DeWalt and Grizzly tools. The grizzly I own is a 6x48 belt sander I purchased at a garage sale for $50. Best $50 I spent and the tool is worth every penny that I paid.
The Ryobi TS is a decent tool for the weekend warrior. But it does lack power.
I own 2 Hitachi routers and I love them.
I never liked 12 inch bandsaws, even at 1/3 the price. Especially if I couldn't install a thick resaw blade, no matter who made it. Unless of course, it was the second or third bandsaw that I owned. Then it might come in handy something, but if you ever used a real bandsaw you would know what I'm talking about.
You can't account for the stupidity of stasis symbols
loglugger
Member
quote Ron, What a sad state of affairs.
Is this what consumer expectations have fallen to in this country?
We buy something new than have to fix it before we can use it?
I don't know about you folks, but this scares the bejabbers out of me.
Ron, if I can save money with some adjustment and fine tunning them I will do it. Like I said if you don't have very much experince with the machine you are buying then it would be better to spend the money.
Bob
Is this what consumer expectations have fallen to in this country?
We buy something new than have to fix it before we can use it?
I don't know about you folks, but this scares the bejabbers out of me.
Ron, if I can save money with some adjustment and fine tunning them I will do it. Like I said if you don't have very much experince with the machine you are buying then it would be better to spend the money.
Bob
Russianwolf
Member
and even the best of machines need to have a periodic tune up. vibrations and other bumps and things knock them out of alignment and simple wear also. There isn't a machine available that's an out of the box flawless machine and will stay that way forever.
Ron in Drums PA
Member
Loglugger. I've been rebuilding printing presses for years. I'm not to sure that Jared has our background
Wake Up!
Did you forget we are talking new equipment here and not ones that have been in use?
Edit in:
Just a Thought: Within the last 5 or so years in my business, I've found that used equipment seems to out preform new equipment. Really a sad state of affairs.
wizical
Member
after reading all of these posts and seeing what everyone has gone through with their equipment. this is just my opinion....If you have to call a company over and over again cause your equipment is failing, and they do it with a smile, that tells me their customer service might be great, but their equipment must not be first rate. there is nothing wrong with calling them every so often, but if you have to call them repeatedly to have something fix, you need to get some new equipment. And yes, it should work right out of the box, sometimes you need to fine tune, but not call the companies customer service as soon as you get it.
I own a NOVA DVR XP Lathe and within the two months, the motherboard was fried. They replaced it with no problem and that is what happens with electronics, but if I have to call them over and over again about this lathe. Then I would have them replace the whole thing or refund my money. but that is my opinion and words.
I own a NOVA DVR XP Lathe and within the two months, the motherboard was fried. They replaced it with no problem and that is what happens with electronics, but if I have to call them over and over again about this lathe. Then I would have them replace the whole thing or refund my money. but that is my opinion and words.
Rifleman1776
Member
If you are referring to me, I don't have to call Grizzly "over and over again". But those few times I needed to, they have been great. In fact, most of my contacts with Grizzly service are pre-purchase to clarify what might not be in the catalog. Please read all my posts in this thread.
wizical
Member
im not referring to anyone, i did read all the posts, it is mind boggling that you are getting defensive over this. it is just a post. You made your choice and if you are happy, then that is fine.
woodman928
Member
Jared
Let the guys fight over Grizzly verses yada yada yada
I go by Grizzly here in Springfield Mo as it’s just up the road and it fun to go in and talk with the folks there. I looked at the lathe you are talking about (this is the one I thought you had Frank) and the thing is build like a tank the only problem I see with it is the head stock shaft dose not go through its plugged. A big draw back if you ever want to use a vacuum set up. The lathe is a real beast and solid as a rock. They are aware of the plugged shaft thing and it may change at some point as they said that is the only complaint they are getting on the lathe.
Now the guys I talk to are salesman for Grizzly but I knew several of them when they had there shops going I was still in the woodworking business and I trust what they say they will even tell me when to leave a machine alone (very quietly).
I had a large production shop and ran a lot of Powermatic, Delta, Porter Cable, and a very expensive CNC and yes some Grizzly. I would not be afraid of this lathe one little bit if the through hold is not a problem and I will look at it much harder if they change that one problem. I have a dealer here in town to compare machines with (jet, PM General and Delta) and for the money I would buy the Grizzly.
I would however not touch the lower modelsmachines as I just did not like what I seen. This is JUST my opinion as I have not used them.
Hope this helps.
Jay
Let the guys fight over Grizzly verses yada yada yada
I go by Grizzly here in Springfield Mo as it’s just up the road and it fun to go in and talk with the folks there. I looked at the lathe you are talking about (this is the one I thought you had Frank) and the thing is build like a tank the only problem I see with it is the head stock shaft dose not go through its plugged. A big draw back if you ever want to use a vacuum set up. The lathe is a real beast and solid as a rock. They are aware of the plugged shaft thing and it may change at some point as they said that is the only complaint they are getting on the lathe.
Now the guys I talk to are salesman for Grizzly but I knew several of them when they had there shops going I was still in the woodworking business and I trust what they say they will even tell me when to leave a machine alone (very quietly
).I had a large production shop and ran a lot of Powermatic, Delta, Porter Cable, and a very expensive CNC and yes some Grizzly. I would not be afraid of this lathe one little bit if the through hold is not a problem and I will look at it much harder if they change that one problem. I have a dealer here in town to compare machines with (jet, PM General and Delta) and for the money I would buy the Grizzly.
I would however not touch the lower modelsmachines as I just did not like what I seen. This is JUST my opinion as I have not used them.
Hope this helps.
Jay
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Rifleman1776
Member
Jay, my lathe is the G0632. It does have a hole through the headstock. That is one reason why I originally suggested Jared consider stepping down from the G0456. I believe the 0632 to be a much better product all around. And, BTW, it too, is built like a tank. In fact, the cast iron legs look identical to those on a Powermatic.