keithbyrd
Member
Looking for some current thoughts on the Grizzly mini 7x12? Will be my first metal lathe-have lots to learn. What are your experiences/pros/cons?
Thanks in advance for your thoughts!
Thanks in advance for your thoughts!
The microlux appears to be on the same platform as the littlemachine shop: https://www.littlemachineshop.com/products/product_view.php?ProductID=5100&category=1271799306Lots of options in that size and price range, but my understanding is that most of the different brands are manufactured in the same factory. The difference being specification tolerances (and how well they are managed) and the different components. Personally I wouldn't buy another lathe without a brushless motor. I'd give this micromark a good look: https://www.micromark.com/MicroLux-7x16-Mini-Lathe
Added benefit of brushless is forward and reverse on the fly (I think this is a universal feature anyway, Micromark advertises reverse on this particular lathe. ***edit: it looks like the micromark actually reverses with mechanical gears on a lever). This can make threading easy because you don't have to disengage, just move the tool out in reverse. You can also thread and do other operations moving AWAY from the headstock. I think they also usually have faster braking (but I'm not sure this is universal)
The grizzly is $1020 shipped and the micromark is $1080, definitely worth the difference in my opinion
I don't think you'll find one in this price range that has a dedicated auto feed. Here is a decent comparison: https://www.micromark.com/MicroLux-7x16-Mini-Lathe
Huh, sounds like prices have changed considerably. Mine was $575 shipped several years ago. I probably wouldn't buy it again for 1020.The grizzly is $1020 shipped and the micromark is $1080, definitely worth the difference in my opinion
Be careful with reverse on lathes. Just because the motor/headstock can support it doesn't mean that the chuck will stay on when you suddenly slam it into reverse from a dead stop (or, worse, from full forward). A little 5" chuck isn't as terrifying as an 8" (or 12" or...), but it's still not much fun when it pops off while spinning, dings the ways, and then goes tearing off across the shop like that unicyclist from B.C. :Added benefit of brushless is forward and reverse on the fly (I think this is a universal feature anyway, Micromark advertises reverse on this particular lathe. ***edit: it looks like the micromark actually reverses with mechanical gears on a lever).
I've never used a D1-4 (all of my lathes have simple threaded spindles), but if I understand them properly, yeah, they'd be perfectly happy with a quick reverse. A little more digging says that the Grizzly has an "intrinsic backplate" spindle - which sounds like a flange that the chuck bolts to. I imagine that would also be ok with reversing, but it would may be hard to find alternative chucks for it (4-jaw, collet, etc), and definitely sounds like it'd be a pain in the ass to swap them.@Bats on mine (PM-1228) the manual specifically states that you can switch from forward to reverse without pausing or powering down. The digital controller brings it to a stop and then ramps it up to the set speed. Headstock is D1-4 as well. But yeah - "refer to your owners manual". This might be a special feature of my machine - I don't really know.
Yeah, you'd definitely want to stop before throwing the tumble gears. On my South Bend Light 10 (all cast iron and steel) it's possible to flip them with the spindle running, if you get it just right... but usually it grinds the gears and makes terrible noises and tells you that it'll spit teeth in your face if you ever try a stupid move like that again, moron.I haven't looked into whether the switch can be changed on the fly, but it looks like you probably would want to stop the machine when changing the gears or they'd probably explode (the gears that is, I think they're plastic unless upgraded).
It very much depends from one to another - the old South Bends and I think most of their derivatives (Logan, Hercus, maybe Myford, etc) used threaded spindles. It sounds like most of the 7" models are bolt-on. When you start getting into bigger modern lathes, things like the D1-4 become more common. So, yeah, "refer to your owner's manual", get to know your machine, and then use your common sense to fill in the blanks. If you don't have any, borrow someone else's common sense. Preferably someone who knows something about machine tools.My understanding is that most metal lathe chucks are good for forward/reverse, unlike most/many wood lathe chucks, but again "refer to your owners manual".
John; You can get a lever tail stock retro fit kit for 7x metal lathes. It requires drilling the tail stock, but can be done pretty easily.I made many a pen on mine. It is perfectly adequate for the majority of pens. It's cheap relative to other lathes in that class, it cuts threads, and there are plenty of accessories for it. I wish it had a lever locking tailstock and a dedicated auto feed, but such is life.