Grizzly lathes

[Cliff Addy]

My wife has always been interested in turning. Her birthday is coming up and I'm thinking of buying her a lathe. Yes, that's right, I'm blessed with a wife who'd like a major power tool as a birthday gift :)

I've purchased machines from various vendors and been very pleased with my stuff from Grizzly. While I like my PM/Jet stuff, it simply hasn't been worth the extra money, IMO.

However, something that I've heard from several places is that "Grizzly does many things very well, but lathes aren't one of them". The gist of it is that Grizzly just doesn't "get" turning.

Is there any truth to this? Not being a turner, I don't see where a lathe would be such a complex engineering task that only certain companies would be able to handle it.

Some guidance would be appreciated.

Cliff

[Chris Haas]

if you have a couple weeks till her birthday, i would hold out and start looking on craigslist in your local markets. you can find a good little jet mini lathe all the way up to a PM3520B for pennies on the dollar, they normally come with accessories too. which is a bonus for sure. then all you have to do is come up with some kind of box or something to wrap it in. thats what i would do. and try to stay away from any names you dont commonly hear about on this forum. there is a lot of cheapo crap second hand out there for sale.

[Jerome Hanby]

FWIW, I bought my wife a Lathe for Christmas. After researching and wrestling with myself over the price, I ended up with the Jet 1220VS Mini Lathe (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001GYVANK/ref=ox_ya_oh_product). I bought it from Amazon. It had a fifty dollar rebate at the time (which I finally received about 6 weeks ago), it was fifty dollars cheaper then, and I cashed in my change jar for an Amazon credit at Coinstar which knocked about $175 off the cost. It did (and still does) have free shipping, but even so, you would be looking at close to $600. I waffled between this model and the much cheaper PSI TCLPROVS Turncrafter Pro VS Variable Speed Wood Lathe (http://www.amazon.com/PSI-TCLPROVS-Turncrafter-Variable-Speed/dp/B000KI8CZ2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1249646161&sr=8-1) (about half the price), but it looked like the Jet could be a final solution and the PSI would strictly be an entry level product.

I've seen good buzz about some new lathe from Grizzly (basically a Jet clone if I recall correctly), but talk about all other Grizzly lathes left me thinking this wasn't a product line in which they were willing to invest development time.

The Craigslist suggestion is a good one. Since buying the Jet, I've seen four or five great lathes on CL in my area.

[Cliff Addy]

The whole "super bargains on craigslist" thing seems to just be a legend, at least on our local one. I've been watching for a lathe for a couple months, they're 90% old craftsman tube lathes, beat up shopsmiths, or strange things I've never heard of. The ones I would be interested in are usually 70-80% of new cost. Driving 50 miles to save a couple hundred dollars just isn't worth it to me. I'd rather have it arrive at my door and have a warranty. Now, if I could save $1000 on a PM3520B, that would be worth it.

[Tony Greenway]

Cliff, you can contact fellow creeker David Christopher for his feedback on the Grizzly lathes. He owns 2 different models of them and will give you a straight honest opinion......Tony

[Jerome Hanby]

That is a problem with CL bargains, it's all hurry up and wait. I looked for well over a year and was actively making fun of the "$300" Unisaw as being another urban legend when I found mine. Biggest things, you have to look religiously, I found my saw before someone else because the seller had listed it with a poor description, and you have to be within driving distance of some large areas. I live in Birmingham, Al and keep close tabs on my own area, Huntsville, Nashville, and Atlanta. My Shopsmith and Unisaw came from the Nashville area, my Shopsmith Bandsaw and Dewalt RAS came from the Atlanta area. My zip code Craftsman table saw, Old Shopsmith Jigsaw on it's own power station, and set of Record planes came from the Birmingham area.


The whole "super bargains on craigslist" thing seems to just be a legend, at least on our local one. I've been watching for a lathe for a couple months, they're 90% old craftsman tube lathes, beat up shopsmiths, or strange things I've never heard of. The ones I would be interested in are usually 70-80% of new cost. Driving 50 miles to save a couple hundred dollars just isn't worth it to me. I'd rather have it arrive at my door and have a warranty. Now, if I could save $1000 on a PM3520B, that would be worth it.

[Barry Stratton]

This guy has GREAT info available on lathe specs.

http://www.nealaddy.org/pub/Lathe_List.html

What size lathe are you looking for? I've been happy with my Jet mini and PM3520b.

[Bernie Weishapl]

I bought mine the Jet 1220. I have also had a chance to turn on the new Delta midi. If I buy another one it will probably be that one. It has a larger motor (1 hp) and 12" swing. The one I used runs really smooth.

[Jason Clark2]

I only have experience with one Grizzly lathe, I owned the Grizzly G0462 prior to my Powermatic and I would not recommend it. The Jet 1220VS and Delta 46-460 are much better options in that price range. You'll sacrifice 4" of swing but gain variable speed, reverse (on the Delta), and a more reputable manufacturer.

Jason

[Cliff Addy]

a more reputable manufacturer.

Hmm, I really don't think I'd describe Grizzly as less-than-reputable. I've been incredibly pleased with my pieces of Grizzly equipment, far more than my PM bandsaw.

[Bill Bolen]

I've heard some good things about this grizz, afraid it is about the only one I can say that about though...Bill...
http://grizzly.com/products/16-x-42-Variable-Speed-Wood-Lathe/G0632

[Richard Madison]

Cliff,
Suggest you seriously consider an electronic variable speed lathe (of whatever make) for your wife. EVS (or whatever initials one likes) is of most value to the novice turner. Unfortunately many of us do not acquire an EVS lathe until we are well beyond the novice level. Granted it will be more expensive, but money well spent. Just one opinion.

[Brian Novotny]

I would seriously consider not considering a grizzly lathe.....especially one of their minis, I had one that didn't last a year.....the motor still runs, but the metal chipped off piece by piece until it was unusable, plus their tool rests won't stay locked down. Go to your nearest rockler or woodcraft and ask if they have floor models for sale. You should save quite a bit of money.

[Brian Novotny]

Cliff,
Suggest you seriously consider an electronic variable speed lathe (of whatever make) for your wife. EVS (or whatever initials one likes) is of most value to the novice turner. Unfortunately many of us do not acquire an EVS lathe until we are well beyond the novice level. Granted it will be more expensive, but money well spent. Just one opinion.

I think she would only need evs if they weren't married yet......

[Kaptan J.W. Meek]

biggest problem I've seen with the Grizzly Lathes, is the "slow speed".. is not slow enough.. That is something they have addressed in the latest offerings though.. They're "OK" but the Jets, Delta midi, and even that 10" job from Penn state would be my 1st choice for the LOML..