Grizzly Lathe Question

[Roy Hill]

Hey guys,

I'm still looking for a lathe and noticed that Griz has the G0462 on sale. I know a few years back the Griz lathes were not so good. Have they gotten better? I'm not looking to invest a lot in a lathe at this time but I would like a decent lathe to start out on.

Your help and suggestions are appreciated. :)

Roy Hill

[Sid Matheny]

The first thing I see on that lathe is it looks like it has a reeves type drive and I don't feel like they are very reliable. Just MHO.

Sid

[David Christopher]

Roy, I had the grizz lathe one step down from the one that you are looking at and it worked well for 6 years ( and still does ) but I got the G0632 and sold the old one.....it was as reliable as any lathe..no problems with the reeves drive....if I had to do it all over again I would get the grizz again

[Fred Belknap]

I have that lathe, bought new a few months ago.
Pro: full size , good power, fairly smooth running, comes with 6" face plate.

Con: poorly designed tool rest that come in three pieces, motor gets hot, speed will only go down to slightly under 600rpm, no handwheel, belt that came with it lasted about two weeks, got one from Advance Auto for a few $ and it has held up well, one of the clamp things for the toolrest stripped out, Grizzly sent me a new one and a new belt.

On a scale of 10 I rate it about 6 or 7
Fred

[Barry Bruner]

Roy, I have the lathe that you are inquiring about and I am not impressed at all. The tail section is made very cheap. I also have a Jet Jwl-1236 and it is made a lot better than the G-462. I wanted one with a little more power than the Jwl-1236 had, because I was going to put my duplicator on it. I wish I had gone ahead and bought the bigger Jet, it is a lot better lathe. I would have returned it but if I had the freight both ways would have cost half what the lathe cost. Barry Bruner

[Roy Hill]

Barry,

If you had purchased a larger Jet lathe would it have been the JWL-1442vsk, or something even larger?
I am new to turning and don't really know what I will end up doing with a lathe. I would just like to have one and the opportunity to do lathe work.

Thanks to all who commented with the helpful insights. When you don't know anything about lathes (like me :confused:) it sure is good to have a place to turn to before you invest in one. The creek is the best place out there.

Roy

[Barry Bruner]

I have bought three lathes and still do not have what I want. I think the JWL-1442 would be a good lathe. I think if I get another one it would be the JWL-1642 it is $1500.00 with a 1 1/2 horse motor. The extra weight and power sure would be great. If I could afford a Powermatic I would have one of them but they are around $3000.00. Sometimes paying a little more is cheaper. Delta also has some pretty good lathes for $1200 to $1500. A lot of these guys are more qualified to tell you which one to buy than me. Barry Bruner