G0513X2F - Plastic Hand Wheels and Knobs

[Greg Parrish]

Unwrapped my new saw last night and put the Shop Fox mobile base together. Am a little upset with Grizzly since I specifically asked them before ordering if the knobs and wheels were all metal since I couldn't tell from the pictures. Of course the tech support people told me they were and of course now that the saw is here they are pure plastic. Knowing how the plastic ones always end up cracking and splitting over time with use I wanted metal. That said, has anyone swapped to metal ones and if so where did you order them? Grizzly has a ton of machines that I can see cast iron and chrome wheels on that I could order but I can't tell sizing information so I'm not sure which ones would fit. Any tips on what fits? Thanks.

http://txbonds.zenfolio.com/img/s6/v142/p811129487-4.jpg



* 8/30/15 4:51PM EST: As an UPDATE to the thread, a gentleman named Craig from Grizzly Tech Support just called me out of the blue after finding my post here to check on the saw. He apologized for the incorrect information provided me previously about the hand wheels/knobs and extended support for any problems I may have with the plastic ones for the first year or so. Also offered some advice on saw and mobile base setup which was really nice.

Very nice gesture by Grizzly to monitor the forum and to call me unsolicited. I'm gaining nothing by sharing this as I was offered no form of reimbursement and I requested none. Just thought it was a good sign of future customer support should I have any issues with the saw or the plastic items.

[Matt Day]

I'd call Grizzly and ask them. Did you get the name of the CS person that told you the handles are metal?

[Greg Parrish]

I'd call Grizzly and ask them. Did you get the name of the CS person that told you the handles are metal?

Unfortunately, no. It was someone in technical support as they indicated that tech support would be the most knowledgeable with regards to my specific detail questions about the product. The guy was very nice and answered all my questions but apparently he had no clue or hands on experience with the saw. Not saying I wouldn't have still bought the saw and I'm sure the saw will still work fine, but it might have pushed me to spend the extra money for one of the other saws I was considering.

[Cary Falk]

I have swapped some of mine out and made a couple out of Aluminum. I will post some pictures when I get home. I hate plastic handles with a passion.

[John Lanciani]

If it makes you feel any better, most of the knobs on my MM20 are plastic, too. Seems like it would be easier to just use them as is and worry about replacing them if they ever fail than to bother with it right now on a brand new machine. Remember, part of the reason you bought a Griz was cost. Things like polished cast hand wheels add to the cost.

[mark mcfarlane]

If it makes you feel any better, most of the knobs on my MM20 are plastic, too. Seems like it would be easier to just use them as is and worry about replacing them if they ever fail than to bother with it right now on a brand new machine. Remember, part of the reason you bought a Griz was cost. Things like polished cast hand wheels add to the cost.

+1. Also, there are some awesome plastics/composites available in terms of strength,... I'm not saying Grizzly's plastic handles are awesome, but time will tell.

... unless you just can't stand the feel and have the $50 to burn...

[Greg Parrish]

I hear what you guys are saying and I will use it of course. I guess I'm just upset because the guy told me "metal" and they came as molded plastic. I've got a broken plastic wheel from a cheap lathe tail sitting on my counter now and thats probably skewed my opinion of plastic wheels/handles. If it was an easy swap with a known Grizzly part number I figured you guys would have already crossed the bridge. :) Thanks.

[Rick Lizek]

https://us.essentracomponents.com/
mcmaster.com has knobs with specs on them.

[David Kumm]

jwwinco makes great stuff but refitting might cost too much for the machine. Pot metal would be even worse but the good stuff would exceed the price point of the machine. Dave

[glenn bradley]

The failure of plastic knobs isn't a problem where I live. We don't have weather extremes . . . come to think of it we don't have weather. certainly things come in various quality levels. The plastic knobs on my G0513X are fine and I raise and lower the guide post all the time. That is; they're not without exposure to use.

I was temped to upgrade the knobs on my Craftsman 22124 hybrid tablesaw since they reeked of the contractor saw wiggle design flaws. I never quite got to it and years later those same silly red plastic knobs are still in use. I just visited the saw a few weeks ago at its current home.

Use the machine awhile and if the knobs/wheels still bug, there's plenty to choose from (http://www.jwwinco.com/products/section5/gn923.7/index.html).

[Greg Parrish]

Thanks for the links. My plan is to use it for a while and see. Like you guys they may be a non-issue and I may never change them but it irks me to have them tell me one thing and it be a part of my consideration information when looking at overall value for dollar considerations. It is still a great saw for the money but I thought I was getting metal wheels/knobs for the money. :)

[Cary Falk]

The handwheels are Grizzly H3191. The handle is H3204. The 2 knobs on the backside I made out of a piece of 2-1/4" aluminum round bar using the table saw and a router. The lock lever is just a piece of steel welded up with a hole tapped in it. I wanted to replace the door locking knobs but I haven't found a easy to make them yet. The Grizzly knobs and handles required some drilling and tapping to get to work.

http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q297/caryincamas/20160830_114911_zpsv79pwqb1.jpg
http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q297/caryincamas/20160830_114816_zpskohv29sk.jpg

[Greg Parrish]

The handwheels are Grizzly H3191. The handle is H3204. The 2 knobs on the backside I made out of a piece of 2-1/4" aluminum round bar using the table saw and a router. The lock lever is just a piece of steel welded up with a hole tapped in it. I wanted to replace the door locking knobs but I haven't found a easy to make them yet. The Grizzly knobs and handles required some drilling and tapping to get to work.



Awesome. I knew someone would have already done it. Thanks for the info. :)

Did the hand wheels and corresponding handle fit right on? Or you are saying they need to be drilled and tapped?

[Cary Falk]

Awesome. I knew someone would have already done it. Thanks for the info. :)

Did the hand wheels and corresponding handle fit right on? Or you are saying they need to be drilled and tapped?

It's been a long time but I believe I had to enlarge the center hole. I might have had to drill and tap a set screw hole also. I don't remember. The handle hole on the handwheel is 1/4". It had to be drilled and tapped to match the 5/16"x18 handle. The handwheels are cast iron so it is easy.

[Greg Parrish]

It's been a long time but I believe I had to enlarge the center hole. I might have had to drill and tap a set screw hole also. I don't remember. The handle hole on the handwheel is 1/4". It had to be drilled and tapped to match the 5/16"x18 handle. The handwheels are cast iron so it is easy.

Thanks. That makes sense based on the product info on their site. I'll be bookmarking this for future reference once I give the plastic ones a little trial time.

[Greg Parrish]

As an UPDATE to the thread, a gentleman named Craig from Grizzly Tech Support just called me out of the blue after finding my post here to check on the saw. He apologized for the incorrect information provided me previously about the hand wheels/knobs and extended support for any problems I may have with the plastic ones for the first year or so. Also offered some advice on saw and mobile base setup which was really nice.

Very nice gesture by Grizzly to monitor the forum and to call me unsolicited. I'm gaining nothing by sharing this as I was offered no form of reimbursement and I requested none. Just thought it was a good sign of future customer support should I have any issues with the saw or the plastic items.

[glenn bradley]

Despite some issues and loud complainers here and there I have never had anything but top notch support from Grizzly. The only support I have needed was pre-sale and a cast iron replacement after the sale that would have snuck by nearly any QA person. I know some folks love to hate 'em but, I have not found reason.

[Greg Parrish]

Despite some issues and loud complainers here and there I have never had anything but top notch support from Grizzly. The only support I have needed was pre-sale and a cast iron replacement after the sale that would have snuck by nearly any QA person. I know some folks love to hate 'em but, I have not found reason.

Yeah, I've made my peace with it. Their unprompted call helped assure they care about customer support. If it continues to bother me I'll look at the metal replacements and find something else to worry about. Now I just need to cut some 3/4" plywood for the mobile base and get the saw moved off the crate and onto the base.

[Curt Harms]

It's no big deal to buy a wheel that suits your fancy then drill and tap if it bugs you too much. The knob that locks the infeed table on my Jet JJP-12 was smaller than I cared for. Bought a cast iron handwheel, drilled the bore to the correct size and tapped. Cast iron is soft and easy to deal with.

[John Lanciani]

Ironically, someone posted this link over on OWWM yesterday; http://www.stronghandtools.com/valtra/index.php

It looks like you can get just about all of the knobs, levers, and hand wheels you would need.

[Greg Parrish]

Ironically, someone posted this link over on OWWM yesterday; http://www.stronghandtools.com/valtra/index.php

It looks like you can get just about all of the knobs, levers, and hand wheels you would need.


Thanks, that is an awesome reference resource. I bookmarked it. :)

[Greg Parrish]

It's no big deal to buy a wheel that suits your fancy then drill and tap if it bugs you too much. The knob that locks the infeed table on my Jet JJP-12 was smaller than I cared for. Bought a cast iron handwheel, drilled the bore to the correct size and tapped. Cast iron is soft and easy to deal with.

I wish my jointer had wheels. I have the powermatic 54a and only have the stick style adjustment on the two sides. Seems like a geared wheel setup would be easier to get fine adjustment on. Thanks for sharing the pic.

[Curt Harms]

I wish my jointer had wheels. I have the powermatic 54a and only have the stick style adjustment on the two sides. Seems like a geared wheel setup would be easier to get fine adjustment on. Thanks for sharing the pic.


That is just the lock wheel. The table adjustment is via a lever which works okay but well constructed wheel mechanism might be capable of finer adjustment. I've not found a need for precise infeed table adjustment. If I'm fitting a board and need to remove only a whisper, I find a hand plane is more precise and controllable.