I've been buying way too much stuff lately. Then today Rockler sent me a 15% off coupon I can use for 2 months and they are only a few miles from my house I think I am going to use it to buy a stronghold chuck soon. I like turning bowls but got hooked on making boxes. It's a challenge for me to get the lids to fit just right so my wife approves them. Too tight and I get a frown. And yes I was pleasantly surprised by how easy Grizzly is to work with. I have been to the Springfield store once when I was on a motorcycle trip but this was my first purchase. There are several guys here that go to the tent sells. I plan on going to one of them when they start up again. Thanks for all the help you guys have provided. Harold
Yea, I've done a few boxes. The lid too tight is easy to fix. The lid too loose, not so easy. I've got a Oneway live center that is suppose to be delivered today by the Fedex Santa. Now if my chuck adaptor will show up soon, I can get busy on my hollow form project. Buying new tools is a lot of fun.
Robert, I spoke with a production turner and he indicated that most woodturners strive to have a "pop" fit. But he also said that most women like a looser fit so that they don't risk damaging their nails and so that they can open it with one hand. Another problem with a "pop" fit is that it can turn into a "stuck" fit if the humidity goes up. If you have a pop fit that goes to a drier climate, it will probably not be a problem. But the converse is a problem. Just a thought....
One thing I forgot to mention was my new banjo was painted on the bottom. I thought was was strange so I called Grizzly today. The guy I talked to said that seemed strange to him also but he had no way to verify if it was correct or not. He said he would just send me another one. I guess that is one way to figure it out. Have any of you ever seen a banjo that is painted on the bottom where it is milled to slide on the bed?
No, it doesn't make sense. But a block of wood and some 150 grit sandpaper and 2 minutes would make it bare iron again. Perhaps as a spare part, it was dipped and may have missed the last process step. Or perhaps it has a similar void (to your original one) that was filled and painted. If there is a non-functional void in case iron, it is not unusual that it is filled. I bought an early G0766 and it came with a short banjo (like those built in the first 6-8 months). The short banjo would make it difficult to turn to the lathe's full capacity. They fixed that and the tool rest height issue (too high) and sent me a larger (current size) banjo and tightening rod. I bought the extra parts and now I have two banjos. end of part 1
Part 2: I don't recall the exact cost but think that it was $30 or 35 bucks. I typically have both mounted, which is nice if I'm turning both sides of a large platter. I actually prefer using the smaller one for most things. If they get in the way for something, then I just remove one. Also, I made a "Captain Eddie" snake hollower (similar to a Monster Hollower) and I affix the right end of the mechanism using the spare banjo. So, as you are buying more and more stuff, give some thought to whether or not you could use a spare banjo.
Brice, I got the new Banjo (2nd one) today and it's made correctly. It would be a lot of work to get all the paint off the first one they sent. It's on thick and even in the entire hole that the tool rest slides into. I wondered why the tool rest was so hard to slide up and down. So we are all good now on the Banjo. Kind of crazy but Grizzly is so easy to work with you can't get upset. Harold Edit: I started sanding off the paint from the 1st replacement banjo last night. It was a little disappointing to see the paint was used to fill in some pits in the casting. It is a very heavy layer of paint. I sure hope that the quality of the Grizzly tools is not taking a nose dive.
