Received new Grizzly lathe – should I complain?

[David Bolson]

I finally got re-delivery of my new G0766 after the first delivery had been trashed by the shipper. This delivery was much better, with the box mostly intact, except for a couple of small holes and a cracked corner. Inside, the headstock and lathe bed was secured, but the tailstock and all the other bits and pieces were not.


I put the lathe together, and I don’t have any missing pieces that I can see, except for a few lock washers. I leveled the lathe and ran it and everything seems to run fine. The spindle seems to have about .002” of run-out. That sounds acceptable… is it?


What’s annoying is numerous patches of paint missing, and scratches, pitting and dents on the lathe bed. I'm not sure that any of those things will affect the use of the lathe, but after spending $2000 on a piece of machinery, I’d like to see something close to perfect set up on day one. Should I ask for paint? I’m thinking that, besides cosmetics, the paint protects from rust.

Two other things… The banjo is short. Some of my tool rests are now unusable. Is there an extension I can get? Also, the headstock handwheel is so small. Any ideas to put something larger there?

The sides:
20210310_223102.jpg

20210310_223005.jpg

20210310_222841.jpg

The lathe bed:
20210310_223432.jpg

20210310_223333.jpg

20210310_223524.jpg

Paint peeling on the leg:
20210310_223834.jpg

Paint peeling off the banjo:
20210310_223730.jpg

Pictures continued on next post......

[David Bolson]

Continued from first post....

Paint peeling on the faceplate (why did they even paint it?):
20210310_223629.jpg

I expected the tool rest to need smoothing, but not this much:
20210310_231303.jpg

What are these? I think they were meant to secure the lathe in the box, but I'm not sure. They were just loose in the box when I opened it.
20210310_231505.jpg


So, is this normal for a new Grizzly machine, or should I expect better?

David

[David Walser]

You should have expected, and received, better. I don't know how much of the fault belongs to Grizzly and how much belongs to the shipper. However, it appears you should have refused delivery. I'm NOT saying that anything is worse than cosmetic damage. I am saying I wouldn't have wanted to pay full price for a new lathe in that condition.

[Allen Mattsen]

That's a tough deal. I'd have wanted to refuse acceptance of delivery, as well. I suppose that can be hard with all the packaging and crate material to tear though to inspect for damage, however. Thanks for sharing this. Hopefully this is something that saves someone else the hassle or provides a solution to how to handle it. Cosmetic vs structural damage is what I'd really focus on. If the bed ways were dinged or damaged or something flat out didn't operate properly due to the damaged condition the item was received in would be a tipping point, to say the least. The pictures would suggest they gave you a refurbished machine rather than a new one. Let us know how it goes. Sorry you had to deal with this, man.

[Frederick Skelly]

I would certainly call and talk to them. Show the pictiures. See what they say.

[tom lucas]

Wow! That is unacceptable. Yes, that T-handled hardware is used to hold things in place in the shipping crate. Nothing should have been loose in the crate. That is likely what caused most of the damage. I'm not sure how Grizzly can make this right short of yet another lathe. But that is what I would be wanting, or $500 of discount or at least anew bed-way. Won't really affect operation, but will affect resale, and would piss me off every time I looked at it. As for the tool rest being short, that's how it is designed. It's not unexpected that your prior tool rests may not work. Tool rests for that lathe should be 8.75" long. You have to request that if you buy, say a robust tool rest. Best Wood Tools modular rests do work just fine with it, except for very high settings say on bigger spindles when doing skew work.

[Alex Zeller]

I'm not sure if I would be too worried about cosmetic stuff but you could request Grizzly send you a new bed. When my G0766 showed up the head stock was loose. Grizzly asked why I didn't refuse delivery and I said there was no damage to the crate, this was caused by who ever packaged it at the factory not properly securing it. Once we got past that they sent the few parts that were damaged (like the shroud for the fan on the motor). The bed has a few scratches on it but they aren't an issue. It's possible that Grizzly may want to send you some touch up paint. As for the banjo and face plate paint, neither of them would bother me.

I repeatedly would file my factory rest to smooth it out but found that it just isn't hard enough to stay smooth. If you have other rests I would find a welder and have them replace the stem with longer ones to work with the new lathe and toss the stock one in a box. Someday if you replace this lathe you can give it to the buyer. I would jump on it and start turning. Make sure it works correctly. One thing to remember is that you can't slow the speed down too quickly when there's something heavy on it. If you do the VFD will shut off causing you to shut the power off. It's to protect the VFD.

[John K Jordan]

Don't know if Grizzly customer service is helpful, but perhaps they would send you some paint. I've had two equipment dealers do that.

I don't like what looks like dents/voids in the ways. I have filled voids in cast iron with JB Weld.

As for the tool rest, it looks bad from that picture. I quit using the cast iron tool rests that came with my lathes. I far prefer the Robust Tool rests. http://www.turnrobust.com/tool-rests/ 608-924-1133. Give them a call - they will provide something that will fit your lathe. (Lifetime warranty too!) I have the 15", 9", 6", 4", curved, and their box rest and I seldom use anything else.

Robust has this note:
25MM POST WARNING: Certain Grizzly, Laguna and other imported lathes may use 25mm posts which are slightly smaller than 1”. THESE WILL NOT WORK. PLEASE MEASURE YOUR POSTS BEFORE ORDERING. FYI: 25mm = .984”, and 1” = 25.4mm. 25mm posts are available special order. NOTE: For the Oneway 1640, only the Low Profile style rests and 9” J-rest will fit.

JKJ

[Roger Chandler]

Yep, David...........send Grizzly pics to their tech services/customer service, and the loose parts that did damage is not acceptable. The G0766 is a good lathe, but somebody at Grizzly needs to tighten up on inspection and Q/C controls at the factory, and at the distribution center in Springfield or Bellingham! My 2 Cents!

[Sam Force]

I have 2 Grizzly machines, both were well packaged and arrived with no issues. I would demand a replacement, as mentioned the resell would be a significant loss. Hope they step up for you!

[William C Rogers]

My take on this was a returned lathe just like your first shipment, repackaged and shipped to you.

[Larry Frank]

I would not be happy at all. Please contact them.

[Walter Mooney]

I have an 0766. I too would complain.....and LOUDLY! Virtually everything I see in your pictures is unacceptable! I think I would insist on a new one, and ask them to come pick that one up after you've had a chance to put your THIRD ONE together! You would think they'd have learned by now.

I wish you the best of luck. Keep us apprised of your outcome.

[Thomas Wilson80]

That's frustrating to have had to have them re-ship once already. Are those chips/scratches on the ways? I just assumed that was a plastic wrap with oil to protect them. I wouldn't accept that much damage and I'd certainly complain loudly and if possible, would get my money back and buy from someone else. I know a lot of people love their Grizzlys but things like this are the reason I went with another brand.

Good luck and hopefully you get it all resolved.
Tom

[David Bolson]

Thanks, everyone. You've confirmed my inclination. I've opened a ticket with Grizzly, sent them pictures, and I'm waiting for a response. I don't really want the headache of having this lathe packed up and having to receive a new one, although I'll do that if they insist. A new lathe bed will solve most of the issues. That and some paint and maybe a new tool rest.

David