Got my Grizzly G0698 lathe, Friday.

[Roger Chandler]

They are available at Amazon.com

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...500_AA300_.jpg

I think Cecil gave you confirmation that if something is wrong Grizzly will do all they can to get your lathe right.

If something is not right from the factory, they will replace the headstock for you.

I hate this happened to you, but Grizzly will honor their warranty, and perhaps if you can locate that fuse, then maybe that will take care of it..........I would make sure I told the tech guys at Grizzly what you experienced, and the fuse blew, and follow what they say to do..........they may just want to send you a new headstock.

So far, I could not have asked for better performance from the G0698 that I have.........I think it is a very good lathe!


Cecil also confirmed that once his replacement came, the lathe has been great. sometimes a new employee at a factory can mess up and his mistake is not caught for some reason..........China I am sure is no exception..........this is not Grizzly's fault, IMO, but they will get it right for you.

[Cecil Walborn]

Yes I had to send the old one back. They paid for all the shipping cost because it is under warranty.

[dirk martin]

Well, I've been all over the place, and can't find a fuse.
Grizzly never called me back, so I had to call them this afternoon.
They seemed knowledgeable on this lathe, and the guy in Tech Support, said he's going to send me a new inverter (that whole black unit bolted on the back of the headstock).

So, that's where I sit.

[Roger Chandler]

Well, I've been all over the place, and can't find a fuse.
Grizzly never called me back, so I had to call them this afternoon.
They seemed knowledgeable on this lathe, and the guy in Tech Support, said he's going to send me a new inverter (that whole black unit bolted on the back of the headstock).

So, that's where I sit.

Dirk,

Did the tech guy give you any indication of what he thought was the problem with the inverter? What was his response to your "lumpy" rotation issue?

Any information as to this happening to other units?

[dirk martin]

He gave no indication as to why the he suspects the inverter.
He said nothing about this happening to additional units.

He said there is a strong magnet inside the motor housing, and that the lumpy feel I'm getting when turning the spindle by hand is normal, as I'm feeling the magnet working.

[Roger Chandler]

He gave no indication as to why the he suspects the inverter.
He said nothing about this happening to additional units.

He said there is a strong magnet inside the motor housing, and that the lumpy feel I'm getting when turning the spindle by hand is normal, as I'm feeling the magnet working.

That makes sense, as electric motors run off magnets. The stator would certainly cause a strong pull on the unit when off.
This kind of makes me think that the tech guy is on to the correct thing.

[Jon Nuckles]

Dirk,

I hope your experience is better than mine. I received my G0698 after a long backorder wait, during which the delivery date was pushed back several times for reasons that Grizzly could not or would not explain.

When I received the lathe in August of this year, it refused to start most - but not all - of the time. The red "0" would light up, accurately describing the lathe's rpms, but nothing else would happen. If I rotated the work piece by hand about an eighth to a quarter of a turn, the motor would sometimes try to kick in, but the internal breaker would almost always trip. Then I'd turn it off, hit the reset button, and try again. Once in a while, it would start and I could turn. Once it started, it ran very smoothly.

Grizzly customer service was always polite and seemed to want to help. Unfortunately, they had no solutions to offer. They referred the problem to their engineers, then up another level (they said "because of the dollar amount involved"). After about 2 weeks and many phone conversations with Grizzly, they sent me a new headstock, which they said they had tested before they sent it out. Unfortunately, it exhibited exactly the same behavior as the first.

Grizzly and I had several more conversations, but they never had anything to tell me other than that their engineers were working on the problem. I took it upon myself to test the voltage at my shop (it was 242) and asked Grizzly if that could be a problem, but they said that should be fine.

After a week with the new headstock, Grizzly called to say that they didn't have a solution and didn't know when they might. They offered to take back the lathe and refund my money, or said I could keep the lathe and wait for them to come up with a solution. I asked if I was the only one with the problem, or whether it was more general. The rep said he could not comment on that, but that the number of people working on the problem at Grizzly should tell me all that I needed to know.

I chose to return the lathe and Grizzly did refund my money. It was a hassle dealing with two deliveries and a return, and I spent a lot of time on the phone. On the positive side, Grizzly was always responsive and they stood behind their product. And, when the G0698 did run, it was a pleasure to use and I was bitten by the turning bug. So much so that, when Powermatic ran its recent sale, I bought a 3520.

Perhaps your lathe's problem is different; Grizzly never suggested I might have blown a fuse, and I doubt the lathe would have started occasionally if that had been the case. Good luck with the repair, and my experience suggests that Grizzly will treat you fairly even if they cannot fix the problem.

[Roger Chandler]

Jon,

Thank you for posting the experience you had with Grizzly, and your G0698. For the life of me I cannot understand the reasons for the difference in the experiences you and Dirk have reported and my experience.

Somebody is dropping the ball somewhere in the inspection or something at the factory, in my opinion.

To date, almost a year later, I have not had one single problem with my lathe. It has run so smooth, and the power, torque and performance has been outstanding.

If they could get mine, and many others that I know of right, then why can't they get them all right? I suspect that there is some sort of issue with a new employee at the factory in China that is not doing something correctly, and it has slipped by QC inspection.

In my opinion, every single unit should be put through a QC inspection, especially the electronics part.

It bothers me immensely, that a number of folks have read my reviews on this and the AAW forum, and have taken a chance. My experience has been great, and now others are having issues.

I know that I personally have no affiliation with Grizzly, or none of this is anything I have control over, but my review is my true experience, and now others are having these problems. Frankly, it bums me out!

I guess in the grand scheme of things, that this lathe has not had any more problems than say the Jet, but it still bugs me, and for those who have gotten theirs, I truly hope it performs like mine has, and gives them many long and reliable years of service.

I believe Grizzly tries hard to be a good company and gives good customer service, but I anxiously await hearing positive resolution on these few that have reported a problem.

[dirk martin]

Darn, I sure wish Jon would have posted his experience, back when he was going thru the issue. I probably wouldn't have ordered it in that case.

Whatever...not much I can do now.

Since I started this thread, I'll keep everyone posted.
I'm watching the mail every day, waiting for my new inverter.
My fingers are crossed.

[Jon Nuckles]

Roger,

I was a close reader of your posts, particularly the AAW thread, when I was researching lathes. I also share a shop with another woodworker, and he has a Grizzly bandsaw and jointer that are good quality tools. The G0698 was a new product, and I had read that previous Grizzly lathes had not been up to the level of their other woodworking machines, so I was a little hesitant at first. The G0698's specs were head and shoulders above similarly priced lathes, so I decided to take a chance.

When it did run, the Grizzly was solid and smooth. There was some "hunting" at low speeds, as others have commented elsewhere, but overall it did what I wanted it to. If Grizzly could have fixed the problem with starting the lathe, I could have been very happy with it.

Most importantly to me, I discovered that I really enjoyed turning while using the Grizzly. I enjoyed it enough that I would go through the process of pushing the start button, rotating the stock, and pushing the reset button for 10 minutes at a time in order to get it running. Once it was running, though, I didn't stop the lathe to inspect my progress, believe me!

Grizzly treated me fairly and gave me my money back when they couldn't solve the problem. Maybe I just got a couple of lemon headstocks, and maybe Grizzly has figured out by now what is causing the problems. In any case, I don't regret the purchase and certainly don't blame anyone for posting their honest, positive experiences with the lathe.

I would not have spent the money for a Powermatic if I hadn't had the experience of turning with the Grizzly. I love my new 3520, but the Grizzly would have been a great value if it had started consistently. Now I just have to become a skilled enough turner to justify my purchase.

Jon

[Jon Nuckles]

Dirk,

I sent you a pm. I wish I had posted sooner, also. As I said in the pm, though, there is reason to think your problem is different and you may end up very happy with your purchase. In addition to the the blown fuse, which I did not have, my lathe continued to start once in a while, and the variable speed control worked when it was running. I hope the new inverter fixes your problems. If it does, you will have a very nice lathe for the money.

Jon

[Roger Chandler]

Roger,

I was a close reader of your posts, particularly the AAW thread, when I was researching lathes. I also share a shop with another woodworker, and he has a Grizzly bandsaw and jointer that are good quality tools. The G0698 was a new product, and I had read that previous Grizzly lathes had not been up to the level of their other woodworking machines, so I was a little hesitant at first. The G0698's specs were head and shoulders above similarly priced lathes, so I decided to take a chance.

When it did run, the Grizzly was solid and smooth. There was some "hunting" at low speeds, as others have commented elsewhere, but overall it did what I wanted it to. If Grizzly could have fixed the problem with starting the lathe, I could have been very happy with it.

Most importantly to me, I discovered that I really enjoyed turning while using the Grizzly. I enjoyed it enough that I would go through the process of pushing the start button, rotating the stock, and pushing the reset button for 10 minutes at a time in order to get it running. Once it was running, though, I didn't stop the lathe to inspect my progress, believe me!

Grizzly treated me fairly and gave me my money back when they couldn't solve the problem. Maybe I just got a couple of lemon headstocks, and maybe Grizzly has figured out by now what is causing the problems. In any case, I don't regret the purchase and certainly don't blame anyone for posting their honest, positive experiences with the lathe.

I would not have spent the money for a Powermatic if I hadn't had the experience of turning with the Grizzly. I love my new 3520, but the Grizzly would have been a great value if it had started consistently. Now I just have to become a skilled enough turner to justify my purchase.

Jon

Thanks Jon,

I appreciate your reply. I sure hope Grizzly gets this figured out, and makes a correction at the factory. I have a feeling that the QC guys at Grizzly will be visiting the plant in China, and try to find out what is happening.

Sometimes attitudes over there are not quite what ours are over here [different value systems, I guess] but Grizzly should get it resolved in the near future, one would think.

[Fred Belknap]

I got my G0698 Monday and got it set up that night. I have turned a couple blanks on it now and so far it has worked great. I really suck that a couple of you guys have have had problems and Roger I don't think you have any reason to feel bad. It so far has been a very nice lathe. One issue that I had was the banjo. After market tool rest would not fit. I clamped it to DP table and run a 1" drill bit through it and it now works fine. The original tool rest still works fine in it. It was about three inches taller than my old one but after using it I liked that. I did take the metal feet off and bolted it to the concrete floor in my shop. I also set it up so I have good access to the back side as I sometimes like to work from that side. It saves leaning way over the lathe when hollowing.
Grizzly may have some issues to get worked out and I am confident that they will. I have a few other Grizzly machines and they have worked quite well. So far I'm a happy camper.

[Roger Chandler]

I got my G0698 Monday and got it set up that night. I have turned a couple blanks on it now and so far it has worked great. I really suck that a couple of you guys have have had problems and Roger I don't think you have any reason to feel bad. It so far has been a very nice lathe. One issue that I had was the banjo. After market tool rest would not fit. I clamped it to DP table and run a 1" drill bit through it and it now works fine. The original tool rest still works fine in it. It was about three inches taller than my old one but after using it I liked that. I did take the metal feet off and bolted it to the concrete floor in my shop. I also set it up so I have good access to the back side as I sometimes like to work from that side. It saves leaning way over the lathe when hollowing.
Grizzly may have some issues to get worked out and I am confident that they will. I have a few other Grizzly machines and they have worked quite well. So far I'm a happy camper.

Fred,

That is so good to hear! I also appreciate your kind words. I guess lathes are like cars.......some are built and are mechanically sound. Some are built, and have problems. Kind of reminds me what I heard from a guy who worked at an auto plant..........

His advice was don't buy a car built on a Monday morning [employee's have hangovers from drinking over the weekend] and don't buy one that was built on Friday afternoons.........[employees wanting to get out and start the weekend taking shortcuts, and not always getting all the parts installed]

Well I must have gotten a lathe that was built during one of the good days, because mine has been superb! I sure hope yours is too!

Glad to hear you got yours settled at the correct height for you, and got the banjo to accept your toolrest.

Be sure and post some of your turnings from time to time! Welcome to the Grizzly group on SMC!

[Roger Corder]

Well I know how you feel now.

my grizzly lathe lasted a week then it quit working. I was turning a bottle stopper at about 1200 rpm then all the sudden it went full speed then stopped. checked fuse its not just blown it was completely busted no glass just the ends left.

I think speed control is bad since it went full speed.

I will be calling Grizzly Monday to see if they will send a new speed controller.

Roger Corder