[AVRnj]

Hey everyone,

I am really close to pulling the trigger on a Grizzly bench top lathe.

I would really love to go up in size/price to a 12"x24" or even 12x36, but by the time I add in the stand, and have my shop wired for 220v, it really blows my budget out, and while I could, I am not sure that I should. Than when it comes to tooling, it gets really bad.


I am really down to 3 lathes:

Choice 1) G0752 10x22 variable speed ~$1600

Choice 2) G0602 10x22 same as above but no variable speed ~$1250

choice 3) G9972z 11x26 no variable speed ~$1600

For completeness I would also throw in a possibility of the SB-1001 South Bend 8x18 variable speed for ~$2300, only really considering because it is a very big sale.


I am really wondering if people have any feel for how much the variable speed feature is worth? It appears from reading the specs that the G0752 has 3 belt positions, and the speeds are variable from 100-800, 160-1300 and 250-2000

It seems as though that would be very convenient, and they are pretty big ranges which would really limit belt changes.

If anyone has any input on the variable speed part of this, or just any recommendations on my purchase I would really appreciate it. Not an easy decision at all.

This will be part of my fathers day gift, so my wife is pressuring me to order today or tomorrow at the latest.

[hoss2006]

If you plan to keep it manual then get as big as you can with a full gearbox.
If cnc is in the future the basic 10x22 would be my choice because there's no sense paying more for parts you strip off of it.
As far as the variable speed 10x22 I'd get the regular and spend the money on a 3 phase motor and vfd.
Hoss

[AVRnj]

If you plan to keep it manual then get as big as you can with a full gearbox.
If cnc is in the future the basic 10x22 would be my choice because there's no sense paying more for parts you strip off of it.
As far as the variable speed 10x22 I'd get the regular and spend the money on a 3 phase motor and vfd.
Hoss

Hoss, thanks for the reply, much appreciated.

For now I believe I will keep it manual, I don't envision CNC'ng this lathe any time soon, I will be buying a Mill soon too, and that I definitely will CNC as soon as possible.

When you say full gearbox, the 9972G states with gearbox, the 0602 does not, but I am not sure I see any differences in the specs regarding gears.

Would you be able to explain this to me?

[hoss2006]

The 10x22 and 11x26 have a partial gearbox, you still have to go inside and swap out the change gears to get other ranges of feed/tpi.
The 12x24 has a full gearbox that you can change feeds/tpi right in front simply by moving the levers.
Hoss

[AVRnj]

The 10x22 and 11x26 have a partial gearbox, you still have to go inside and swap out the change gears to get other ranges of feed/tpi.
The 12x24 has a full gearbox that you can change feeds/tpi right in front simply by moving the levers.
Hoss

Gotcha, that makes sense.

Thanks!

It seems like there are not any bench top lathes with a full gearbox, so unless I can commit to at least an extra $1500 when all is said and done, I will have to chose between the 10x22 and the 11x26.

[wizard]

Hey everyone,

I am really close to pulling the trigger on a Grizzly bench top lathe.

I would really love to go up in size/price to a 12"x24" or even 12x36, but by the time I add in the stand, and have my shop wired for 220v, it really blows my budget out, and while I could, I am not sure that I should. Than when it comes to tooling, it gets really bad.


I am really down to 3 lathes:

Why so many similar machines? Unless you have a good reason, sell two to help finance a big lathe. At this point I'd go with a floor model with its own stand. This assumes that you are putting these machines to use regularly. The opposite tack is to buy that smaller SouthBend.

I just realize I totally read this post wrong. Variable speed is highly worthwhile but you don't need to buy a machine with that support from the factory. You can DIY a three phase solution fairly easily. A brushless DC motor take a bit more effort.

Choice 1) G0752 10x22 variable speed ~$1600

Choice 2) G0602 10x22 same as above but no variable speed ~$1250

choice 3) G9972z 11x26 no variable speed ~$1600

For completeness I would also throw in a possibility of the SB-1001 South Bend 8x18 variable speed for ~$2300, only really considering because it is a very big sale.

Ive been impressed with that little lathe. It is expensive in some senses but you get a nice package.

I am really wondering if people have any feel for how much the variable speed feature is worth? It appears from reading the specs that the G0752 has 3 belt positions, and the speeds are variable from 100-800, 160-1300 and 250-2000

If done right it is very valuable. A half a$$ solution though can be very frustrating. I like a variable speed machine in preference to single sipped machines if done correctly.

It seems as though that would be very convenient, and they are pretty big ranges which would really limit belt changes.

If anyone has any input on the variable speed part of this, or just any recommendations on my purchase I would really appreciate it. Not an easy decision at all.

Variable speed is an easy decision. However that doesn't mean you buy one off the shelf if you don't want too. DIY solutions are as good as anything else.

This will be part of my fathers day gift, so my wife is pressuring me to order today or tomorrow at the latest.

Never buy under pressure!!������. Sooner or later it will lead to a bad buy. I will tell you this I purchased a 9x20 a few years ago and think it is an OK machine, but at times it has felt too small. Mainly this is due to the limited chucking capability.

[AVRnj]

I'm pretty sure I'm going to but the 12x24 g4002 or the 12x36 g4003.

I know myself and a year from now I will be tryingn to sell the smaller one and move up in size.

Might as well just do it now.

Thanks to everyone for your input.

[hoss2006]

I'm pretty sure I'm going to but the 12x24 g4002 or the 12x36 g4003.

I know myself and a year from now I will be tryingn to sell the smaller one and move up in size.

Might as well just do it now.

Thanks to everyone for your input.

Forgot to give the link to my site where I have links to a lot of lathes.G0602.
You might want to look at the Wholesale Tool 12x24 only $2195, I got my rf45 from there, very nice.
Precision Bench Lathe (WT)
And also the lathes from Bolton Hardware.
metal Lathe | Mini Lathes, Lathe, Small Metal Lathes & Combo La at Bolton Hardware
Hoss

[AVRnj]

Forgot to give the link to my site where I have links to a lot of lathes.G0602.
You might want to look at the Wholesale Tool 12x24 only $2195, I got my rf45 from there, very nice.
Precision Bench Lathe (WT)
And also the lathes from Bolton Hardware.
metal Lathe | Mini Lathes, Lathe, Small Metal Lathes & Combo La at Bolton Hardware
Hoss

Hoss,

Thanks much for the links!

Wow, very aggressive prices and they look to be very similar machines!

How is Bolton and WT with regards to support?

Reason I was leaning towards Grizzly is everyone raves about there support should you need it post sale.

I actually have been on your site, which was why I was originally inclined to go with the 0602, it looked pretty impressive on the vids, but you made some very good points about the gearbox.

[hoss2006]

Haven't dealt with either as far as support but also haven't heard anything negative here about them.
Hoss

[AVRnj]

Haven't dealt with either as far as support but also haven't heard anything negative here about them.
Hoss

That Bolton 12x30 is very attractive.

Paricularly since its 110 or 230 and that will save me a few hundred for now since I can upgrade my shop wiring later on.

With stand, very nice price.

Thanks for the info, really considering that one.

[hoss2006]

Yeah one thing I noticed about several of the Bolton lathes including the 12x30 is they are still partial gearboxes, imagine that's why they are cheaper.
They have a little video showing how to swap the change gears.
Hoss

[AVRnj]

I'm actually noticing that exact thing now.

In your opinion, is that a reason to shy away?

[hoss2006]

I'm actually noticing that exact thing now.

In your opinion, is that a reason to shy away?

Just depends on how often you think you'll need to swap them, if you don't do a lot of threading it's not that big a deal, as they show it only takes a couple minutes vs. a couple seconds on a geared head.
Hoss

[AVRnj]

Just depends on how often you think you'll need to swap them, if you don't do a lot of threading it's not that big a deal, as they show it only takes a couple minutes vs. a couple seconds on a geared head.
Hoss

It does not look too bad, and I don't think I would thread that often that it would be a problem.

I have really been looking into this and while it seems like a great deal, it does not come with much at all compared to the grizzly 12 x 24 or 12 x 36.

Amazon right now is offering free shipping on both the 12x24 and the 12x36 gunsmith version.

The gunsmith version is out of stock for a month, but looks to be a very attractive deal with free shipping.

Comes with a lot more, and only a few hundred more than the Bolton when shipping is factored in.

Tough decisions!