I have my eye on this one:

http://www.grizzly.com/product...he-with-Stand/G4003G

that's actually supopsed to be a great lathe, for what it is ..

quote:

Originally posted by eurocentric:
I have my eye on this one:

http://www.grizzly.com/product...he-with-Stand/G4003G

A good one to have your eye on. No muss, no fuss.

That's a pretty heavy lathe for a benchtop model. I prefer a standard solid base model. They are even heavier but dampen vibrations much better which will result in better cuts with less chance of chatter. You can get the solid base models for only a few hundred dollars more and I'd recommend the additional investment. If you don't want to stay with Grizzly you can try Enco or Jet or another equivalent. All are Chinese and good quality for the money.

What Clowdis said.

Also, I strongly recommend an initial complete or near-complete disassembly, cleaning, and reassembly. These new Asian machines often have plenty of sand, casting flash and other debris hidden away in their nooks & crannies plus they often have sharp edges needing chamfering or at least deburring.

Yes it's a lotta work but yes it'll pay off in the long run.
Regards, Joe

Despite the curious wording in the catalog this model is hardly a "benchtop" lathe. It comes with cast iron pedestal bases (as shown in the ad) and the weight is around 1,300 pounds.


Of course, you can buy some old American iron, that may or may not be clapped out. That has a headstock that is too long, and spindle that is too small, and that also sits on pedestals.

I think I can get this lathe into my downstairs, I already have the area cleared and enclosed, with no carpeting, plenty of ventilation as well. I'm excited about this.

Pay an equipment mover. It weighs half as much as a vw bug.

This is built in china. But that doesn't mean scrap, as it is built to contract specs that are higher than the normal.

quote:

Originally posted by eurocentric:
I think I can get this lathe into my downstairs, I already have the area cleared and enclosed, with no carpeting, plenty of ventilation as well. I'm excited about this.

They are shipped in pieces making moving it easy. Besides, if you disassemble into the major component parts it gets pretty easy to move with a helper. The pedestals are seperate, the tail stock can be removed, etc. Lots of ways to make it easier to manhandle.

I know a smith who has a comparable lathe in his basement. He said that was easy compared to getting the mill downstairs.

Enjoy.

I looked a while back, never did by though because I dont need another hobby.

Check out Precision Matthews.

From Grizz I'd suggest this one
Grizz lathe

That would most definitely get you started. Next step would be a name brand machine. Mori Seki is my top pick but they are damn expensive Cadillac, Clausing, Leblond, Lagun, Romi (by Bridgeport) Even and Acra or Acer would be runner up. Knuth also makes a good machine but they are proud of their stuff too.
Stay away from Toolroom models unless you know what you are buying. Most toolroom lathes are not setup for what would be considered gun work and depending on the model may cause you more grief. Case and point. The Hardinge lathe considered the best tool room machine around. but it's a paint in the ass to single point a thread on.

Geared head is the big issue. Thats a bare minimum requirement. Then Tooling 3 jaw, 4 jaw, steady rest, live, and dead centers. Collet adapter and collets. Cutting tools. a good selcetion of HSS blanks. Some carbide is good but you need a way to sharpen unless you buy inserts tool which can get very pricy very quick

quote:

but it's a paint in the ass to single point a thread on.

kcstott, not starting a fight but how is this so. I have a Hardinge turret that can be a pain in the ass to get a nice finished thread but the tool room lathe looks to be like any other lathe.

Here's the deal the Feed motor on a hardinge is set up on a different screw then the gear box. They do this to eliminate gear vibration from effecting your surface finish. Great concept but the gear box has no thread indicating dial on the carriage so every time you thread a part you have to leave the gear box engaged back off your tool reverse the motor so it will feed in reverse. reset your tool position reverse the motor again (back to forward) and start your next cut.
Not having a thread indicating dial makes it a pain in that ass. And for gunsmith work it an up hill battle. I'm use to engine lathes or tool room lathes that also have a thread dial and a half nut. It really is not a problem for external threads so long as you have enough relief but internal threads in a blind hole are very tough. And for the beginner Well they should not have to worry about how to set up a machine outside the normal practices found in most of your text books. Some one like me or you can get around it but a new guy is going to have trouble.

Grizzly has 3 models for gunsmithing specifically, correct?

I'm going ahead with the gunsmithing courses first, before I purchase anything. I am also negotiating with Gunsmith who will teach me the rest when I purchase a lathe.

I am not a fan of Grizzly equipment or tooling, but a lot of very, very good chambers are cut on Grizzly lathes every year. I have no idea how many Grizzly mtalworking machiens I have looked over, plus some wood stuff, and none of them impressed me. The wood stuff was Ok and I would buy Grizzly wood working machines.

Me personally, I would look for a Clausing, South Bend, Monarch, or something like that. Even long headstock machines can be chambered through the headstock if you know what you are doing. These lathes will outlive you several times over, but to be honest no more than a gunsmith lathe is run, even a crappily built one would last for a career. I used a second generation Jet for many years, but after seeing the older American stuff run I sold the Jet. It would have been fine, but it just does not compare with he good stuff. It is a psychological thing for me. Oh, after a lot of switching and swapping and trading, my main lathe now is Brazillian! Some call the Nardinis the South American or Brazillion Monarch. They are great machines and there are a fair number of them around if you want one.

The original Jet 12x36 lathes are great machines. But they are treasured and I have only seen a few for sale. And they sell fast. The second generation Jets built pre-2000 or so are pretty decent. But the new ones are no better than a Grizzly to me. Many folks who preach the Grizzly/Jet/Asian machinery have never owned or operated anything else

oh, there are 2 Sharps, and the more expensive ones are excellent Tiawan machines. You pay more for them than for the other Asian brands, but you are getting a lot more machine for your money. Probably the best new stuff that is widely available

Another thing you will hear about is clapped out American stuff made 60 years ago. Yes, that worn out does come up for sale. you might have to change a part on even the best vintage American iron. But I have yet to see a Grizzly, even what they claim is the best, that would not require fooling with to get it to the point where it is a decent machine. I personally think you can get into a better American machine for less money and less hassle. But either an old American or new Asian one can be made to be a perfectly fine gunsmithing lathe.

marc,
the president of grizzly is a gun and guitar nut .. these are designed as seriouc improvements to the (other) model number that is not a "gunsmith" lathe.

think of them as factory tuned, as they are, to a high specification.

that's the hype, at least

Yep, i already knew all of that. Even after looking over the best tuned stff Grizzly makes, i do not like it. I also was very quick to say they cut ver, very good chambers and will last more than a gunsmiths career or lifetime. I did not bash them at all. I am just saying that most clapped out Monarch I have seen under decades of general shop crud accumalation impressed me more than the best Grizzly in one of their giant showrooms. I like what I like, you like what you like, and everything is cool with everyone. But again, I did not bash them and even went so far as to say Asian machines below Grizzly can be made to last a gunsmiths entire career. But they aint Monarchs either

For just chambering, i actually thought of buying one of the Clausings with the really short headstocks, remove the carriage, cut off the bed just long enough for the tailstock, remaer holder, and reamer, and then put some legs on the end of that stub bed. If you built it solid and had it on a heavy base, I think that would be the ideal chambering machine and would hardly take up any room at all in the shop. Plus it would look cool as hell. Then have a couple of real lathes for real work. Maybe one day I will try it. Couple of years ago has a line on a Clausing but when this Nardini popped up I jumped on it.

the guy was asking for opinions and all he got was a couple of posts saying go with Asian imports. In my post I said they would be fine, but also gave him some other opinions. He was getting basically no new answers other than the first reply, so I gave the guy some food for thought and did my best to be neutral and not run anything down

Forgot to say in my first post that damn near any machine can be put anywhere...if you want to get it there bad enough. I hate to see folks just reject out of hand a superior, larger machines because something cheap and small is easier to handle. I have seen a 10EE, Brodgeport, and 13" Grizzly all in a room at the end of a hall in a basement. I know others who have done so. even my crippled ass has been involved in soem bodaciously serious shoe-horn projects. I have seen pictures on PM of some guys getting a Rivett 1030 down some tight stairs and then make a 90° turn into a basement. Those dudes were motivated!