Grizzly Lathes

[butchlambert]

Thanks TW,
You have some pretty nice heavy machines yourself. The people that have operated a 10EE know they have operated the Rolls Royce of machines.
I think they use ABEC 7 headstock bearings. I wish I had the 30" model, but they are extremely rare. I believe Hal has one.

 

[Hal]

TW

Hendey's are a very nice machine. If you can find American iron in good shape it will last several life times with TLC.

Butch

Yes I have a 30" 10EE. It brings a smile to my face every time I run it. Just wish I knew more.

The smoke from the fires from the North sure settled in over night.

Take care
Hal

 

[boltman223]

Thanks TW,
You have some pretty nice heavy machines yourself. The people that have operated a 10EE know they have operated the Rolls Royce of machines.

No! DS&G is the rolls Royce of Lathes! How dare you utter such words. ;D

has the OP gotten a Lathe yet? I have a lodge & Shipley model X and prefer the larger lathes (6500lb 14x36). So i recomend the heaviest duty you can get But, if I was going to get a smaller Lathe I think I would get a takisawa/webb or another takisawa clone. I would even drive across the country to check it out before I bought it. With a $10,000 budget you could pay for shipping( actually you could haul it with a half ton truck and decent trailer), driving to check it out, the time off work and tooling. You might even be able to buy a true bore alignment system setup if your little heart so desires. A takisawa is 100 times the lathe a grizzly is. you would be all served by one of These little gems.

 

[holstil]

Kieth,
I cut my teeth on the 4003G lathe at home while learning on better lathes at work. A better lathe is in my future, but for now, the Grizzly will suffice. It was very hard for me to purchase a Chinese machine. The way I see it, spend 3,000 to learn on, and sell for what ever I can get when Im ready for a better machine.

Be prepared to replace all hardware, the sockets won't hold an allen wrench for very long, however the ways are holding up nicely. The tool post, while a bit high and on top of a narrow compound, is of a better grade metal then the hardware. The features for gunsmithing have proven worth while even with a cheap feeling steady and rest. I've made nice threads on this but find it easier to get pretty threads from a heavier machine.

I tore mine apart shortly after buying it to see and learn. Mine came with NSK P5 (Japanese) bearings that needed to be adjusted though I believe P3 would have been better than necessary. I replaced with same on spindle and installed Nechi in bottom end.

I'll add, mine came with a .015 wrack in the ways, not too bad considering most I've seen, but still you'll want to set it up properly no matter how flat your floor is. I realigned the engine from 1' 30" to 3AS to the ways which I leveled out to .0005 end to end. I hard packed the soft foot on the engine and cast bases and loosened the belts a touch. You may consider moving the motor to a wall for better results.

Jim

 

[butchlambert]

BM223, Is the suckiesawa lathe better than the Taiwanese Grizzly lathes? What is the width of the headstock on the machines that you mention?

 

[boltman223]

BM223, Is the suckiesawa lathe better than the Taiwanese Grizzly lathes? What is the width of the headstock on the machines that you mention?

Suckiesawa, haha that's a good one. Takisawa is a high quality japanese lathe, right? YES! I dont think your question needs any more of an answer. DSG, lodge and shipley, do they really need an introduction? Anything else you want to sound smart about? Sorry to make a joke about a 10ee, they are great machines and cant say anything remotely close to bad about them. If you knew anything about DSG I wouldn't need to explain that it was a joke. Sorry to take away from your glory and ego trip of owning a 10ee. As far as headstock width, hahaha!!! Go somewhere else and spew your malarkey.

 

[jdh47]

The thing that we are all plagued with is finding parts for our machines whatever the make is if it has been out of manufacture for long.

The thing about the Grizzly is it is still supported, warts and all. Manual machines are just not as competitively priced as they once were. The industry has moved toward CNC.

There are some fine machines out there but finding a good one at a price you can afford is going to be a challenge.

Joe

 

[boltman223]

The thing that we are all plagued with is finding parts for our machines whatever the make is if it has been out of manufacture for long.

The thing about the Grizzly is it is still supported, warts and all. Manual machines are just not as competitively priced as they once were. The industry has moved toward CNC.

There are some fine machines out there but finding a good one at a price you can afford is going to be a challenge.

Joe

A good point and true for some machines. There are parts still available for takisawa. For anybody considering a good american made lathe. parts still available for American pacemakers, lodge and Shipley, and monarch. All though they are a little expensive. I would guess that you could still get parts from leblond too.

Metric threading is the other issue to consider. It can be found on some the older American made stuff but...

 

[butchlambert]

Hey BM,
Hal is adding and inch/metric gearbox to his rare 30" 10EE. Maybe only 12-13 ever made. So what is the malarky about head stock length? I think the gentleman was looking for an affordable gunsmithing lathe.
BM, I just asked a couple questions about the Japanese lathe and the distance of the headstock. Just wanted info and didn't realize it would get your panties in a wad. Could you let us know of a lathe that passed your muster and the length of the headstock. Not all, but most, chamber in the headstock. Can you handle it?

 

[confuzed]

after reading these series of posts I thought that someone here might be interested in my south bend heavy 10" lathe its very tight, was owned by a family friend from the time it was new, who did probably 8 or 9 barrels a year on it comes with all the typical tooling and its a peach!!

 

[escopeta]

I have the Grizzly 10-40 with DRO package that I found locally for decent price of $5500. It is light years ahead of the ancient South Bend 16" that I was given. It had been down south of the border and had been rode hard and put up wet too many times. Very difficult to good threading or turning with it. It weighed several thousand pounds and was a very solid machine in its day.
The Grizzly I have when I checked spindle run-out it was .00005" and no perceptible end play. I use top class measuring instruments and tools and the lathe is good enough for me to do good barrel work. I do all the barrels for my son who is a High Master F-Class shooter out West.
Although the lathe is from China, if you know your stuff, it can work for you. If you have a bigger budget get better lathe. Good tooling and instruments can cost you thousands though so keep that in mind.