• Congratulations to Curt Vogt winner of the February 2025 Turning Challenge (click here for details)
  • Congratulations to Joseph Bernard for "Working Spider" being selected as Turning of the Week for March 3 2025 (click here for details)
  • Welcome new registering member. Your username must be your real First and Last name (for example: John Doe). "Screen names" and "handles" are not allowed and your registration will be deleted if you don't use your real name. Also, do not use all caps nor all lower case.

Owners poll- 18" X 47" lathes

I ordered the GO698

Due in large part to the comments and reviews given here I took the plunge and ordered the Grizzly. It is on back order and they have an aprox. date of November 29. I'll tell you, I am really looking forward to getting this lathe. Like all manufacturers Grizzly has its good performers and its not so good. From everything I hear here I think I will be happy. With the current sale on the Nova lathe I was tempted to go that way but when I added up the bed extension and the leg set I just could not justify the money. I have a Grizzly vertical belt sander that I have had for about 18 years and it has been a "great" machine. I am expecting that this lathe will last me just as well. Thanks for the discussion and helping me decide. David
 
David Stratton said:
Due in large part to the comments and reviews given here I took the plunge and ordered the Grizzly. It is on back order and they have an aprox. date of November 29. I'll tell you, I am really looking forward to getting this lathe. Like all manufacturers Grizzly has its good performers and its not so good. From everything I hear here I think I will be happy. With the current sale on the Nova lathe I was tempted to go that way but when I added up the bed extension and the leg set I just could not justify the money. I have a Grizzly vertical belt sander that I have had for about 18 years and it has been a "great" machine. I am expecting that this lathe will last me just as well. Thanks for the discussion and helping me decide. David
Click to expand...

I wish you the best of luck with your lathe when it arrives and I feel certain you will be just as pleased with it as the vast majority are.
The reason they are back-ordered is because so many are buying them because of it having features found only in much more expensive lathes and is as good if not better than some of the ones with a better known "brand" name. .
Same with the hardware for turning up to 30" items off the right hand end of the bed. Busy Bee got a big shipment in and sold them all out at $79.00 . Then they got another shipment and put them on sale at $69.00 and sold out again.
When I ordered mine last week they said the only way to get one on the next shipment in December is to put a ten dollar deposit on one. (which I did) Without a deposit it could mean waiting for yet another shipment after that. . The manufacturer apparently can't make those lathes and attachments fast enough to keep up with orders for them in the various countries where they are being distributed.

We will be looking forward to you joining all the rest of the satisfied users of the 18/47 lathes and you will be very happy knowing that you have got such a fine piece of machinery at such a reasonable price.
 
David Stratton said:
Due in large part to the comments and reviews given here I took the plunge and ordered the Grizzly. It is on back order and they have an aprox. date of November 29. I'll tell you, I am really looking forward to getting this lathe. Like all manufacturers Grizzly has its good performers and its not so good. From everything I hear here I think I will be happy. With the current sale on the Nova lathe I was tempted to go that way but when I added up the bed extension and the leg set I just could not justify the money. I have a Grizzly vertical belt sander that I have had for about 18 years and it has been a "great" machine. I am expecting that this lathe will last me just as well. Thanks for the discussion and helping me decide. David
Click to expand...


Congratulations David,

If your new Grizzly performs like mine has, then you will be a happy camper! I have turned on 2 Powermatic 3520b's, and have several friends who have the Jet 16/42, and have watched several demos on the Jet. The Grizzly will hold its own with both! It is smooth, and has features like the PM and Jet, but does not come with the cage [which most turners take off anyway]

I really am pleased with mine............good luck!
 
Chucks

As seems to be the rule I am now faced with a whole new challenge. I have several chucks that I use with my Rikon mini lathe, 1x8 thread. The Grizzly has a 1-1/4x8 spindle. Several suppliers have adapters to allow use of my old chucks on the new lathe. They all appear to be a little different from one another in material (steel vs aluminum) and through hole or not. Have any of you had experience, good or bad with these? Guess I will also need to get another spindle tap for making my own wood chucks. Any suggestions?
 
Personally I am not a fan of spindle adapters, other than the ones that screw over the spindle and into the chuck, eg like the Nova and the Vicmarc. I certainly wouldn't want to use a spindle adapter made out of aluminum on a lathe as powerful as the 18x47, particularly given its' top speed of 3200.

You also have to consider that you would effectively be extending the length of the spindle and putting extra strain on the bearings.

If your chucks are dedicated thread and don't use screw-in adapters I would suggest selling them and starting with new ones, and looking at getting chucks that use screw in adapters for future flexibility. I have a Nova G3 and a Vicmarc VM120, were I to start over I would stick to Vicmarc only.
 
jet vs. 18/47

I just got the new jet lathe. I compared them both side by side. The only thing the 18/47 has on the jet is that it is slightly larger.

The jet:

Smootheness -I spun the handwheel and let it keep spinning. Couldn't do that on the laguna. I am guessing better bearings. I even disconnected the belt on the laguna and it couldn't come close to comparing. It got about 1/4 of a turn.

It has a better inverter....hands down. It is a delta. The motor is also fan cooled and seems to be larger.

It has more torque. The laguna would bog down and then receive more power. I turned a 14 diameter blank to see how much power it had. Couldn't bog it down at 1000 rpms with scary heavy cuts.

The pullys were polished on the jet so which makes them much more smooth than the laguna.

The live center is also of better quality.

The center of the ways is machined on the jet with very little play side to side. On the laguna, it wasn't machined and had undulations.

By using both side by side...there is no comparison. The 18/47 is no comparison to the jet 16/42 evs2. Only way I see that it is a good buy is if you pay the price from grizzly..not laguna.

You pay for what you get!!
 
issues resolved

Kevin,

I am so glad you finally got a lathe you like! I have been up close and personal with a few Jet 16/42's while friends were turning on them........several of our club members have them.........they are nice indeed!

I have also actually turned on 2 different Powermatic 3520b's and they are nice as well.........real nice........but my Grizzly 60698 was just as smooth as them both, and actually at a higher rpm, it was smoother than one of the 3520b's I turned on. After your experience with the Laguna, I can understand why you feel the way you do......all our opinions are subjective based upon our own experiences. My experience with the Grizzly G0698 has been that it performs as well as the Jet 16/42 and the PM3520b. Of course that is my opinion based upon what I have witnessed first hand, and seen up close.

While the bed on the PM 3520b is machined a little smoother that my Grizzly, I feel like the Grizzly matches up well with performance and features. As for the motor, my manual says the motor on the G0698 is totally enclosed, fan cooled.

I am not sure why the differences exits in the Laguna's that you had, and the satisfaction that I and others have experienced with our 18/47's, but at least you got your issues dealt with and hopefully going forward, you will be a satisfied customer with your new Jet 16/42. Just be aware that any make can have their issues, and some of the Jets have had a history of motor problems [knocking] but Jet will replace it if it happens, and they stand behind their product.

That is what we all wish for you....and let me say that the pics of some of your work [urns] I have seen are really nice.......good work for sure!

Thanks for participating in this thread......your information was helpful to a number of folks, no doubt.
 
Last edited:
David Stratton said:
As seems to be the rule I am now faced with a whole new challenge. I have several chucks that I use with my Rikon mini lathe, 1x8 thread. The Grizzly has a 1-1/4x8 spindle. Several suppliers have adapters to allow use of my old chucks on the new lathe. They all appear to be a little different from one another in material (steel vs aluminum) and through hole or not. Have any of you had experience, good or bad with these? Guess I will also need to get another spindle tap for making my own wood chucks. Any suggestions?
Click to expand...

David,

I have a spindle adapter [steel] from Penn State Industries, and it is high quality and has no runout. It is different in shape from the generic picture they use on the website, but it is quality for sure. It does fit over the spindle and will reduce to 1x8 and is reasonably priced.

I have heard from a couple others who got the same adapter, and they are very happy with it as well, because of the quality and no runout. you will need a large wrench to remove it from the spindle [just so you know] I purchased a large adjustable wrench to take care of it.
 
Well Rog,

I put both lathes next to each other and compared the differences. Everything I have stated was absolutely true. My shop neighbor could not believe the difference. It seriously is a much better designed machine. You can see it in the details. Have you compared them side by side?
 
kevinkabby said:
Well Rog,

I put both lathes next to each other and compared the differences. Everything I have stated was absolutely true. My shop neighbor could not believe the difference. It seriously is a much better designed machine. You can see it in the details. Have you compared them side by side?
Click to expand...

No dispute at all with you Kevin........I have no doubt that your assessment of the 2 units you compared are as you stated. I have turned on several different lathes including ones more expensive than my G0698 and I got just as good performance. That is the way it happened in my experience with the PM3520b and G0698. The Jet 16/42's were ones my friends were turning on and I was standing close observing.

I have had other turners who own the Jet 16/42 [a neighbor down the street, and member of our local club, and an owner of a 3520b, member of our club], that have seen my lathe speak of how impressed they were with it as well. Again, no dispute.......just our experiences, like your experiences have shown you what you state.

I am really glad for you and hope you get great service and longevity from your new Jet unit. I almost purchased that same lathe before I got the Grizzly.......it was a real toss-up for me, and I am sure I would have enjoyed the Jet very much.......it is a good machine.

I really like the urn on your avitar.........a truly nice work! :)
 
Honest consideration of my unit

I have been doing a bit of thinking as to the performance I have gotten from my Grizzly G0698 and the reports from others like Fred Lockwood [H&F Woodmaster 18/47, and William Young [BB 18/47] and then the 2 negative reports of the Laguna line.

While there will be those who read this and say I am biased because I own the Grizzly unit, however, my truly honest assessment is a good one.

I turned a cedar log today that a friend brought by. Making some lidded boxes, and other bigger items as I get to the work. The log is about 8 -10 inches in diameter, and was full of branch knots. The Grizzly G0698 just performed flawlessly again. It was a lot of work to turn the thing balanced, but the lathe really performed so well, and I had the belt on the high setting which is less torque than the low belt setting.

As I think about my particular unit........I honestly don't see how I could get any better performance out of it. It is smooth, quiet, easy to work with, indexes, accepts my vacuum system, reverses, has 3 phase VFD on single phase 220V, has 2 hp and the motor stays cool, the banjo and tailstock lock up solid on the ways, the centers align dead on, the quill travels 4-3/8 inches, and has been a pleasure to turn on. Zero frustration as far as the lathe itself goes, although a bit with myself at times.

This unit is new on the market, and the trust factor is not where units that have been on the market for years already has...........so I just wanted to let folks know that in my again, honest opinion, this lathe will do a great job for you. I have no affiliation with Grizzly or any other company for that matter........I am just an avid woodworker and tool junkie, that is very particular about performance from my woodworking machines.

This G0698 that I have has been great and a real bargain as far as price/performance.

This is my true and honest review of the Grizzly G0698.
 
Last edited:
Roger Chandler said:
I have been doing a bit of thinking as to the performance I have gotten from my Grizzly G0698 and the reports from others like Fred Lockwood [H&F Woodmaster 18/47, and William Young [BB 1/47] and then the 2 negative reports of the Laguna line.

While there will be those who read this and say I am biased because I own the Grizzly unit, my truly honest assessment a good one.

I turned a cedar log today that a friend brought by. Making some lidded boxes, and other bigger items as I get to the work. The log is about 8 -10 inches in diameter, and was full of branch knots. The Grizzly G0698 just performed flawlessly again. It was a lot of work to turn the thing balanced, but the lathe really performed so well, and I had the belt on the high setting which is less torque than the low belt setting.

As I think about my particular unit........I honestly don't see how I could get any better performance out of it. It is smooth, quiet, easy to work with, indexes, accepts my vacuum system, reverses, has 3 phase VFD on single phase 220V, has 2 hp and the motor stays cool, the banjo and tailstock lock up solid on the ways, the centers align dead on, the quill travels 4-3/8 inches, and has been a pleasure to turn on. Zero frustration as far as the lathe itself goes, although a bit with myself at times.

This unit is new on the market, and the trust factor is not where units that have been on the market for years already has...........so I just wanted to let folks know that in my again, honest opinion, this lathe will do a great job for you. I have no affiliation with Grizzly or any other company for that matter........I am just an avid woodworker and tool junkie, that is very particular about performance from my woodworking machines.

This G0698 that I have has been great and a real bargain as far as price/performance.

This is my true an honest review of the Grizzly G0698.
Click to expand...

Roger
I agree with all of the above because it holds true for the same lathe as I have apart from name and color.

One thing that has really been pleasing me just lately is that I have been making a lot of wood coffee mugs with stainless steel liners because they are selling so good.
I could not drill those out with my previous lathe without overheating and taking the temper out of the large forstner bits because my lowest speed was only 500 rpm.
With the new EVS lathe and a new 2 1/8 forstner bit it just plays with cutting out all that end grain at 250 rpm with no overheating of the bit and I get shavings coming out instead of sawdust like I used to . That lathe has more power than I will ever need and is a joy to use.
I can understand why they are on back order lately. The demand is greater than the supply because they have so many features of the much more expensive "brand" name lathes . Sometimes a person can pay a lot more on a recogonized brand name. Wouldn't be a bit surprised to see the price of these Laguna style lathes go up in price in time as they get better known. .
Of course by then something else will come out equally as good and at a better price and the cycle starts all over again.
 
Last edited:
William Young said:
Roger
I agree with all of the above because it holds true for the same lathe as I have apart from name and color.

One thing that has really been pleasing me just lately is that I have been making a lot of wood coffee mugs with stainless steel liners because they are selling so good.
I could not drill those out with my previous lathe without overheating and taking the temper out of the large forstner bits because my lowest speed was only 500 rpm.
With the new EVS lathe and a new 2 1/8 forstner bit it just plays with cutting out all that end grain at 250 rpm with no overheating of the bit and I get shavings coming out instead of sawdust like I used to . That lathe has more power than I will ever need and is a joy to use.
I can understand why they are on back order lately. The demand is greater than the supply because they have so many features of the much more expensive "brand" name lathes . Sometimes a person can pay a lot more on a recogonized brand name. Wouldn't be a bit surprised to see the price of these Laguna style lathes go up in price in time as they get better known. .
Of course by then something else will come out equally as good and at a better price and the cycle starts all over again.
Click to expand...


Willaim,

You might just have a point! When I get on these forums, there are times when it seems that there are guys out there that just do not believe what you, I, and others have experienced with our units.

To some, if it is not a Powermatic or Jet, then it has no trust factor. My unit has truly impressed me. The more I use it the more I am glad I got the Grizzly G0698..........It has just performed so well.

Oh well, in time, when they can get the units from China, and get them to those who order, then I think the reputation of the Grizzly and BB will increase all over!

Good to hear about your success with the drilling and other work you have done on yours.........just goes to prove our points! ;):D
 
Last edited:
Roger Chandler said:
David,

I have a spindle adapter [steel] from Penn State Industries, and it is high quality and has no runout. It is different in shape from the generic picture they use on the website, but it is quality for sure. It does fit over the spindle and will reduce to 1x8 and is reasonably priced.

I have heard from a couple others who got the same adapter, and they are very happy with it as well, because of the quality and no runout. you will need a large wrench to remove it from the spindle [just so you know] I purchased a large adjustable wrench to take care of it.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the input Roger. I looked at my two other main sources for turning tools and the adapters run $55 to $60. While that is definitely less money than new chucks it is good to know I can get the one from Penn for a third of that. Thanks.
 
David Stratton said:
Thanks for the input Roger. I looked at my two other main sources for turning tools and the adapters run $55 to $60. While that is definitely less money than new chucks it is good to know I can get the one from Penn for a third of that. Thanks.
Click to expand...

You are most welcome, David. I hope you get up and running before to long. I have had pretty good luck with PennState Industries. One time I had to wait on a backorder, but most of the time they are really good.
 
My latest session - nearly a year later

Yesterday I turned a cedar log into a bowl for someone who through a friend gave us both some of the log that had been down nearly 2 years. I had made a box and intended to top it with a lid for the person, but the box cracked big time while it was still in the chuck being turned, so I went back and got the rest of that particular blank and made a bowl for the person.

During the turning, I looked away :eek: [a no no, for sure, a] and of course I got a BIG CATCH! Well, it stopped the lathe, and all I had to do was turn the lathe off, and hit the reset button, turn on the unit, and off she went, smooth as ever.

The Grizzly G0698 is an impressive machine.....it has done everything I have asked of it since I got it nearly a year ago, and has performed so well, that I can surely recommend it.

In the beginning when I was uneducated about inverters, I had concern about the hunt at low rpm............well, this unit has gotten better as I have used it..........

I sanded at below 140 rpm on the high belt setting yesterday with no hunt at all [zero] I wonder what it would have done on the low belt setting? What I am saying is that performance from this lathe has actually gotten better the more I use it.

I am one that takes good care of my machines, and go out of my way to keep them clean and properly adjusted, sharp knives [jointer, planer, saw blades, router bits, etc.] and I am very particular about keeping them in optimal running condition. Rarely, have I had any machine that just keeps on making me glad that I got the one I did, but it is true with this lathe, and my table saw also [Delta].

I am not trying to be a salesman for Grizzly, for sure [no affiliation] but at the very beginning right after I ordered the unit, I mentioned that when I got it, and used it along, that I would give some ongoing reviews. I think long term performance and reliability is what people are after, and it was certainly my thinking when I wrestled between the Jet 16/42 evs, and the Grizzly G0698.

So far I have had absolutely no regrets getting the Grizzly G0698, and now having turned on a couple different PM 3520b's and seeing several Jet 16/42's up close and watching demos on them, I am very glad I have gotten the G0698. The performance is there for sure, and absolutely no issues at all with the unit.

I don't know how to characterize what my initial expectations were, but I know they were high, and not one disappointment to date with the Grizzly G0698.
This is my honest review as of this date.
 
I have the Craftex CT18/47 counterpart to yours.


During the turning, I looked away [a no no, for sure, a] and of course I got a BIG CATCH! Well, it stopped the lathe, and all I had to do was turn the lathe off, and hit the reset button, turn on the unit, and off she went, smooth as ever.
Click to expand...
I have had mine stop on a severe overload like that but only on high range (so far). I have never had to touch the reset button yet. When it did that I imediately hit the stop button and then the start button and awy it went again.

In the beginning when I was uneducated about inverters, I had concern about the hunt at low rpm............well, this unit has gotten better as I have used it..........

I sanded at below 140 rpm on the high belt setting yesterday with no hunt at all [zero] I wonder what it would have done on the low belt setting? What I am saying is that performance from this lathe has actually gotten better the more I use it.
Click to expand...

The only time mine will hunt (and that is ever so slightly) is between 0 and 15 rpm. Who uses that low a speed anyway.

I have been making a lot of wood coffee mugs with stainless steel liners lately. I turned two more this afternoon along with several other items.
I use a 2 1/8 forstner bit and go 5.75" deep in end grain before hogging out the actual taper of the liner. I was drilling out one this afternoon that was hard elm with lots of grain pattern . Had the speed set at 250 to save my bit from over heating . No matter how hard I fed the bit in the digital readout stayed dead on 250 . Power to no end and pulling out nice end grain shavings. I have had tools with a regular 220 motor that claimed to be 2 HP that didn't have half the power of this one. Don't know if it has something to do with the 3 phase motor and inverter for 220 but it sure is not under rated in the least.

I am one that takes good care of my machines, and go out of my way to keep them clean and properly adjusted, sharp knives [jointer, planer, saw blades, router bits, etc.] and I am very particular about keeping them in optimal running condition. Rarely, have I had any machine that just keeps on making me glad that I got the one I did, but it is true with this lathe, and my table saw also [Delta].
Click to expand...

Likewise .
I could not be happier than I am with the performance of my CT128 and I sure have turned a ton of stuff on it so far and put it through its paces from tiny things like pens to 17" diameter solid oak turnings. I seldom turn pens anymore because everyone and his uncle are turning pens on mini lathes and giving them away or selling them for the price of the hardware which ruins the sales aspect of turning them so most of my turnings are fairly large . I started a series of thirteen consecutive Saturday Craft sales back in September and only have 4 more to go up until Dec 18 . I have been turning a LOT of things on my lathe trying to keep ahead of sales but never seen to catch up with all the fastest sellers.
 
William,

Thanks for your post. I really like the information you give about your 18/47, especially about the drilling with the large forstner bit. For a lathe to do what you are doing, and in the volume you are doing it in........well, it just shows that this line up is not a piece of _______ like some have stated.

I have not stalled my lathe on the low belt setting ever, but on the high one, that catch did stop it [totally my fault, as I got momentarily distracted and looked away] and the lathe was running at about 1350 rpm on the high belt setting. I just went to the reset as a matter of course, thinking that was the correct way to do it, but I suppose I could have just turned it off and back on.

I do know on the low belt setting, there is a lot more torque, and when I have turned out of balance log blanks, I have to be very precise in the way I present my gouge, because that lathe just powers through, and I had better make sure of where the gouge is cutting at all times. I have drilled pepper mills, and the lathe does not even act as if there is any load on it at all.

I heard from another guy who ordered a Grizzly G0698 yesterday, and Grizzly said they are to get a shipment in on 12/3 and will ship on 12/9, so those who have one on order already will get theirs first. He was told he would have his by Christmas for sure.

Hope things go well with your craft sales, and happy holidays!
 
18 x 47 Grizzly ( Long )

Hi Rodger,
After a serious health scare in late September, I decided to upgrade to a larger lathe. I'm OK now.
Like John Jordan says, Life is to short to turn crappy wood, it's also to short to turn on a mini lathe all the time.
I ordered a Grizzly 18 x 47, was told it would be in by late Nov. Grizzly called me on the 23rd and I went to Williamsport on Black Friday and picked up the lathe. I live about 2 1/2 Hours away and saved a lot on the delivery charge. I set the lathe up that evening but was to tired to turn.
I didn't get to use it untill this past Friday, Dec 3rd.
There were a few things to do, file some sharp cast iron edges, the spindle threads needed to be filed, there was some roughness to the machining, this needs to be addressed by Grizzly. Other than that I was very impressed with the fit and finish of this lathe.
I mounted a 5" x 8" x 12" half log between centers and fired it up. I was testing it with an out of balance piece to see what and where the vibration would be, and at what speed. At about 600 RPM's it did a bit of a creep on the floor, I thought that was OK, and decided to turn something.

I mounted a 7" x 12" piece of Red Oak to make an end grain hollow form.
To make a long story shorter, I was able to rough turn to shape, I then drilled it out with a 2 1/4" Forrester bit to a depth of 5", this wood was very wet and it steamed off as I drilled it.
I finished hollowing, and decided to cut the form off of the log. I wanted to get two forms from the log.
I was cutting with a 3/16" diamond parting tool, and the tool got stuck in the cut, I apparently did not cut a wide enough area, and could not get the tool out.
As I was reaching for the off switch, I heard a loud pop. Everything stopped.
There was a little puff of smoke coming from the inverter box.
After turning everything off and unplugging the lathe, I started to look for the what the H-ll happened.
Up to this point the lathe was a joy to use, it was great to stand at the end to hollow turn, and not lean over the bed, the tool rest moved about with very little effort, and I was having a good time.
The 20 amp breaker in my sub-panel was tripped, and according to the Grizzly manual their is a fuse in the inverter box.
I checked the box and the fuse was gone, only the ends and a few shards of glass were left.

OK, a blown fuse, not a big deal, right.
This is a 20 amp 250 volt fuse, so off to the hardware store I go. This is not a little store, its a local guy and they seam to have it all, most of the time.
But not this time, I ended up searching for a fuse that, I'm almost possitive only can be found in China. Graingers did not have it, Radio Shack did not have it, nor did Auto Zone, Lowe's, or two other auto parts shops.

I called Grizzly tech support first thing this morning, they seamed to be concerned about the problem, untill I asked them where I could get this fuse. I told them all the places I had been to with no results. They told me that this had never happened before. I asked again where I could get this fuse, I wanted to know what Grizzly was going to do to help me, he then offered to send me one that he would take out of another machine.
This is not sitting well with me at all.
I hope that I have not got a lemon of a lathe. The tech was concerned that it might be something with the inverter.

I wanted to scream, holler, jump up and down and curse, naa, not worth it.
I told the tech that this must be resolved within seven days, or I will return the machine.
Wish me luck, Jim.
 
G0698 is a good unit

James,

Sorry to hear about your mishap. Getting a parting tool stuck is an unusual thing, and that is the first I have heard of a fuse blowing. Most likely, Grizzly will send you a new fuse, and they will indeed back up their warranty. They have a solid reputation for customer service.

I do not think you have gotten a lemon of a lathe. I can tell you, mine has exceeded my initial expectations, and has been flawless in its operation. I think you will get things back together, and since you have a new unit, should you have additional issues getting it up and going, Grizzly will give you product support.

That must have been quite an experience with the lathe trying to spin and the parting tool stuck. That would create a tremendous amount of stress on the electronics, but the fuse most likely prevented permanent damage, but again, Grizzly will help you get it fixed.

One reason I went with Grizzly was because I wanted availability of parts and service in time to come should I ever need it. So far, after nearly a year with some heavy use, I have not had a single issue with my G0698.

My spindle was really machined well, and the one thing I did do was to take a dremel tool and make a little place on the last thread for the set screw on my SuperNova2 chuck to set into without messing up the threads. Make sure you always back the set screw out before removing the chuck to protect the threads.

A couple of times I have had a big catch while turning [both my fault] and it stopped the lathe [as it is designed to do] and I turned the unit off, hit the reset button, turned it back on, and off it goes, [a wonderful safety device to protect the electronics]

Let us know how it goes when you get the new fuse from Grizzly. Also, I purchased some new belts for my unit [just wanted to have some spares in case I might ever need them] so if you are interested in that, you can get them from Grizzly, but I got mine from Belts4less.com.

James, good luck with this, I think you will get it resolved, and end up happy with your unit. Feel free to send me a private message if I can be of help! :)

By the way, I put a shelf on the bottom using the castings in the legs. I have some wood blanks on it, and few tools in blow molded cases, and that additional ballast has been helpful. The shelf stiffens the unit from end to end, and the extra weight dampens vibrations on out of balance blanks. I have not had but very little vibration with the ballast, but one does have to find the "sweet spot" on the rpm's until the blank gets turned into balance somewhat, but that is like most all other lathes, as well.
 
Last edited:
Likewise to Rogers message.

Let us know how it goes when you get the new fuse from Grizzly. Also, I purchased some new belts for my unit [just wanted to have some spares in case I might ever need them] so if you are interested in that, you can get them from Grizzly, but I got mine from Belts4less.com.

James, good luck with this, I think you will get it resolved, and end up happy with your unit.
Click to expand...
.

Thanks Roger for the beltsforless info . I still have the original belt on mine and it has done a ton of turning and it still looks almost like new but wouldn't hurt to have a spare belt on hand just in case .
I will check out the site you provided and I will also slip the belt off my lathe when I get a chance and take it to my local NAPA auto parts store and compare prices and quality before ordering a spare from either source.
 
part number for belt

William,

Here is the part number for the belts at belts4less.com

Product Name: J-POLY-V BELT
Our Price: $2.28
Availability: CALL FOR AVAILABILITY
Product Number: 210J6
Product Weight: 0.08 lb.
Rating:

I went to your website..........you have some really nice turnings!
 
Last edited:
Perspective

James,

I was thinking about your experience............I know how unsettling it must have been for you to get a tool stuck and blow a fuse right out of the gate, and then could not find a fuse locally.

That being said, I just wanted to say a little about my understanding of this Grizzly G0698. I have done some comparison with my unit to the PM3520b, and the Jet 16/42 EVS. Both are recognized as good units in turning circles and have the reputation.

I have turned on 2 different 3520b units, and they are nice indeed. They did not however perform any better than my G0698. They were just a good, and the 3520b is heavier, and I think has a better banjo, but one would naturally expect that from a unit that costs over twice as much. The Jet 16/42 performs on a par with the Grizzly G0698, but the Grizzly has more swing and distance between centers and weighs more.

some parts on the PM3520b and Jet are identical to some of the parts on the Grizzly G0698, so there is a connection somewhere in manufacturing. Also, there have been a number of reported problems with the Jets with the motors knocking, but Jet is fixing them by replacement as they are reported, and I have heard of problems some the the PM3520b's have had as well ...........so I just wanted to say that any make can have a problem.

Your issue was created by the stuck parting tool, and will most likely be resolved by Grizzly with the new fuse, but if there are additional problems, then Grizzly does stand behind their products. I do think you have a good lathe, but just had a very unfortunate mishap. I hope this gives you a second breath, and gives you the confidence to see the repair through.

Let us know how it goes, and feel free to send me a PM if you wish and feel I can be of help!
 
Last edited:
Roger Chandler said:
William,

Here is the part number for the belts at belts4less.com

Product Name: J-POLY-V BELT
Our Price: $2.28
Availability: CALL FOR AVAILABILITY
Product Number: 210J6
Product Weight: 0.08 lb.
Rating:

I went to your website..........you have some really nice turnings!
Click to expand...

Thanks Roger. What you see on my PictureTrail Albums site is a small sampling of my turnings. The balance is on Photobucket because Picturetrail charges after so many albums and Photobucket has about 20 times the free space where I have another 20 albums. I keep Photobucket locked though because it also contains some personal folders and albums.

WOW ! !
$2.28 per belt ?
Heck of a good price.
I won't even bother checking with NAPA because I feel certain they would cost a lot more even when considering I would have a S/H charge from beltsforless . A person doesn't mind having a few spares at that price.
 
Last edited:
Thanks Rodger, and all.
I'm not totally dismayed at this time, just a bit frustrated. A new toy and I wanted to play hard. Being unable to get a fuse off the shelf did concern me.
I have faith that Grizzly will fix the problem.
I turned on a Oneway that had a tendency to shut down from time to time untill the company installed a thing to regulate the electric current spikes.

I believe the Grizzly will be a very good lathe all in all. One cannot beat the size of this machine for the price. The next step up would cost at least $3500. Out of my budget.
I found it interesting that the cirrcut breaker on the lathe did not trip before the fuse blew. The 2 HP motor does have a lot of torque and seems powerful enough for anything that I will turn.
The machine is a bit on the light side for it's size, but I am adding a ballast box with sand in the bottom, I believe the box will hold about 800 to 1000 # of sand. And I will replace the steel feet with larger rubber ones. That will keep it in it's place.

I designed a bed extension that will enable me to turn at least 8 feet between centers,the whole thing will be on casters so it can moved out of the way, as I sometimes get a call for this size work.
I will keep you up to date on what is happening.
Dang Fuse:eek:
 
Thanks James!

I hope your unit will serve you well. I'll have to say, 8 feet between centers with a home made extension..........WOW. I hope the 2 hp motor is enough for you in that configuration.

If I were you, I would have Grizzly send me a replacement fuse now, and then order a spare one, just in case you might ever need it again. I think I am going to call them to order one for my lathe, just to have it on hand.

Do you think that [hindsight is 20/20 of course] that you should have made the kerf wider with your parting tool to take the stress out of the cut? I ask this because we can all learn from one another.

I can say this........When you get your unit going.........if it performs like mine has for me, then you will be happy. I know William Young, and a lot of other owners are really up on their units. Steve B. who posts on this forum occasionally has the G0698, and Ron H. as well and some others........no problems reported at all.

Good luck Jim, and let us know how things progress along! :)
 
My G0698 is comming, I hope.

I ordered my GO698 towards the end of October and was told at the time that they were on back order till the end of November. The end of November I called to check and was told it would now be the end of December. Then I got a postcard letting me know it was on BO so I called and was told March for an arrival date. I got a little upset and let them know about it. The gentleman I talked with was very understanding and made out an "Activity" report. Two days later I had a message on the answering machine from Griz stating that if I would like that they could ship one from the Missouri warehouse. I called to let them know that heck yes I wanted them to do that. Upshot is that my new lathe should be headed to me tomorrow, Monday. Since I am in Montana they were originally going to ship from Bellingham, WA. I guess those poor guys will not be getting any until March. I am glad the lathe will be on its way.

Roger, (or anyone), do you have any advise on how to deal with the sheer size and weight of the lathe as shipped, supposedly 550 pounds. Shipping has become a little more complicated coming from Missouri. Their freight company is apparently UPS. There is no UPS Freight terminal in Great Falls. How much work is involved in unpacking it to break it down to manageable pieces? Any advise will be appreciated. David Stratton, Great Falls, MT
 
David, good to hear that you will have your lathe shortly.

I picked mine (Hare & Forbes Toolmaster WL46) up from the Melbourne warehouse (400km round trip).

As it was the showroom model it wasn't in its' original crate.

We disassembled it and put it in my 6x4 trailer.

On arrival home I removed the head and tailstock from the bed, put the legs under the bed, then put head and tailstock back on.

I did all this on my own, and I am not a big strong guy, only 5'7" and 73kg:)

The hardest part was the bed, but made easier by having an old printer stand on castors so I could move it around.

I documented the process on our local forum:

http://www.woodworkforums.com/f8/changing-guard-115302/
 
Hp

Hi Roger,
To answer your question about the cut, yes I should have made it wider. The wood was 7" in diameter and very wet it almost felt like it swelled up on the tool and grabbed it during the cut, I've had it happen before on a deep parting cut.

As far as HP.
I turned on an old Walker Turner lathe for 6 years. It had a bed extension to turn up to 8 1/2 feet BTC. We mounted it on a 1 1/2" square steel tube custom made stand with over 1200# of sand. It was very steady, and was powered by a 220 V 1 1/2 HP VS motor. The biggest piece I turned was 10 1/2" X 8 feet long and had no problems with power. This was a coopered column. But even with this amount of weight there was still some vibration or should I say shaking about if the speed was to fast.
I believe the Grizzly will handle it.

I already have an order for 3 -16" x 29" Cherry Table Pedestals that are to be used under a 6 Foot diameter marble table top.
Jim
 
Roger, (or anyone), do you have any advise on how to deal with the sheer size and weight of the lathe as shipped, supposedly 550 pounds. Shipping has become a little more complicated coming from Missouri. Their freight company is apparently UPS. There is no UPS Freight terminal in Great Falls. How much work is involved in unpacking it to break it down to manageable pieces? Any advise will be appreciated. David Stratton, Great Falls, MT
Click to expand...

Breaking it down into manageable size pieces is quite a chore. Take a variety of wrenches and screw drivers . There are metal bands around it so take strong side cutters as well
Mine came by transport to the closest drop off point 120 km from home. I drove there with my van and a utility trailer behind.
They lifted it with a fork lift after placing some heavy duty slings around it and they gently lifted it and lowered it over the 2' sides of the trailer and onto the floor.
I have some pictures of the unpacking process in my own Woodworking Friends site but I have not been able to post pictures here.
It is more like 600 lbs before opening. There are two thick , wide steel plates inside there that are bolted down to hold things together . They are not a part of the lathe . You can either toss them or keep them for something else.
The totally enclosed particle board type wood box is bolted down to its own self contained pallet. There are eight metal corner brackets on the outside (two on each corner) bolted through . The bed is a gut stretcher as is the headstock and by just looking at the leg assemblies you will be shocked at the weight of them when you go to pick them up.

I am strong (but then smell's not everything . .lol . .) so I was lucky enough to get a neighbor to help me get the bed bolted to the legs after I hauled all the pieces from the trailer to just inside my shop . Actually I was backed up to the shop door and dragged some pieces in rather than try lifting them myself. It is a much easier job if you have a helper but is do-able if you must go at it alone. . Of course I am a few months away from 75 years Young so it might all be a piece of cake for you. ;)

BTW. It was mentioned that it needs more weight for turning out of balance pieces to keep it from "walking" . I have turned lots of big pieces up to 17.5 inches diameter with no problem at all . It is sitting on a wood floor and I put a double thick 3/4" plywood pad under each leg set about 18" wide by about 2.5 feet long to didtribute the weight better on the adjustable levelling feet. I was afraid the feet might go through without the pad because it is only 7/16" T&G , OSB flooring .
For out of balance turnings I just start slow and let the piece predict the speed and keep increasing when possible.
It has never moved a hair from where I sat it and all that weight in that big heavy lathe makes it a very smooth running machine.

Congratulations and have fun with it.
 
Last edited:
Grizzly Crate

Hi David,
I was able to haul the lathe in my Toyota truck with no problem.
The lathe is packaged very well, you'll need a few hand tools to loosen a few bolts and nuts. The crate is all plywood, screws and staples.
Getting it off my truck in one piece by myself would have been impossible for me, so I tore apart the crate in the back of my truck.
The heaviest parts are the bed and the headstock. Get some help if you can.
I did it by myself, and I'm not supposed to lift heavy anymore, with the use of my Black and Decker Workmate as my helper. If I try to do something like this again I will get a helper.
Jim
 
David,

I uncrated mine on a rainy day inside a cargo trailer. The ups freight truck would not back up to my shop building, so we lowered it on the tailgate of the ups truck, and slid it inside my small trailer.

I took the headstock off the ways and tailstock as well. I got everything ready and when my 2 sons got off work had them come over and assist me. It was a breeze to get things together with their help. Took about 30 minutes.

Do make sure you get the bed level end to end and front to back, or else the flex in the ways will make the centers not align. Level bed is crucial!

Also, check to see if the pulleys are in line with one another and tighten down the set screws in the pulleys before turning the unit on. There is a safety procedure to go through to check for proper operation. Follow the instructions and you will be fine!

Once I got everything done, a few weeks later I used the plywood crate that the lathe came in to make drawers for a turning cabinet to keep my tools in!
 
inspection and clean up on G0698

I decided today after my dentist appointment, and reading what James G. had experienced with his new unit, to inspect and clean up my Grizzly G0698 today.

Of course James had a mishap, where he got a parting tool stuck, and ended up blowing the fuse.

I took the time to take the cover off my inverter, and inspect everything closely. All wiring connections are tight, the circuit board is clean, and everything looked really good [like new] even after a year of turning. I did blow just a little smidgen of dust out of the bottom of the inverter box, but was really surprised at how little dust had gotten inside the cover.

I also ran the lathe through its paces on all settings. Took the time to let it run, and go from the low end to the high end several times and a lot of speeds in between, and the speed control was great.

I don't have a heated shop, and the only thing I can do is put a Kerosene heater in there when it gets cold, but with no insulation, it does not help all that much when it really gets cold, and kerosene does put off moisture in the air, and I don't like having moisture settling on tool surfaces, like my table saw, etc, so I don't do a lot of turning when it gets dead of winter. [only on moderate temp. days]

My point is that I was mostly buttoning up the lathe for the winter, but may still turn if we get some moderate temps.

I saw the fuse that James was talking about when his blew, and it is easy to get to for replacement. His repair should be a breeze, when he gets the new fuse.

I am still impressed with my G0698, and would purchase it all over again, knowing what I know, if I needed a lathe.
 
The Fuse

Hi all,
The fuse for the Grizzly arrived today.
I put the fuse in, plugged in the lathe, pressed the reset button, and turned it on.
That fuse popped like a firecracker on the 4th of July.

Called Grizzly, I'm now talking to the third tech support person. His response was one of their electronics techs will contact me in a day or so.
Each time I call Grizzly, I get a different support tech, and I have to explain the whole problem all over again. #4 coming up.

I told the tech that I no longer wanted this headstock as I have no faith in any of the electrical components, who's to say what else inside their may be blown or burned up, I want the whole thing replaced, not just a few parts.

If Grizzly does not want to do this, I am going to be Williamsport bound on Saturday morning, and will be returning this lathe. They do have a 30 day money back guaranty

Jim
 
James E Gaydos said:
Hi all,
The fuse for the Grizzly arrived today.
I put the fuse in, plugged in the lathe, pressed the reset button, and turned it on.
That fuse popped like a firecracker on the 4th of July.

Called Grizzly, I'm now talking to the third tech support person. His response was one of their electronics techs will contact me in a day or so.
Each time I call Grizzly, I get a different support tech, and I have to explain the whole problem all over again. #4 coming up.

I told the tech that I no longer wanted this headstock as I have no faith in any of the electrical components, who's to say what else inside their may be blown or burned up, I want the whole thing replaced, not just a few parts.

If Grizzly does not want to do this, I am going to be Williamsport bound on Saturday morning, and will be returning this lathe. They do have a 30 day money back guaranty

Jim
Click to expand...

Don't blame you one bit . You are taking the right approach.
I didn't want to mention it earlier but I did rather feel that there must be a dead short in either the motor or somewhere in the electonics when you said some smoke came out.

I would insist in a whole new headstock and if they won't go for that , then a full refund.

I know BusyBee in Canada where I got mine would bend over backwards to help with a problem with any piece of machinery they sell . I hope Grizzly is the same .

Please let us know how you make out.

It can happen with any make or model . I once got an expensive General International lathe because I was told those pieces of green machinery were fantastic even though they are overpriced due to a "brand" name. . It was a three hour drive each way to get it and return it. The electronic circuit board fried in a cloud of smoke just ten minute after turning it on. Took it back to Woodcraft and got a full refund. Of course I got the regular B S that it was the first one they had ever seen do that but reports on some sites proved otherwise.
 
James E Gaydos said:
Hi all,
The fuse for the Grizzly arrived today.
I put the fuse in, plugged in the lathe, pressed the reset button, and turned it on.
That fuse popped like a firecracker on the 4th of July.

Called Grizzly, I'm now talking to the third tech support person. His response was one of their electronics techs will contact me in a day or so.
Each time I call Grizzly, I get a different support tech, and I have to explain the whole problem all over again. #4 coming up.

I told the tech that I no longer wanted this headstock as I have no faith in any of the electrical components, who's to say what else inside their may be blown or burned up, I want the whole thing replaced, not just a few parts.

If Grizzly does not want to do this, I am going to be Williamsport bound on Saturday morning, and will be returning this lathe. They do have a 30 day money back guaranty

Jim
Click to expand...

Hi Jim,

On the SMC forum there is a guy, Dirk Martin who had a similar issue......they are sending him a new inverter. Another guy who got a G0698 a few months ago had an issue, and got another headstock......everything has been great ever since for him.

I think there must have been an issue with a few, and Grizzly is trying to take care of these. You may have seen the thread on SMC.

I believe Grizzly will take good care of you, and I know it is frustrating. A number of the Jet 16/42's had motor issues and Jet had to send out new motors, and then a few had the same problem with the new motors, but Jet took care of it for them..........just a lot of frustration in the mean time.

After a year with my unit, it could not have been any better. I just hope that shortly you will find the same experience. Good luck to ya' Jim!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top