Considering a Grizzly G0709 14 x 40 Gunsmith Lathe

[DBlue]

I've got a Grizzly G0709 lathe and I'm very well pleased with it....I use it every day for my small business I have here at my home. I had thought of getting a older US made lathe and decided not to as I don't have time to be rebuilding a lathe. I took this lathe and got it set up and leveled, cleaned it, and have been putting it through the paces ever since without any problems...it serves my needs very well. It is very easy to thread with and also very accurate. I'm not a real machinist and don't really care that maybe a older American made lathe might be X amount of thousands more accurate than this one....all I care about is that this lathe does what I need it to and I haven't had any problems with it so far. When something fails on it in the future, I will fix it and just keep on going...the way I see it, so far I'm still way more money ahead of the game....

 

[Senna]

Good testimonial by DBlue but I would like to point out that "used" does not necessarily mean "needs to be rebuilt".
Of the approximately 15 used machine tools I've bought only two of them needed anything more than a cleaning up.

 

[Pacer]

My experience with used machines is quite different from Senna. I have bought 6 lathes and 1 mill off CL or from word of mouth at $500-600 each and a 'noobie' or even an 'experienced noobie' would have been in a world of hurt trying to bring one of them back. (I spent $3000 and 8 months on a SB heavy 10) As the availability of 'ole mericun arn' gets less and less and the ones that do come up are too often in pretty bad shape, I have to advise noobies to put a lot of thought into tackling an old machine. I have read of several accounts of a guy finding an oldie and as time drags by looking for an 'xyz' gear or an 'abc' shaft and they dont seem to exist or the price is shocking, finally just shoving the once prized purchase over to the side and there it sits. I have the ability to make that shaft or gear and it can still be daunting at times. Mind you - this is my hobby and I do enjoy this type of thing.

A Chinese machine for a hobbiest in most cases is going to be the best choice - buy the thing, get it delivered, get it in the shop, plug it in and start making chips. The workmanship/fit/finish on the imports has improved dramatically in the last 5 yrs or so.

 

[Ray C]

Pacer,

Very well stated and thank you for the thoughtful post. There is room in this a place for everyone on this website as we're devoted to hobbyist interests. For some people, the hobby is rebuilding the machine to restore a piece of history. That's perfectly fine and legitimate and requires great skill and knowledge. Some folks just want to get a start in machining so, buying an old lathe in need of repair is a fine approach. There are folks here willing to help and advise. On the flip side, there are folks who want to focus on making parts and don't wish to spend endless hours (and dollars) refurbing the machine. More importantly (as you mentioned) there are many new hobbyists that simply don't know what to look for in a used machine so, buying a new one gives some degree of protection from ending-up with something that's hopelessly past it's prime. And I agree... Unless you're buying used industrial machines costing 6-7 grand, the good offerings out there are becoming far-apart and few in-between.

Also, I agree... the quality of many of the imports have improved dramatically in the last 5-10 years. It's no secret of what brand and dealer I am most supportive of for those who wish to purchase new machinery. That said, they're all pretty decent and even the ones on the low end of the scale can usually be tweaked into usable machines provided you get the right help and advice.

A parting statement however is that no matter what machine you get (new or used) it will need a good system check, proper setup and alignment to get the most out of it. The dealer I work with does a very good job of checking the basics on all machines before shipping them but even still, its impossible to check and catch everything. Also, once a machine has been lifted and transported, it WILL need proper re-alignment. In days gone by, when equipment was purchased, a field technician would do this work. In today's economy, that task is left to the user (unless you purchase a service/setup contract which is beyond the scope of most hobbyists).

Ray

My experience with used machines is quite different from Senna. I have bought 6 lathes and 1 mill off CL or from word of mouth at $500-600 each and a 'noobie' or even an 'experienced noobie' would have been in a world of hurt trying to bring one of them back. (I spent $3000 and 8 months on a SB heavy 10) As the availability of 'ole mericun arn' gets less and less and the ones that do come up are too often in pretty bad shape, I have to advise noobies to put a lot of thought into tackling an old machine. I have read of several accounts of a guy finding an oldie and as time drags by looking for an 'xyz' gear or an 'abc' shaft and they dont seem to exist or the price is shocking, finally just shoving the once prized purchase over to the side and there it sits. I have the ability to make that shaft or gear and it can still be daunting at times. Mind you - this is my hobby and I do enjoy this type of thing.

A Chinese machine for a hobbiest in most cases is going to be the best choice - buy the thing, get it delivered, get it in the shop, plug it in and start making chips. The workmanship/fit/finish on the imports has improved dramatically in the last 5 yrs or so.

 

[Senna]

My experience with used machines is quite different from Senna. I have bought 6 lathes and 1 mill off CL or from word of mouth at $500-600 each and a 'noobie' or even an 'experienced noobie' would have been in a world of hurt trying to bring one of them back. (I spent $3000 and 8 months on a SB heavy 10) As the availability of 'ole mericun arn' gets less and less and the ones that do come up are too often in pretty bad shape, I have to advise noobies to put a lot of thought into tackling an old machine. I have read of several accounts of a guy finding an oldie and as time drags by looking for an 'xyz' gear or an 'abc' shaft and they dont seem to exist or the price is shocking, finally just shoving the once prized purchase over to the side and there it sits. I have the ability to make that shaft or gear and it can still be daunting at times. Mind you - this is my hobby and I do enjoy this type of thing.

A Chinese machine for a hobbiest in most cases is going to be the best choice - buy the thing, get it delivered, get it in the shop, plug it in and start making chips. The workmanship/fit/finish on the imports has improved dramatically in the last 5 yrs or so.

Exactly what I did with nearly all of my used equipment.
And obviously I disagree about a Chinese machine being the best choice for a hobbyist. I see no reason a hobbyist should be satisfied with lesser quality equipment just because he's a hobbyist. Are not the projects hobbyists undertake just as important and often just as precise as most production jobs?
I will also point out that the combined cost of every machine in my list below is half the price of the Grizzly in question.

 

[jmh8743]

A parting statement however is that no matter what machine you get (new or used) it will need a good system check, proper setup and alignment to get the most out of it. The dealer I work with does a very good job of checking the basics on all machines before shipping them but even still, its impossible to check and catch everything. Also, once a machine has been lifted and transported, it WILL need proper re-alignment. In days gone by, when equipment was purchased, a field technician would do this work. In today's economy, that task is left to the user (unless you purchase a service/setup contract which is beyond the scope of most hobbyists).

Doug,

There are thousands of words written here. These are the best. Being new, I did not know about this web site. I spent 2 yrs trying to get a lathe to work. PM has a good rep here, mine was JET. So I wasted 2 yrs and the DRO is still incorrect. Plan on hiring a knowledgeable person to help. Whatever will have to be tuned. Good luck!

There is a long ordeal listed herein, but don't waste time on it, just read the above and spend the $$$. There are no options in my humble opinion. Been there, done that.

Mike

ps I am going to buy a mill this year from Matt.

 

[Pacer]

I disagree about a Chinese machine being the best choice for a hobbyist.

I misspoke when I only said "hobbiest" - I should have said newbie/beginner hobbiest. I am a hobbiest, but I am a pretty experienced one. A beginner is going into a learning curve to just learn to operate his new machine, much less the necessary tool/skill to determine and then repair/adjust an older machine. And I certainly am not saying this as an across the board statement, there are obviously different situations. I am encouraging the newbie/hobbiest to go into his purchase after considering it from many different ways - his skill levels, tools he has or has access to, space to install, etc etc.

 

[Chipbuff]

I was condisering a G0709 in 12X36 for a long time. Backorders and delays got me looking at the G4003G. Some deciding factors for this machine instead of the G0709 was the fact that you had more thread choices without changing gears, the low RPM was 70 instead of 60 ( wish it was 80), and it was very well rated in all of the posts I could find. Back then there was not much info for the new G0709. I have not regretted my decision on the G4003G in any respect. It does a good job, very smooth and accurate, no binding anywhere, no vibrations, and very versitle. I do a bit of gunsmithing for my own rifles and accessories and have had great results. I am now in the beginning phases of building another Remington 700 in .243 for a Coyote gun. This lathe would not disappoint anyone looking for a small production, precision machine for hobby and simi-pro work. Chineese or not it is capable of far more than my limited knowledge and experience. Good luck with your decision.

 

[dave2176]

I'm one of those poor souls that bought a Grizzly. As a matter of fact I bought a G4003G lathe and a G0755 (RF45 clone) mill. I LOVE them both. These are the first metal working tools I have owned besides a small welder and drill press if they count. I am pleased with the fit and finish of them despite hearing how disappointed I should be. The gear boxes are very quiet to my thinking. I have turned and milled a ton of steel (literally) with them in the few months since they arrived and regulary hit the mark I was aiming for. Tolerances are consistently much less than .001. I'm not sure an American lathe would improve my accuracy. I would have no problem laying down the money for a PM45 or another PM product but I would want a copy of the manual to review to see if in my mind the product would fit my projected use. One of deciding factors for buying the G4003G was the Norton style gear box would cut all American threads without gear changes.

I would love American iron but it doesn't exist in Utah very often. When it does I don't or didn't have the knowledge or tooling to perform a complete rebuild that they need. Maybe in the future I'll consider driving across the country to collect something worthwhile. All this talk has me wondering about building a lathe from scratch. I know somebody who works in a foundry so that's a start. It would be American and have every feature I could want.

Bottom line I'm happy with my decision to buy Grizzly and would do it again.

Dave

 

[epanzella]

This is one of those "to each his own" kinda things. I can't comment on the G0709 specifically other than to repeat that the folks who have posted YouTube videos about them really seem to like them. I bought a G4003G. The first one was damaged in shipping and Grizzly sent me another one before I ever sent the first one back. I've had no issues whatsoever with it being "tight" in any shape, form or fashion. It's capable of way more than I am. I have a machinist buddy who is teaching me some of the ins and outs of running a lathe and he's been very impressed with it. I've since added a DRO and am now more impressed than ever. If I were you I wouldn't hesitate to pull the trigger. Or you can hold onto your cash and wait for that perfect piece of NOS iron to fall into your lap. May happen, may not.

Another super satisfied owner of a Grizzly G4003G. Had no problems at all and can't believe how much machine it is for the money. The general rule of thumb is that people who have them like them, and people that don't have them, don't like them.