Need A Second Opinion

Take this from EXPERIENCE: Just because a machine LOOKS identical,it definitely does NOT mean that the parts are the same. I have had exactly that problem with an Enco turret mill no longer offered by them. It looked identical to a Grizzly. I wasted money buying parts that were not AT ALL similar to the parts needed by my mill. Ended up selling it to someone with more energy. I have a Bridgeport type anyway. This smaller mill was to set up a maintenance shop when my wife was renting a shop far from home. She makes jewelry. I sometimes help make master models,and also make her tooling. She did not stay at the rented shop anyway,turned out.
 
As for the lathe, if you aren't confident that you can get its value and the value of your time back out from parting it out and scrapping the rest, just walk away. According to Jet's website the weight of a lathe with that designation (didn't take the time to determine if that's exactly what you have, but should be close enough) is 1,154 pounds. The last time I sold steel/iron scrap I got 5.5 cents per pound. That's $63.47 for the approximate scrap value. I trust you value your time in a project like this higher than that, should repairs not work out.

If what you want is the challenge of repairing it then don't let us deter you. You have at least the key components of the equipment to do it (tooling may be another matter?). But it seems like if you wanted to repair something there would be more attractive options than a not-new but not-vintage Jet lathe. At least that's true for me.
 
george wilson said:
Take this from EXPERIENCE: Just because a machine LOOKS identical,it definitely does NOT mean that the parts are the same. I have had exactly that problem with an Enco turret mill no longer offered by them. It looked identical to a Grizzly. I wasted money buying parts that were not AT ALL similar to the parts needed by my mill.
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Aren't the Precision Matthews machines "identical" to Grizzlys and others? Yet decidedly not identical? From what I've read (which is not extensive, but enough to feel confident about this) while the different machines are made in the same factory they can be customized in countless ways when they are ordered by the distributor/reseller/re-badge-r.
 
I'd run a mile personally. Sounds like one of those projects that you only find out all of the things wrong with it once you've fixed half of them and you're too deep in it to stop. Unless lathes are a rarity in your area, I'd pass and keep looking.
 
olcopper said:
Check for a grizzly manual and parts list that is similar, same machine, just rebadged
olcopper
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Jet tools are from Taiwan, originally roughly copied from European machines. Grizzly lathes in that size range are Chinese. The Chinese copied the Taiwanese machines long ago, and most of the copies of the copies are fairly close copies -- of other Chinese machines. That does not mean that all Chinese lathe parts that look the same from five feet away will interchange. Far from it. The Jet machines are different than the Chinese "standard", but look similar in many ways. Jet lathes are better quality tools, but they cost a lot more, and new Jet parts cost a LOT more than similar looking Chinese Grizzly parts. GHB-1340 parts are _possibly_ mostly still available from Jet.
 
If the seller wanted $1500 for an old dropped import lathe. I would not waste my time with the person. Even if renegotiated for $300. In my neck of the woods, I see lots of good old US iron at great prices.
 
You are EXCUSED!!!:):):)

No,parts are very different in machines that you could swear are identical. My knee mill fiasco is an example of that.

I hope that Jet customer service has gotten better by now. Years ago I had a Jet 1024(wish I still had it!) Made in Taiwan. The starting switch burned out,and I called Jet to get another part. They wanted $20.00 for a part that was worth less than $2.00. The BAD thing was,they COULD NOT accept a credit card!!! An international corporation COULD NOT ACCEPT A CREDIT CARD over the phone. The arts guy was a TOTAL JERK,too. It took me 19 days to get my part after I mailed them a check! I vowed to never buy another Jet machine after that.
 
That is a frustrating experience, for sure. But in the last year that I've worked for a major automotive group, at a car dealership, I have developed a real appreciation of what goes into warehousing, accessing, and selling/shipping replacement parts. A part that only costs pennies to make costs FAR more to store, even considering only the real estate required to house them. Then there is the inventory management software, the shelving, forklifts, etc., and of course the humans involved who like to get paid for their work (I know I do). A $2 part can very easily cost $20 then. And the longer they have to hold onto those parts before selling them, the more expensive they have become as part of the whole system.
 
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