# Question about Grizzly lathes



## MDphotographer (Jul 30, 2014)

Hi all I am new to the forum and starting up my home machine shop.I recently acquired a Enco RF-30 mill with power feed stand collets and 8"rotary table for a great price. I am now thinking about lathes and will probably go with one of the Grizzly 1" spindle bore lathes like a G0602. My question was with a 1" spindle bore can you still use collets and if so what kind 5c? 3c? I would really love to have a PM1127VF LB lathe but it is a little beyond my reach price wise.Any info would be appreciated.


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## zmotorsports (Jul 30, 2014)

Welcome to the forum.

You will want at least a 1 3/8" spindle bore to run 5C collets.  With that in mind I would recommend the PM1127VF vs. the Grizzly G0602.

Mike.


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## dave2176 (Jul 30, 2014)

A nice feature of using collets on a lathe is the ability to pass a rod through the head stock. Consider something like the ER40 which can hold anything up to 1". There are holders that can be held in your 4 jaw or you can make one that will screw on a G0602 spindle.
 Dave


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## Smudgemo (Jul 30, 2014)

I don't think anyone can do more than tell you what's available in your price range unless you can specifically say you need to build X with a lathe.  But, in reality, you'll either buy something that's perfect and you'll love forever, or you'll quit the hobby and never use it or want something else because now that you know what you're doing you realize you'd rather have XYZ brand something" X something".  

I had a little machine shop experience, and by luck I happened on an Atlas 12x36 a few years ago very close to home.  It's been great (and I love that it's 40+ years old) but now I want something more robust within the next year.  Why?  Because I'm now so much more familiar with lathe operation than I was, and I want more rigidity for some of the things I make.  Did I know that two years ago?  Nope.

So I'd say to pick something that's in your budget, use it for a few years and then upgrade if you feel the need.  I've had great luck with Grizzly customer service, and this forum is a great resource.  Say you spend $1k+ now.  You'll probably be able to sell it for $750 or more in a few years if you take care of it and add a few simple items.  That's not a bad investment.  

This isn't a cheap hobby, but I could spend all weekend in my garage doing things.  One of my favorite things in the world is to take a broken something from someone with an utterly lost look on their face and either fix it or make a new one.  

-Ryan


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## tmarks11 (Jul 31, 2014)

You can use a collet chuck, which houses the 5c collet in the chuck rather than internal to the spindle.

One difficulty is that the G0602 uses a threaded spindle (1.75" x 8 tpi) , so you need to get a threaded backplate and mount the collet chuck on it.

That is the unfortunate thing about this size of lathe; you don't get the cam lock chuck mounting system (D1-4) that larger lathes have (although the 8x18 South Bend Sb1001 uses a D1-3 chuck).


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## Jackalope (Jul 31, 2014)

I started out with a G602 Grizzly lathe but soon went to the G4003. The G602 is a nice lathe but the 1" bore is to small and no power on the cross slide plus gear change is needed to cut threads. The G4003 I have been very happy with.


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## MDphotographer (Jul 31, 2014)

Thank you all for your responses!

I know models like the 0602 don't have a power cross feed and are a pain changing gears for threading  but I would really like to have a lathe this year and not wait a year to save up for a 4003 or PM1127  plus it will be going in the basement so moving a 1000lbs+ lathe down 10 steps and standing it on end to get it through the sliding door doesn't appeal to me as I had back surgery 24 years ago.Those are the major reasons I am looking at the bench lathe as opposed to a full size model.


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## Stanshire (Aug 8, 2014)

I had a G0602 with a  Bison Set-Tru 5C chuck. The Bison now lives on the new G4003G with just a backplate change.

I believe your question was not, "What bore size should I get?" but rather can you use 5C collets on that spindle. The collet chuck make the question moot. It's interesting that the "canned answers" pop up on every forum. 
"You need such and such bore size" , etc. These are given without asking "What are you planning on doing with the lathe?"
I make model steam engines. For me, the bore size is inconsequential. If I were turning 2" shafts, then a 1 3/4" bore is too small.

With all of that said, I was in the same situation as you. I wanted the 1127 but it wasn't in the budget. I used the G0602 nearly every day for two years and had no issues. I did add:
1. Quick Change Tool Post
2. DRO
3. Larger motor with VFD
4. Bison 5C chuck.

For me, the biggest advantage of 5C collets is that they are plentiful and cheap. Every spin Indexer that I've seen is for 5C collets. Collet block are extremely useful when moving operations from the lathe to the mill and vice versa.

For the price, it's a great lathe.

Cons?
Lack of power cross feed.
Lack of quick change gearbox.

Neither were a deal breaker for me. Now that I have them, they get used a lot.

As far as a backplate for the strange spindle thread size. Not a big deal. IIRC I got them from Shars.

If you ever get a Bison 5C Set-Tru (highly recommended) I've got an honest-to-gosh Bison backplate for the G0602 sitting under the bench. PM me.


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