# Grizzly G0602?



## BellyUpFish

Hey guys-

I'm in the market for a lathe.

I have no immediate need of a lathe.  
I will be using it as a hobby lathe only. Chess pieces? Draw pulls? No idea what I'd make, but I'm sure I'd figure it out. LOL
I've never used a lathe.
I unfortunately am somewhat space limited.

So, I'm looking at the Grizzly 10x22.

I understand this is going to need to be "un-Chinesed" bit. Strip, de-grit, etc.

I'm looking for opinions on the Grizzly.  Anyone wanna help the noob? 
p


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## Ray C

Can't help with comments about the Grizzly but, much here has been written about them so, please feel free to search.

For the sake of comparison, this machine is owned by several folks here and no-one seems to be complaining.  I happen to know from the guy that distributes these things, he gets virtually no complaints at all about them.  The only complaints he does get is that some people wish they bought a bigger lathe.  http://www.machinetoolonline.com/PM1030.html  I will say this, I am glad you seem to have a concrete opinion about what size lathe you are looking for.  It's really tough when folks ask about a what lathe is right for them assuming its bigger than a breadbox and smaller than an elephant... -Really narrows things down...


Ray


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## Richard King

I just checked Amazon.com and found several machines you can compare.

I have been buying things from Amazon for about 3 months and to me is is superior then other sites.  Plus usually it's free shipping and a super warranty.

Take a look at the bottom of the page as they have several machines to compare from.  Press the > arrow on the right side to see more.

Ray knows those machines he told you about too.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009L9V6V8?psc=1

Rich


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## Ray C

Just so you guys know, Bolton and BusyBee are owned by the brother of the guy who owns Grizzly. They agree not to play in each other's back yard. The quality of those machines has been called into question many, many, many times.  All the machines are spin-off of each other, coming from the same usual round-up of factories.


Ray


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## rdfoster

BellyUpFish said:


> Hey guys-
> 
> I'm in the market for a lathe.
> 
> I have no immediate need of a lathe.
> I will be using it as a hobby lathe only. Chess pieces? Draw pulls? No idea what I'd make, but I'm sure I'd figure it out. LOL
> I've never used a lathe.
> I unfortunately am somewhat space limited.
> 
> So, I'm looking at the Grizzly 10x22.
> 
> I understand this is going to need to be "un-Chinesed" bit. Strip, de-grit, etc.
> 
> I'm looking for opinions on the Grizzly.  Anyone wanna help the noob?
> p


I had one and I liked it. Of course I'm no expert on machining but I thought it was a good lathe for what it was. I did several mods to it to make it more usable and some of them are on my youtube channel "robertdeanfoster" and projects in metal website.
I did, however, buy a PM 1236 and sold the G0602. I am very pleased with the PM1236. 

Bob


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## BellyUpFish

rdfoster said:


> I had one and I liked it. Of course I'm no expert on machining but I thought it was a good lathe for what it was. I did several mods to it to make it more usable and some of them are on my youtube channel "robertdeanfoster" and projects in metal website.
> I did, however, buy a PM 1236 and sold the G0602. I am very pleased with the PM1236.
> 
> Bob




I've read nothing but good things about the PM1236, but its currently just out of my price range.  Might make a decent step up, I don't even know if I'll use a lathe, just seems like I could.


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## kizmit99

BellyUpFish said:


> I don't even know if I'll use a lathe, just seems like I could.



Sounds like you're in about the same place I was a few months ago.  I ended up getting the G0602 - I am not unhappy that's the one I went with.  I will say though that even after only a using it for a few weeks I *really* wish that:
 1) it didn't require changing belts to change the speed.  Adjusting the belts on my machine is a pain (they are very tight).
2) it didn't require changing gears when switching between threading and "normal" feed rates.  I don't mind the idea of changing gears to get different thread pitches, it's just to get back to 'reasonable' feed rates for cutting I have to switch the gears back again.

I spent a lot of time researching and agonizing over which lathe (and mill) to get and ended up with the G0602.  If I could do it over right now, I would probably get the G4003G instead - it's bigger and I've not actually read much negative at all about it.  It is 3X the cost of the 602 though (and larger/heavier).

Again, I can easily say I'm not unhappy with the 602 purchase.  It seems like a very capable lathe, and I'm having a blast learning how to use it.


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## Codered741

If this is your very first lathe, and the very first time using a lathe, I would try to find a used one.  

It shouldn't be too hard to find one on CL for 250-300 bucks.  The HF mini lathes are fairly easy to find.  I find them good to learn the basics on.  They aren't the most capable machines, but if you crash it and bust up some gears, chuck, cross slide, etc., you did it on a used beater that didn't cost too much, rather than a new machine that you just shelled out a grand for.  

Think of them as training wheels, and when you feel confident with the little one, sell it and buy a larger one.  You may find this happens rather quickly, but if you end up never using it, you didn't waste a bunch of money!  The good thing is that these machines loose little value, unless there is significant damage.  

I went this route, and soon found myself wanting a larger lathe.  I found a SB Heavy ten, and am restoring it.  Once I finish the restoration, I plan to sell off the mini, and buy some tooling, like a new 3-jaw chuck!

Just my 2 cents.  

-Cody


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## Rbeckett

I have the Enco version of that machine and it has its shortcomings but for the money spent versus the amount of work it is capable of it is an excellent machine.  I however was fortunate enough to get mine pre-owned and in excellent condition, so someone else lost the initial cost to value money, not me.  There are a myriad of tools, tool holders, chucks, steady and follow rests available for these machines and essentially they are all made in the same factories in China.  The difference is the level of quality the vendor demands and how much more he or she is willing to pay to get it.  Grizz has a higher quality fit and finish than say HF, but Enco falls somewhere in between those two.  So I would look carefully at the amount of difference and consider carefully whether the better paint job and slightly better assembled unit justifies the difference in price.  Sometimes the price diff between vendors is pretty significant and the over all quality doesn't support the huge difference in price.  I have seen that happen on several occasions and it is tough to watch some one blow there whole budget on the machine and not be able to afford any decent tooling till the next month or whenever they have built the kitty back up to the point they can make a few purchases for much needed tooling and measuring equipment.  In the long run you will probably end up investing more in tooling and accessories than you paid for the machine.  I know between my HF lathe/mill/drill and 7X in addition to my 9X I have spent a good bit of cash over the years buying tools, bits, holders, QCTP's,  and micrometers.  One thing that I do stress for any new owner is to consider the machine as it arrives as an assembled kit that needs to be taken completely apart, cleaned and lubed and carefully reassembled to get good tight tolerances and properly aligned head and tail stocks from the very beginning.  It also helps to insure that the casting sand is all removed from the resevoirs and they are filled with good high quality lubricants that will decrease wear, and noise while improving longevity way beyond your natural lifetime.
Hope this helps make the decision a little tad easier.

Bob


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## artyart

As another satisfied owner of this lathe, I looked high and low for others at the time I had the money in my pocket to get a bigger lathe, and although this isn't quite big enough for some of what I want to do, it is, as a few guys have said, an excellent starter lathe - I got mine a few years ago when the were 850 bucks or so.(I am definitely NOT an accomplished machinist) It's fairly heavy, and knowing how hard I am on tools, has held up very well in terms of durability. It's not a nice old South Bend or Hardinge or whatever, but you can get a lot done with one, and not be too upset if you break something. Grizzly's support and service for parts is also pretty good (at least it has been for me anyway) How accurate it is would really depend on how much time you want to spend tuning it up.


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## BellyUpFish

Well, I still haven't bought a lathe, but keep researching and keep coming back to the 0602..

There are zero decent priced used lathes around my area...


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## Fabrickator

I have a G0602 and love it. Although, I have made a bunch of mods to make it a much better machine. I found the rumors to be untrue about "un-chineseing it". Yes, it came with a lot of cosmoline on it and it took some time to clean-up. Filled it with oil and folowed the run-in procedure. Changed the oil a second time and found no sand or shavings in it, at anytime. No problems for several years now.

You can read about all of my mods at this link.

http://www.projectsinmetal.com/forum/general-discussion/diary-of-a-new-g0602/


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## fastback

I can't say I know anything about the lathe (s) you have been looking at.  I have a Southbend heavy 10, but if I were in the market for a lathe it would need to have a power cross feed.  This would be a deal breaker for me. Even an old Southbend 9B, has this option.  With the 10L I don't need to change gears, but still need to change belt speeds from time to time.  Mine is wired with a VFD.  


If you think you would keep it for while then carefully check the standard features.  For the most part 22-inches between centers is decent and a 1 inch spindle hole is good to have.  This is an area that bigger is always better. One thing that can be a pain is a short throw on the tail shaft.  Mine is only 2 inches which I find is a bit short.  But I still say that having a power cross feed is an feature that I would key in on.

In the end, the choice is yours.  You have gotten some good advice from the guys so good luck.

Paul


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## wrmiller

I looked really hard at the variable speed version of the 602, but needed over a 1" spindle bore (well, it didn't need to be MUCH over 1", but it needed to be slightly larger). If it hadn't been for that, I probably would have pulled the trigger on that or the PM version.

I have had nothing but good things to say about Grizzly's service, nor that of Precision Machine if that helps at all.

Bill


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## bpratl

I have had my 602 for two years now and I have no complaints about it functionality. I retired a very old and worn old 9" SB that I had for 40+ years and have no regrets.  I did all of the latest mods like VFD & tach. It's a great machine for the price but a power cross feed would be an asset. My only complaint was that it had too much sand blasting grit, inside the machine, which required major strip down and cleaning; even the spindle/bearing had to removed and cleaned prior to the first turn on.


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## Stanshire

I have one and have had no issues. When this comes up on many forums, the negatives are never from people who have one. It's always something like "I've heard there are problems..."
I build model engines and try to work to very close tolerances. With the "real", glass scale DRO, I can hit a diameter within half a thou. The other day I was cutting grooves in .0625 brass rod for e-clips. The grooves must be .052 or the e- clip either won't go on or falls out. Each groove was bang on.
That said, there are few issues that I've addressed.
1. Replaced the compound, 2 bolt hold-down plate with a 4-bolt plate. This is a fairly common mod on the G0602 and increases the stiffness of the compound significantly.
2. Installed a VFD as I too hate changing belts and the ability to vary speed while the lathe is running is excellent.
3. Bison 3-jaw chuck. 
4. Bison 5C chuck. This is on the lathe 95% of the time.
5. Tailstock DRO
6. Independent carriage feed motor with variable speed.

Why is is that when someone asks a question, someone invariably answers "get a used lathe" or "get American iron". In many respects that's true, but it was not the question asked.
Would I like an HLV-H or a 10EE? You bet! But one of those in "put it in the shop and start making chips" condition at the price of a G0602? Doesn't exist.

The only things about my G0602 that I don't like? 
1. Change gears. Hate em. If I had a QC gearbox I'd probably do a lot more single point threading.
2. No power crossfeed.

As much as I like my lathe, I'm looking for a SB Heavy 10 to address these issues. I took a year and looked at more than 50 machines before I found my '69 Bridgeport mill.
The Heavy 10s that I've seen so far are junk. Chipped ways, rust and caked oil and coolant. Bad repairs. I'm not even a little bit interested in restoring a lathe.  So I'll keep looking. Until then, my G0602 keeps making chips and that makes me a happy guy.


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## BellyUpFish

Being the rank beginner that I am, I am sure the G0602 will keep my interest for quite some time. 

I have been very tempted to jump to a larger 14x40 or so machine, but will wait until the G0602 is too small. I see no reason to dump $3,000 on something I may well never use.  I don't think that will happen, but you never know. I may hate machining items. I doubt it, but still.. I caught myself just today looking at YouTube videos and thinking "If I had a lathe, I could make that.."


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## littlejack

Hey fellas:
  I'm just a beginner/novice, and hobbiest. I know very little about lathes, except that you can usually get a better/bigger lathe for more
  $$$$$. 
  I just sold my Grizzly G0602 lathe that I bought just last month. I bought it last in 2012. There was nothing wrong with the  
  lathe mechanically. I made a couple of dies and a few small parts for my reloading hobby. The machine was very accurate, for my  
  tolerances anyway. It ran quiet, had plenty of power, operated very smoothly. There was a fair amount of accessories that came with it.

  What I did not like about it: 
  There was no powder cross feed.
  Changing the speeds (via belts) was an inconvenience. They were very tight. 
  Didn't like changing the gears (only did this once) to cut threads.
  It did not have the availability of more speeds (if needed).

  I replaced the Grizzly with a Atlas QC 10" x 54. Now you can tell me how bad I screwed up. I bought the lathe at an estate sale for
  $800.00. It is mounted on the original cast iron legs. 
  There was just the basic tooling with the machine. No extra chuck (4 jaw). No center rest. 
  It looked to not have been used to hard, but needed a tune-up per say. I put 2 new link belts on it. Had to adjust the gears, as there was
  noise from some meshing too tight. I really like the QC feature. Plenty of speeds.
  I had to grind the jaws, as they were (bell mouthed). 
  I just finished installing a QC tool holder that I had bought for the Grizzly. 
  The machine runs appropriately quiet. No weird noises. 

  What I do not like about it.
  It seems to be lighter duty than the Grizzly.
  The hole through the head spindle is only .750+. 

  If I were the original poster "BelllyUpFish", I would get the next size Grizzly that had "at least" the QC gear box. 
  A powder cross feed would be nice also.
  Sorry for rambling. Didn't mean to hijack the thread.
  Regards
  Jack


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## Ed W

For what it's worth, I have a PM-1030.  This is an excellent little lathe that while slightly more expensive than the Grizzly has certain advantages.  The PM lathe has a power crossfeed which is very helpful.  The motor is a 750 watt variable speed DC motor which has excellent torque at low speeds.  Belt and gear changing is minimal.  If you want speeds higher than 1000 rpm you have to change the belt position-95% of the time the lower speed range of 50-1000 rpm is quite sufficient.  The gear changes are mostly for metric threading only.  The lathe is made in China (like virtually all of this size new lathe) by Weiss who rebadges it for many retailers including in Europe.  Parts are therefore easy to obtain.  The fit and finish are fair but the lathe holds to pretty good tolerances and working to thousanths is easily accomplished.  The spindle bore is 1" and the supplied chucks aren't bad.  Putting on a QCTP (AXA) is made much easier by replacing the compound.  LMS offers a compound which is a direct swap to allow you to simply install the QCTP without any machining or adaptors.  The lathe is available in either a 30" or 22" bed.  I ordered the longer bed to get more mass to dampen vibration.  I also did not order the stand but instead bolted the lathe to a very heavy wooden bench which helps a great deal with vibration and gets the lathe up higher to a more comfortable place without leaning over (I'm 6'1").  Lastly, Matt at Quality Machine Tools is excellent to work with.
Hope this all helps.


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## BellyUpFish

That 1030 looks like a nice machine!


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## burtonbr

I've been comparing the lathes this size for myself lately too. I have pretty much decided the variable speed model is worth the extra money and comparing the G0752 to the PM 1022 with stands, it's only $50 more for the PM 1022 with power cross feed. But those are $500 more than a G0602 alone, but I'm thinking worth it in the long run. 
Good luck deciding on which one is right for you.


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## BellyUpFish

burtonbr said:


> I've been comparing the lathes this size for myself lately too. I have pretty much decided the variable speed model is worth the extra money and comparing the G0752 to the PM 1022 with stands, it's only $50 more for the PM 1022 with power cross feed. But those are $500 more than a G0602 alone, but I'm thinking worth it in the long run.
> Good luck deciding on which one is right for you.



I too am now looking at the PM-1022 and the PM-1030. I like the idea of power cross feed.  $500 isn't much when you start thinking about adding a VFD, which the 1022/1030 already are setup.


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## DoogieB

The problem with Grizzly's lathe line-up is that they really don't offer a full-featured benchtop lathe, excluding the extraordinary expensive SB1002.  The G0602 is extremely popular, but lacks a full QC gearbox, cross feed and tumbler reverse.  The G0752 is the G0602 with a 3-phase motor and VFD.  The G9972Z is slightly larger and has a powered apron from a slotted lead screw, but still no cross feed.  It's only to you get to the G4002/G4003/G4003G family that you get a full lathe, but I think a thousand pound lathe is pushing the benchtop paradigm.

Looks like the PM1022V/PM1030V might fill-in this void for the hobby machinist.  Ed W, if you have a few pictures of your lathe or a link to a online manual it would be extremely helpful as I can't seem to find much about this lathe with a web search.


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## Ed W

Try this:
www.machinetoolonline.com
The manual isn't worth much.
I can post additional pics later if it would help.


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## DoogieB

Pity about the manual as Grizzly models usually have a decent one.

It would be great if you could post any pictures of your lathe.  It would especially be interesting to see the apron controls, main controls and the end of the lathe with the change gears.


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