# Looking At  A Grizzly G9972 11x26 Lathe This Saturday...



## Whyemier (Aug 14, 2014)

Just called a guy in Orlando about a new ad on CL.  He has this Grizzly G9972, 11"x26" lathe for what looks like a good price to me.  Anyone know about this lathe, what to look for, what might be worn I should look for.  What's a fair price?  He says he's had it about 7-8 years and used it lightly, includes all the tooling etc.  Photo looks good but a photo does not show what I hope my hands on will when I get there Sat morning...as long as I know what I'm looking for.

Gimme a heads up on this lathe please.  Uh...bench goes with it.


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## Smudgemo (Aug 14, 2014)

I can't help specifically for that lathe, but I guess I'd look at the overall condition first.  My dad used to say you could get a read on a auto repair shop by how clean the floor was kept.  Same idea.

What is the overall condition?  I don't deal with rust out west, but I would imagine humidity in FL would be quick to rust unprotected metal.  I'd consider a rusty hobby machine to not be cared for very well.  Look for dings in the ways from dropped chucks or tools.  Make sure the carriage/tailstock/etc move smoothly and lock as they should.  Run it and listen for noises that don't sound like you'd expect.  Run each gear as best you can, and look for broken teeth on both the mounted and change gears.  If you can cut a test bar, it would be nice to know if there is any real bed wear.  You can see how Mike did it on his new 1340GT in the PM section or look it up on Harold Hall's website.

The way I see it, if this is your first lathe and you don't really know what you want in a lathe (that was me before I bought mine), determine a fair price and buy it.  then use it until you want something else and sell it.  Buying second hand means you won't lose much in a few years when you sell it.  

Just my general thoughts on this stuff.

-Ryan


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## tmarks11 (Aug 14, 2014)

Grizzly sells the G9972Z for $1450.  This is "HD version" vs the "Light duty" that they called the original G9972... I think the only difference is white vs. green paint, but what do I know?  In 2007, the lathe sold for...wait for it... $1400.  So the price really hasn't changed (surprising since the cost of most other machinery sold by Grizzly has risen about 30% or more in that time frame).

Anyhow, there is an (almost defunct) yahoo group for the 11x26, you can probably data mine some good info from it:

https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/11x26_lathe_group/conversations/messages

Note that it didn't come with a QCTP (or the stand, obviously), so figure that into the value.  The Phase II AXA QCTP starter kit retails for $300... but you can buy it on-sale from Enco for $187 (or less with a 10-20% coupon code).

So, giving the guy the benefit of the doubt, he has $1400 + $300 + $150 invested = $1850.  $1250 is probably on the high side. $1000 seems reasonable.  It looks (from the photos) like it is in decent shape, but of course craigslist photos don't tell you enough to really judge that.

Look at the compound slide for evidence that he has crashed it (chunk bit out of the corner of the compound by the chuck).  Bring a 1" aluminum round bar and see if he will let you turn it with HSS (or turn it for you as a demonstration if you don't have the experience) to see what kind of finish you get. Will tell you about spindle condition... and if you mic it, maybe bed wear (or maybe just show you misalignment).

Down side of this lathe?  
-Not very stiff, but it is hard to find a small 500# lathe that is... if you don't have the room for some thing larger, than this will do.  
-High low end speed can make threading challenging for a beginner (although a VFD and a 3 phase motor will solve  that problem).
-Small through hole (only 1")... but again, challenging to find a small lathe with any bigger (Precision Matthews sells a 1.5" bore variable speed 11x26 lathe...for double this price).
-Chuck threads onto spindle instead of using a cam lock.  But (except for grizzly's baby south bend lathe, which is $2000) you will not find a lathe smaller than 12" with a cam lock chuck.  But once you use one, you won't want to go back...


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## Whyemier (Aug 16, 2014)

Bought the Grizzly, got it for a couple of hundred less than advertised. The Grizzly ran quiet & smooth, there was a QCTP, a collet set and draw bar for the spindle as well as all the normal stuff Grizzly provides with the lathe.  A new one with all with this has would have cost (based on the prices on Grizzly's site & pricing on the other items.) about $1900 to $2200 so I am satisfied I got a good price for a good lathe.

The splash guard and compound are removed to aid in lifting and handling. The general mistiness of the photos is due to lens fogging (showing the difference in humidity from in the house where the camera was stored and the outside in the shop/shed).





The old SB9C is shown in the photos, kinda old and new together.  Quite a difference in age, the SB9C was manufactured in the 1930s, the "Grizzly in the late 1990s or early 2000s. The Son-in-law and I were able to manhandle it around as you see it. I still need to maneuver the SB9C out and the Grizzly in and get everything set up. Then put the SB9C on the market.  Ah!  I'll miss her.


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