Let me explain the electrical logic and some useful modifications for this lathe and its kin sold under various brands. The "POWER START" button is there so the spindle doesn't start up unexpectedly if the power fails and you walk away from the machine leaving it unattended, or if you leave the forward/off/reverse lever engaged and kill the power. That feature, and the need to reverse the windings on the AC motor to get the spindle to reverse, explains why so much relay logic is necessary in the control box on the back. Also, the relays allow the forward/off/reverse switch to run on low voltage, so you don't have high voltage circuits near the exposed moving parts and the operators hands. The relays also act as overload circuit breakers. This is a sound design even though its implemented with China contactors on some China DIN-rail system that isn't actually DIN. I added a steel AC work box with an AC switch and AC convenience outlets on the outside of the control box, and ran the input AC cord into that box first, so I don't have to wear out the E-stop switch to control main power. I also replaced the stock E-stop switch with a reliably engineered one, since the Chinese version is flimsy and not rated to any decent safety standard. A cheap E-stop button can break and fail "on" when you really need it and smash it too hard in a panic reaction.
I got to walkt thru the Grizzly's store they used to have in PA. loved it because they had just about everything on display (yeah the place was huge..) and I remember looking at a few of these gunsmith lathes.
I absolutely agree with you. I work on a centre lathe every day and keep the headstock clear of anything. I concur with the safety glasses too. Even if Ben doesn't use them himself he should make his videos showing the correct safety procedures as a responsible operator.
Thanks for the review buddy! I'm a professional gunsmith in Texas, and I've been eyeing this baby for a while now. Your in depth review pretty much sealed the deal for me! Ordering one in a few months.
I've looked at your other videos & I must say you have the technical intellectual curious I wished I'd had had when I was younger & schooling was free. You're a good man Charlie Brown.
Great review. One feature unique to the gunsmithing lathe is the spider on the back end of the headstock you didn't point out. It appeared the spider screws were not installed. They are used to center that back end of the barrel or action, and support it when turning a long piece like a barrel or barreled action. One can literally center the entire bore of a barrel. Great feature and I had to add that to my older lathe. Very useful.
Outstanding! Thank you Ben for taking the time to do this video. To bad Grizzly doesn't take the time to do machine previews. We just order one for the shop based on your video.
I noticed you questioned the lock on the tail-stock(is required to be stationary used as a stop for the tool-bar to allow the same thread process to follow the same trench in multiple passes). This is for rifling gun barrels or swirling grease passages inside brass bushings or barrels. This is a very precise process which uses the threading bar pushing and feeding as the work piece turns very very slow at almost a crawl, allowing the long cutting tool attached to cut a trench for rifling and or grease passages inside bushings or gun barrels. Brass bushings require thin trenches cut similar to rifling to allow proper grease flow when used as a sleeve bearing. So a trench is needed swirled or rifled into it. In some bushings the thread-bar will push to cut a straight trench inside the work piece without the chuck turning. This is a very advanced process and the tool that does this kind of trenching or rifling is very small drill-like with a tiny insert and cannot make cutting passes greater than .009 and has to be done in many passes to get the rifling or trench to the correct depth. A gun barrel can have between 4 or 12 turns of the chuck as the thread-bar pushes the tool inside cutting the trench in a 12 to 16 inch long barrel.
Thanks. I appreciate your taking the time and effort to make your review a pleasure to watch. Quality video and audio make a lot of difference to these old eyes and ears. Best regards.
I am about to buy my first lathe, I have no experience, but I do have a son in law who is an expert machinist and several friends who are machinists. I was looking at the smaller grizzly's, knowing I will step up to this machine, money for the smaller machine would be easier, but the comments about getting the bigger lathe all make sense and follow the thinking I have always used for equipment. Great video and narration, thank you . When I bought my first large wood working tool I bought American, so I thought, turns out I just paid a heftty markup to Sears to feel like I was buying American, it was made in Taiwan. I am much older and wiser now, the unions can kiss my rear end, I buy from who ever makes a decent product and has my price point in mind. Remember those Asia people were making and turning out guns with files and hand tools in their homes during the war , I think they can make a decent lathe in a factory.
Arkman just quick moment to tell you have been doing machining for about year and half and you can grow out of the small machines quick. i think my next purchase is going g to be combo lathe and mill. so many more things you can do.
1'3/8 spindle bore vs 1'5/8 makes a big difference in barrels . hard to find a 5/8" or greater through diam on an American lathe under 16" of clearance
My school has some King Canada 14 x 40 lathes. For cheap, they are decent. The tool holder is like the one on here, and it really makes it simple to change height when your hands are oiled. Really nice setup
Nice review, you called things for what they are. I am down to a 12"×24" older jet back gear lathe made in Taiwan, with a little tuning and descent tooling it is a nice lathe. Nice shout out to mr. Pete or Tubalcain. Any body that wants to do some machining should take a look at his shop tips series, he has hundreds of videos covering the basics.
Sir Ben, may I recommend slightly flanking your parting tool as to reduce the tool flanks rubbing the material as you part it, the benefit will become apparent, and for a better finish I recommend a slightly larger tool nose radius, especially on softer materials like T-6061and so on. This is 40 years of Aerospace tool and die talking. Nice machine. Oh ya, never get in the habit of removing your chips/ribbons by hand. And the thread lever is called a half-nut. And you can sometimes get away without using a center drill if the drill is short and rigid. Thanks Ben.
My father and I have the 4003 non gunsmith. Wish we had the gunsmith version. We both use the lathe everyday and it was purchased new around 2006. The only issue we have ever had is the first motor burned up about 2010. Grizzly replaced it. We lube it regularly and change the oil in all the gear boxes at least twice a year. I cut threads on barrels and make muzzle breaks on it weekly, it is as accurate today as it was in 2005. Every company will have lemons but in our experience Grizzly has been good. We have a milling machine also and no problems with it either. We plan to purchase the DRO upgrade soon and that will be the first upgrade we have done to it.
First rate review! Your 4003G is one fine lathe considering the price point. I was eager to hear the sound of the motor and when I did, it was music to my ears! Smooth, to say the least. Yes, MrPete22 is master. Looking forward to watching more of your machining videos! Best wishes, Roy
I’ll share a recent experience with my G4003 gunsmith lathe. It recently locked up on me while in use. We trouble shot the issue and found that the input shaft on the quick change gearbox locked up and also sheared the key on the 16/32 tooth combination gear. Ultimately the problem was caused by inadequate lubrication, which i routinely do on this and all machines. The problem is that if you think a squirt or two of oil in the tagged oil holes on the gearbox itself are enough, it just isn’t true. Those holes lead to a tray that is cast into the top of the gearbox housing. Inside this tray are additional lube holes that eventually make their way downward to the rotating gears and shafts inside the gearbox. Blah, blah, blah, but the moral of the story is when lubricating your machine, squirt at least 2 to 3 ounces of lube in this section of the machine to fill that tray. If you don’t see any dripping from the selector shafts into the chip pan, you likely don’t have enough oil in there. Good luck.
If you want to use the thread-counting dial, you'll need a leadscrew and dial setup for either metric or imperial threads. The problem occurs when the half-nut is disengaged, then re-engaged using the thread-counter dial. If the leadscrew pitch is metric and you are cutting imperial, there is no way to cleanly re-engage the thread since it's impossible to have an integer unit conversion from metric to imperial. If the half-nut is never released, you can cut any thread you want.
well it's a lathe th-cam.com/users/postUgkxN9zrzkkhnjUF5PQbuA_B1gYdsfCu9k6z but it wasn't what i would have anticipated. Headstock, tailstock, carriage apron are manufactured from aluminum now not cast iron. The spindle diameter for the bearings is too small allowing for a few play in the spindle so I am using some blue Loctite to take out the play.
+Barry Manilowa hmm, I'll look into it, thanks. we have very limited space in our shop and aren't turning parts out on it or anything. we just need it for the odd custom part. hopefully we didn't back ourselves against a wall.
I was going to replace the light as we were talking about. I ordered a replacement that turned out not to be adaptable but the funny thing was that while I disassembled the light to adapt the new bulb I found it not suitable so when I reassembled the light just the way it was and I never got to the power source in the wiring box the light now runs without that tremendous heat that it had! I did not change a thing that I am aware of but now it runs slightly warm/hot on the housing but does not cook your hand in front of it like it did. A huge difference. It now is good enough I am leaving it on the lathe. I have no clue what changed but it certainly was for the better. Doug
It is a great lathe. I have / had lathe of every kind from sherline , Atlas, Southbend, Logan, colchester to this modern grizzly beast. All who complain about the Chinese lathe are either poor workman or did not know how to use a lathe. Each lathe is intended for specific purpose. If one is a home machinist wanting to work within 3-5 inch diameter stock of steel, it is worth spending the money within the 10 x 22 and if one is a part time machinist the G4002, g4003 or it variants are good one. Most machinist need only 10 x 24: hence g10 x 22 is good for all home machinist. $1200-1500; not much price difference from $700 of 7 x 12 size. Good going. I enjoy your work.
It's a good point -- there isn't a whole lot of difference between "gunsmith" and regular lathes. Having a larger spindle bore is handy -- the larger size allows 1.5" stock to be passed through the spindle, which I actually do from time to time. Other than that, I haven't made use of the other features. I believe the Grizzly gunsmith lathe includes a stand and perhaps a better chuck. Overall, it's a great value for the money, and I would definitely choose to buy it again given the choice.
Thank you so much for the info. I'm a new gunsmith that was wondering if this lathe would suit my needs. Thanks to you I believe this lathe will be perfect for my shop.
Ben- I've been selling/repairing machine tools for 35+ years(via photos and videos B4 the iNet). Your videographer skills vastly outweigh the quality of 1/2 the audience commentary here! Yours is so excellent, it begat mini-wars between assorted self-appointed critics, LOL. To those lambaster/lamenters who woe is you, for having tooling on the headstock- ask them to look up: "Cincinnati Traytop" Keep up the good work! Machineco, Montreal
I bought the same lathe two months ago. So far, I am very satisfied, however, there are a couple things a person buying this might wish to know: One, the internal ways do not extend far enough which means the steady rest cannot be placed within a couple inches of the chuck which I needed to do once. Mine came with LED light. The older versions apparently had a removable part on the ways for short but larger diameter parts which was discontinued and that, I thimpfk is why the internal ways are too short.
The reason it is considered a gunsmith lathe is due to the pass through hole at the spindle being larger than the standard lathe to except larger rifle barrels.
Yes, this lathe did not come with a chuck guard. I bought a newer Grizzly lathe for work, and it did include a guard. I'm not sure if lathes are required to have them, or if it was a recent change or what.
My mini lathe is a grizzly and is 100% interchangeable with that one. My big lathe is a Precision Matthews 1236 and is probably 80% interchangeable with that 4002G. The colors are the same shades. The mini lathe now spins mandrels with abrasives or wire wheels. The big lathe chambers rifles. I have gone through a lot of 24 VAC bulbs before I found what the the good light and reliability.
Great video. On the parting tool another tip is to shape the tip like a hook, kinda like the tip you see on your normal cutters. Also if your parting aluminum and its a deep cut use WD40 for lube. I have found numerous times that on aluminum WD40 is the best. I can part 2" aluminum on my 7X with little to no trouble. Again Great Video.
Great review! I've been drooling over this lathe for a while now. I've had a couple mills for several years, but I really need a lathe to compliment them. I have a feeling that it will be a 4003G
Enjoyed your video. Safety First!! No long sleeves or loose clothes, wear eye protection, don't grab swag with bare hands- use pliers, wear no gloves! Before you start the lathe, say to yourself "CLEAR"! This makes you stop to be sure you are in a safe position and there are no obstructions. My Taiwan lathe looks a lot like that Griz. It was made in 1993 and after restoring it, has performed very well. I too went from a 7x10 to a 13x40. I got the same bug you did. I couldn't afford a new one, so I bought used and a rare one made by the same company that makes Grizzly machines.
newstart49 Hi! Is your lathe metric or inched? I mean thread cutting abilities. How many of thread steps does it have? How much your lathe costs? Delivery?
schabanow It is both metric and inch. 32 different inch threads and 16 different metric threads. 5 steps for metric and 2 for inch. I paid $900.00 for it and I picked it up myself using an engine hoist and took it off the trailer using a neighbors bobcat, then used a floor jack and long pry bar to scoot it into the shop. It was quite the job at about 1,500 lbs. img.photobucket.com/albums/v89/daddo/Mill%207-3-15/lathe%20mill33%20007_zpsau4hcssd.jpg
Nice video. I own a Grizzly 12x24 (G4002). Have owned a number of metal lathes and knew I wouldn't need the extra length bed. I love the large diameter spindle, cam lock chucks and nice large dials on carriage. Put a quick release collet attachment on mine. Very nice lathe!
Great review, thanks! I've been interested in this class of lathe for a while but never had a chance to try one of them. You made my decision a lit easier.
I went through 3 of these in just over a year. Grizzly did refund my money without much fuss. My first lathe was from when the where first introduced and it was an excellent machine that I used it for almost a year. I decided to install a nice DRO system and in the process of mounting the "Z" encoder I noticed the bed was cracked. I sent pictures to Grizzly and the sent out a replacement which took 3 months as they where out of stock. The 2nd one has a noisy gearbox and the quality was horrid.
Thanks Ben. I have been using a small lathe for pool cues and have really enjoyed this hobby. It's time to upgrade to a more powerful lathe. This seems like a good choice.
Hey Ben, Great review. Now that you've had this lathe for a bit. Are you still sold and satisfied with it? Any updates or thoughts if you had gone with something else like a South Bend or similar? Enjoying your plethora of videos. Best.
Ben, I can only say in Oz its been mandatory in all states for over 10 years that I know. And, last week I was in Hare & Forbes picking up some cutters and noticed some of the lathes are including tool post interlock guards also.
Other hobbyist channels have discovered that these inexpensive Chinese lathes don't properly debur their transmissions & change gears. Visible metal particles begin building up in the oil almost immediately, as burr laden gears clash. With no filtering system metal particles begin circulating through the seals and bearings. After 1 or 2 years $1500 worth of bearings and seals are totally shot (see Yuchol's channel). The only remedy seems to be to crack the head, drain out the factory oil, break down the entire gear assembly and carefully debur everything inside. It's a lot of work, but otherwise that shiny new lathe might not last very long. If you don't believe this, wait until you've used it for two or three months, crack the head and try simply fishing around inside with a clean magnet. You might be surprised at the gunk you pull out. Metal particles eat seals.
If you don't already know, there is a great resource on these lathes: A yahoo group called "12x36 import lathes." There is also a CNC kit for them, cost is about $4k for it though, it would be a lot cheaper to buy the parts individually. Mine is a Taiwanese made Craftex B441, about 15 years old. I got it a while back, very lightly used, for $250 including tooling. The ways are all dead accurate, but I get 0.002" TIR on the spindle.
Well, i watched this video years ago and it came up in me feed again. I’m curios after extended years if you still have lathe and has it performed for you over time?
Great video man! Thanks for sharing! I've recently gotten into reloading and gunsmithing and I'd love to take it all to the next level with a lathe! I'll probably start out with the Harbor Freight model as you did before I drop $3500 :)
Wow, I knew i wanted a lathe but was looking on the second hand market becasue i thought I could never afford something, with the stuff I want, new... nice video
I've been researching lathes and on the chance you read this I was wondering how the lathe has held up and if you're still happy with it and would make the same purchase again any major pros or cons major repairs etc after having it for awhile thanks for any help 👍👍👍
You know you can take the back-lash out of any slide or ways. You might also want a negative rake on the tool for the "6" and "9" chips for easy clean up.
Nice stuff Ben. I am an old Brit (American now) - the old lathe I kept from way back was a "Little John: 5 1/2" ...... very old! It does have a taper pulley drive and so speeds vary across the whole range by just a simple lever. Your new one has some nice features. I wonder if you can put a handle into the spindle, as I cut threads sometimes by hand turning instead of power drive... using a home made crank handle. Saves disasters particularly when cutting a course and deep square thread.
Nice video! I would however invest in a propper parting tool holder, the forces on such a tool during operation are huge, not using a propper holder makes it a potential projectile.
Please do yourself a great favor and remove everything off the top of the lathe motor housing...they are an accident just waiting to happen!!! If any of them fall from vibration...or any reason...and hit that chuck...you could be seriously hurt...or killed! Wear your safety glasses! I had a drill bit shatter and pierce my left eye years ago...having it removed while awake is not something you want to go through...believe me! Other than that I would like to thank you for demonstrating this lathe.
Thx. for the review. At this point would you still recommend the lathe? It seems to have a lot of features. Only thing that concerns me is the limited spindle speeds. How do the speeds work out for you? Thx. Marty
Good vid Ben, I am fresh as hell to this hobby but just bought a JETBD-920N that I will begin to tinker with soon. Half of what you said sounded like Greek to me lol. With the 9x20 lathe I just bought how much gunsmithing work do you think I can actually get accomplished?
Been looking at the same lathe and was curious what are some of the basic cutting tools that you would recommend for the lathe right off if you were grinding your own HSS bits for cutting.
I need LH thread capability, and I chekt those G4003s out, they have LH capability. Have you tried threading yet? Did you have a difficult time puttin in the electrical lines?
Same issues here with the cut off tool on my mini lathe. Someone on the interwebs suggested flipping the cutoff tool and reversing direction. Helped some but still not great.
This is a great review, thanks... I am looking at this exact lathe... I think Grizzly should send you a commission on the sale cause you just sealed the deal... Thanks again...
@nofd1977 No problem. Im going to school so I get access to all the awesome man toys. those 3d printers are slick but what cad software would you use? I prefer solidworks
Yea, those lathe chucks are HEAVY and takes some effort to spin by hand (to dial in a 4 jaw for example). When you turn the lathe on it turns with ZERO effort. Imagine that force will literally rip your arms off.
Let me explain the electrical logic and some useful modifications for this lathe and its kin sold under various brands.
The "POWER START" button is there so the spindle doesn't start up unexpectedly if the power fails and you walk away from the machine leaving it unattended, or if you leave the forward/off/reverse lever engaged and kill the power. That feature, and the need to reverse the windings on the AC motor to get the spindle to reverse, explains why so much relay logic is necessary in the control box on the back. Also, the relays allow the forward/off/reverse switch to run on low voltage, so you don't have high voltage circuits near the exposed moving parts and the operators hands. The relays also act as overload circuit breakers. This is a sound design even though its implemented with China contactors on some China DIN-rail system that isn't actually DIN.
I added a steel AC work box with an AC switch and AC convenience outlets on the outside of the control box, and ran the input AC cord into that box first, so I don't have to wear out the E-stop switch to control main power. I also replaced the stock E-stop switch with a reliably engineered one, since the Chinese version is flimsy and not rated to any decent safety standard. A cheap E-stop button can break and fail "on" when you really need it and smash it too hard in a panic reaction.
I got to walkt thru the Grizzly's store they used to have in PA. loved it because they had just about everything on display (yeah the place was huge..) and I remember looking at a few of these gunsmith lathes.
I absolutely agree with you. I work on a centre lathe every day and keep the headstock clear of anything. I concur with the safety glasses too. Even if Ben doesn't use them himself he should make his videos showing the correct safety procedures as a responsible operator.
I believe the gunsmith version has a larger spindle bore to pass rifle barrels through for crowning and chambering.
Thanks for the review buddy! I'm a professional gunsmith in Texas, and I've been eyeing this baby for a while now. Your in depth review pretty much sealed the deal for me! Ordering one in a few months.
@FTV why do Australians want to know
I've looked at your other videos & I must say you have the technical intellectual curious I wished I'd had had when I was younger & schooling was free.
You're a good man Charlie Brown.
Great review. One feature unique to the gunsmithing lathe is the spider on the back end of the headstock you didn't point out. It appeared the spider screws were not installed. They are used to center that back end of the barrel or action, and support it when turning a long piece like a barrel or barreled action. One can literally center the entire bore of a barrel. Great feature and I had to add that to my older lathe. Very useful.
Did you level the lathe and yes I always use a torque wrench with the tail stock.
Outstanding! Thank you Ben for taking the time to do this video. To bad Grizzly doesn't take the time to do machine previews. We just order one for the shop based on your video.
I noticed you questioned the lock on the tail-stock(is required to be stationary used as a stop for the tool-bar to allow the same thread process to follow the same trench in multiple passes). This is for rifling gun barrels or swirling grease passages inside brass bushings or barrels. This is a very precise process which uses the threading bar pushing and feeding as the work piece turns very very slow at almost a crawl, allowing the long cutting tool attached to cut a trench for rifling and or grease passages inside bushings or gun barrels. Brass bushings require thin trenches cut similar to rifling to allow proper grease flow when used as a sleeve bearing. So a trench is needed swirled or rifled into it. In some bushings the thread-bar will push to cut a straight trench inside the work piece without the chuck turning. This is a very advanced process and the tool that does this kind of trenching or rifling is very small drill-like with a tiny insert and cannot make cutting passes greater than .009 and has to be done in many passes to get the rifling or trench to the correct depth. A gun barrel can have between 4 or 12 turns of the chuck as the thread-bar pushes the tool inside cutting the trench in a 12 to 16 inch long barrel.
Thanks. I appreciate your taking the time and effort to make your review a pleasure to watch. Quality video and audio make a lot of difference to these old eyes and ears. Best regards.
I am about to buy my first lathe, I have no experience, but I do have a son in law who is an expert machinist and several friends who are machinists.
I was looking at the smaller grizzly's, knowing I will step up to this machine, money for the smaller machine would be easier, but the comments about getting the bigger lathe all make sense and follow the thinking I have always used for equipment.
Great video and narration, thank you . When I bought my first large wood working tool I bought American, so I thought, turns out I just paid a heftty markup to Sears to feel like I was buying American, it was made in Taiwan.
I am much older and wiser now, the unions can kiss my rear end, I buy from who ever makes a decent product and has my price point in mind.
Remember those Asia people were making and turning out guns with files and hand tools in their homes during the war , I think they can make a decent lathe in a factory.
Arkman just quick moment to tell you have been doing machining for about year and half and you can grow out of the small machines quick. i think my next purchase is going g to be combo lathe and mill. so many more things you can do.
1'3/8 spindle bore vs 1'5/8 makes a big difference in barrels . hard to find a 5/8" or greater through diam on an American lathe under 16" of clearance
My school has some King Canada 14 x 40 lathes. For cheap, they are decent. The tool holder is like the one on here, and it really makes it simple to change height when your hands are oiled. Really nice setup
Nice review, you called things for what they are. I am down to a 12"×24" older jet back gear lathe made in Taiwan, with a little tuning and descent tooling it is a nice lathe. Nice shout out to mr. Pete or Tubalcain. Any body that wants to do some machining should take a look at his shop tips series, he has hundreds of videos covering the basics.
Sir Ben, may I recommend slightly flanking your parting tool as to reduce the tool flanks rubbing the material as you part it, the benefit will become apparent, and for a better finish I recommend a slightly larger tool nose radius, especially on softer materials like T-6061and so on. This is 40 years of Aerospace tool and die talking. Nice machine. Oh ya, never get in the habit of removing your chips/ribbons by hand. And the thread lever is called a half-nut. And you can sometimes get away without using a center drill if the drill is short and rigid. Thanks Ben.
12 years ago name dropping mr Pete... he’s the gelbert of garage shops
My father and I have the 4003 non gunsmith. Wish we had the gunsmith version. We both use the lathe everyday and it was purchased new around 2006. The only issue we have ever had is the first motor burned up about 2010. Grizzly replaced it. We lube it regularly and change the oil in all the gear boxes at least twice a year. I cut threads on barrels and make muzzle breaks on it weekly, it is as accurate today as it was in 2005. Every company will have lemons but in our experience Grizzly has been good. We have a milling machine also and no problems with it either. We plan to purchase the DRO upgrade soon and that will be the first upgrade we have done to it.
First rate review! Your 4003G is one fine lathe considering the price point. I was eager to hear the sound of the motor and when I did, it was music to my ears! Smooth, to say the least.
Yes, MrPete22 is master.
Looking forward to watching more of your machining videos!
Best wishes,
Roy
I’ll share a recent experience with my G4003 gunsmith lathe. It recently locked up on me while in use. We trouble shot the issue and found that the input shaft on the quick change gearbox locked up and also sheared the key on the 16/32 tooth combination gear. Ultimately the problem was caused by inadequate lubrication, which i routinely do on this and all machines. The problem is that if you think a squirt or two of oil in the tagged oil holes on the gearbox itself are enough, it just isn’t true. Those holes lead to a tray that is cast into the top of the gearbox housing. Inside this tray are additional lube holes that eventually make their way downward to the rotating gears and shafts inside the gearbox. Blah, blah, blah, but the moral of the story is when lubricating your machine, squirt at least 2 to 3 ounces of lube in this section of the machine to fill that tray. If you don’t see any dripping from the selector shafts into the chip pan, you likely don’t have enough oil in there. Good luck.
If you want to use the thread-counting dial, you'll need a leadscrew and dial setup for either metric or imperial threads. The problem occurs when the half-nut is disengaged, then re-engaged using the thread-counter dial. If the leadscrew pitch is metric and you are cutting imperial, there is no way to cleanly re-engage the thread since it's impossible to have an integer unit conversion from metric to imperial. If the half-nut is never released, you can cut any thread you want.
I bought this lathe a few years ago. Pretty happy with the purchase.
well it's a lathe th-cam.com/users/postUgkxN9zrzkkhnjUF5PQbuA_B1gYdsfCu9k6z but it wasn't what i would have anticipated. Headstock, tailstock, carriage apron are manufactured from aluminum now not cast iron. The spindle diameter for the bearings is too small allowing for a few play in the spindle so I am using some blue Loctite to take out the play.
We just submitted the order for the combo mill/lathe for our research lab. I'm happy to see that you're using the same lathe!
+Barry Manilowa we had a purchasing problem. I won't have it until June.
+Barry Manilowa hmm, I'll look into it, thanks. we have very limited space in our shop and aren't turning parts out on it or anything. we just need it for the odd custom part. hopefully we didn't back ourselves against a wall.
@@INeedMySpaceTech do you have it yet
You should do more reviews of the kit in your workshop.
I was going to replace the light as we were talking about. I ordered a replacement that turned out not to be adaptable but the funny thing was that while I disassembled the light to adapt the new bulb I found it not suitable so when I reassembled the light just the way it was and I never got to the power source in the wiring box the light now runs without that tremendous heat that it had! I did not change a thing that I am aware of but now it runs slightly warm/hot on the housing but does not cook your hand in front of it like it did. A huge difference. It now is good enough I am leaving it on the lathe. I have no clue what changed but it certainly was for the better. Doug
It is a great lathe. I have / had lathe of every kind from sherline , Atlas, Southbend, Logan, colchester to this modern grizzly beast. All who complain about the Chinese lathe are either poor workman or did not know how to use a lathe. Each lathe is intended for specific purpose. If one is a home machinist wanting to work within 3-5 inch diameter stock of steel, it is worth spending the money within the 10 x 22 and if one is a part time machinist the G4002, g4003 or it variants are good one. Most machinist need only 10 x 24: hence g10 x 22 is good for all home machinist. $1200-1500; not much price difference from $700 of 7 x 12 size.
Good going. I enjoy your work.
Dang. This model is now $4500!! Lol. That's 50% increase in price since you bought it!!!
$3,950 May 2020, thank you apocalypse!
Check out Victor Lathes, they are small and good as well.
it is crazy how much inflation increases prices over all...
props to whoever framed the house 1k pounds on a few ceiling joist without caving is amazing
It's a good point -- there isn't a whole lot of difference between "gunsmith" and regular lathes. Having a larger spindle bore is handy -- the larger size allows 1.5" stock to be passed through the spindle, which I actually do from time to time. Other than that, I haven't made use of the other features. I believe the Grizzly gunsmith lathe includes a stand and perhaps a better chuck. Overall, it's a great value for the money, and I would definitely choose to buy it again given the choice.
The difference is the spindle bore size, which is much larger on the gunsmithing lathe to accomodate rifle barrels.
Thank you so much for the info. I'm a new gunsmith that was wondering if this lathe would suit my needs. Thanks to you I believe this lathe will be perfect for my shop.
I can't believe Grizzly hasn't copied this review to their website. It's the best one for this model I've seen so far. Looks like a good machine, too.
Ben- I've been selling/repairing machine tools for 35+ years(via photos and videos B4 the iNet). Your videographer skills vastly outweigh the quality of 1/2 the audience commentary here! Yours is so excellent, it begat mini-wars between assorted self-appointed critics, LOL. To those lambaster/lamenters who woe is you, for having tooling on the headstock- ask them to look up: "Cincinnati Traytop"
Keep up the good work!
Machineco, Montreal
I’ve wondered about this specific lathe so this video is really helpful
I bought the same lathe two months ago. So far, I am very satisfied, however, there are a couple things a person buying this might wish to know: One, the internal ways do not extend far enough which means the steady rest cannot be placed within a couple inches of the chuck which I needed to do once. Mine came with LED light. The older versions apparently had a removable part on the ways for short but larger diameter parts which was discontinued and that, I thimpfk is why the internal ways are too short.
The reason it is considered a gunsmith lathe is due to the pass through hole at the spindle being larger than the standard lathe to except larger rifle barrels.
The gunsmithing series of lathes they sell all seem to run very smoothly. Makes for a very good finish if chambering a barrel.
Sup, I enjoyed your review but loved the comments left even more! Such a feisty crowd.
Most Machinests I've met are perfectionists.
Yes, this lathe did not come with a chuck guard. I bought a newer Grizzly lathe for work, and it did include a guard. I'm not sure if lathes are required to have them, or if it was a recent change or what.
My mini lathe is a grizzly and is 100% interchangeable with that one. My big lathe is a Precision Matthews 1236 and is probably 80% interchangeable with that 4002G. The colors are the same shades. The mini lathe now spins mandrels with abrasives or wire wheels. The big lathe chambers rifles. I have gone through a lot of 24 VAC bulbs before I found what the the good light and reliability.
Great video. On the parting tool another tip is to shape the tip like a hook, kinda like the tip you see on your normal cutters. Also if your parting aluminum and its a deep cut use WD40 for lube. I have found numerous times that on aluminum WD40 is the best. I can part 2" aluminum on my 7X with little to no trouble. Again Great Video.
To help out on finish. Steel surface feet is 600 x 3.82 / diameter of part. Stainless is 300 x 3.82/ diam. Aluminum is roughly double steel.
Yes, absolutely. The fit/finish is not super great, but I am convinced there is no better value for your money for this size machine.
Great review! I've been drooling over this lathe for a while now. I've had a couple mills for several years, but I really need a lathe to compliment them. I have a feeling that it will be a 4003G
Enjoyed your video.
Safety First!! No long sleeves or loose clothes, wear eye protection, don't grab swag with bare hands- use pliers, wear no gloves! Before you start the lathe, say to yourself "CLEAR"! This makes you stop to be sure you are in a safe position and there are no obstructions.
My Taiwan lathe looks a lot like that Griz. It was made in 1993 and after restoring it, has performed very well. I too went from a 7x10 to a 13x40. I got the same bug you did.
I couldn't afford a new one, so I bought used and a rare one made by the same company that makes Grizzly machines.
Worry about your own safety. Mr Pete calls you guys "safety nazis"
The morgue is full of Mr Pete's.
newstart49
Hi! Is your lathe metric or inched? I mean thread cutting abilities. How many of thread steps does it have? How much your lathe costs? Delivery?
schabanow
It is both metric and inch.
32 different inch threads and 16 different metric threads.
5 steps for metric and 2 for inch.
I paid $900.00 for it and I picked it up myself using an engine hoist and took it off the trailer using a neighbors bobcat, then used a floor jack and long pry bar to scoot it into the shop. It was quite the job at about 1,500 lbs.
img.photobucket.com/albums/v89/daddo/Mill%207-3-15/lathe%20mill33%20007_zpsau4hcssd.jpg
Thanks. Instrument holder is truly cool (vertical adjustment)... You're seem to be lucky owner! ))
Good job...good voice acuity...good perspective on the shot angles...enjoyed the vid...
Nice video. I own a Grizzly 12x24 (G4002). Have owned a number of metal lathes and knew I wouldn't need the extra length bed. I love the large diameter spindle, cam lock chucks and nice large dials on carriage. Put a quick release collet attachment on mine. Very nice lathe!
Would you please post a picture of yourself so that I may comment publicly regarding what you look like?
Great review, thanks! I've been interested in this class of lathe for a while but never had a chance to try one of them. You made my decision a lit easier.
Congrats on the new lathe!
I went through 3 of these in just over a year. Grizzly did refund my money without much fuss. My first lathe was from when the where first introduced and it was an excellent machine that I used it for almost a year. I decided to install a nice DRO system and in the process of mounting the "Z" encoder I noticed the bed was cracked. I sent pictures to Grizzly and the sent out a replacement which took 3 months as they where out of stock. The 2nd one has a noisy gearbox and the quality was horrid.
Thanks. Yes, search for mrpete222 on youtube.
Thanks Ben. I have been using a small lathe for pool cues and have really enjoyed this hobby. It's time to upgrade to a more powerful lathe. This seems like a good choice.
Hey Ben,
Great review.
Now that you've had this lathe for a bit. Are you still sold and satisfied with it? Any updates or thoughts if you had gone with something else like a South Bend or similar?
Enjoying your plethora of videos.
Best.
Ben, I can only say in Oz its been mandatory in all states for over 10 years that I know. And, last week I was in Hare & Forbes picking up some cutters and noticed some of the lathes are including tool post interlock guards also.
Other hobbyist channels have discovered that these inexpensive Chinese lathes don't properly debur their transmissions & change gears. Visible metal particles begin building up in the oil almost immediately, as burr laden gears clash. With no filtering system metal particles begin circulating through the seals and bearings. After 1 or 2 years $1500 worth of bearings and seals are totally shot (see Yuchol's channel). The only remedy seems to be to crack the head, drain out the factory oil, break down the entire gear assembly and carefully debur everything inside. It's a lot of work, but otherwise that shiny new lathe might not last very long. If you don't believe this, wait until you've used it for two or three months, crack the head and try simply fishing around inside with a clean magnet. You might be surprised at the gunk you pull out. Metal particles eat seals.
Good video I like how honest you are that means alot. Thanks
Great review and very well made video! I loved watching this and you did such a good job answering so many questions ive had. 👍 thumbs up brother!
...Mr. Pete. He was a teacher, as was his father. High school machine shop. his competence in machining is close to yours in engineering/electronics..
If you don't already know, there is a great resource on these lathes: A yahoo group called "12x36 import lathes."
There is also a CNC kit for them, cost is about $4k for it though, it would be a lot cheaper to buy the parts individually.
Mine is a Taiwanese made Craftex B441, about 15 years old. I got it a while back, very lightly used, for $250 including tooling. The ways are all dead accurate, but I get 0.002" TIR on the spindle.
Hi Ben! Has it cooling liquid circulation pump system?
Well, i watched this video years ago and it came up in me feed again. I’m curios after extended years if you still have lathe and has it performed for you over time?
Excellent 'walk through' of the Grizzly.You must be a trained machinist.Cheers.
Ben, that was very useful and nicely done.
Great video man! Thanks for sharing! I've recently gotten into reloading and gunsmithing and I'd love to take it all to the next level with a lathe! I'll probably start out with the Harbor Freight model as you did before I drop $3500 :)
This lathe does not have a spindle brake, so it will always coast down to a stop.
Hi Ben.
I have a question.
How do you have clamped the 12V lamp on the electrical box ?
Are you satisfied with this lathe ?
Greetings from Germany
Profit from a harb fright machine is a win in any book!
Great looking lathe. Makes my old Craftsman 12" look like a dinosaur.
I'd like to have had a tour of your mini-lathe because that's closer to my price limit. ;)
No more shimming with feeler gauges what a dream!
Wow, I knew i wanted a lathe but was looking on the second hand market becasue i thought I could never afford something, with the stuff I want, new... nice video
Thanks for an excellent review and demonstration!
I've been researching lathes and on the chance you read this I was wondering how the lathe has held up and if you're still happy with it and would make the same purchase again any major pros or cons major repairs etc after having it for awhile thanks for any help 👍👍👍
very good lathe mate it look like my Hare & Forbes AL- 960B lathe in sydney
how the lathe work on Screw cutting
You know you can take the back-lash out of any slide or ways. You might also want a negative rake on the tool for the "6" and "9" chips for easy clean up.
I think i just made up my mind on which lathe ill be buying this fall.
Thanks for the video, are there any more with this lathe. I just inherited a lathe like this one. It's been years since I've made any chips.
Well done Ben on the review, however I did notice your US shipped model did not come with a safety lockout chuck guard, is this normal?
Nice stuff Ben. I am an old Brit (American now) - the old lathe I kept from way back was a "Little John: 5 1/2" ...... very old! It does have a taper pulley drive and so speeds vary across the whole range by just a simple lever.
Your new one has some nice features. I wonder if you can put a handle into the spindle, as I cut threads sometimes by hand turning instead of power drive... using a home made crank handle. Saves disasters particularly when cutting a course and deep square thread.
Nice video! I would however invest in a propper parting tool holder, the forces on such a tool during operation are huge, not using a propper holder makes it a potential projectile.
I don't think this guy would know the difference. LOL
Please do yourself a great favor and remove everything off the top of the lathe motor housing...they are an accident just waiting to happen!!! If any of them fall from vibration...or any reason...and hit that chuck...you could be seriously hurt...or killed!
Wear your safety glasses! I had a drill bit shatter and pierce my left eye years ago...having it removed while awake is not something you want to go through...believe me!
Other than that I would like to thank you for demonstrating this lathe.
I thought I was a safety nut cation vibration zone
Nice little lathe. Wear safety glasses and remember that speed kills.
Thx. for the review. At this point would you still recommend the lathe? It seems to have a lot of features. Only thing that concerns me is the limited spindle speeds. How do the speeds work out for you?
Thx.
Marty
Very nice lathe.It's a pity the maker didn't equip it with a chuck guard and a coolant pump.
Anyhow thanks for showing the film.
Thank You very much for Your clear explanations Helps a lot in order to buy one a lathe.
Good vid Ben, I am fresh as hell to this hobby but just bought a JETBD-920N that I will begin to tinker with soon. Half of what you said sounded like Greek to me lol. With the 9x20 lathe I just bought how much gunsmithing work do you think I can actually get accomplished?
Been looking at the same lathe and was curious what are some of the basic cutting tools that you would recommend for the lathe right off if you were grinding your own HSS bits for cutting.
hi ben , was it very hard to wire up? any special things to know or need? im getting mine next week.
seems like a good setup but i must inquire as to its ability to blend?
I need LH thread capability, and I chekt those G4003s out, they have LH capability. Have you tried threading yet? Did you have a difficult time puttin in the electrical lines?
Same issues here with the cut off tool on my mini lathe. Someone on the interwebs suggested flipping the cutoff tool and reversing direction. Helped some but still not great.
Can you do threads without changing gears manually?
"Let me show you it's features" I'm hearing some slingshot channel coming through haha. Must be an engineer thing.
Awesome, thanks for your help brother. I also plan to get a 3d printer to incorporate a fusion of parts together.
This is a great review, thanks... I am looking at this exact lathe... I think Grizzly should send you a commission
on the sale cause you just sealed the deal...
Thanks again...
im going to order one soon , thanks for the review
@nofd1977 No problem. Im going to school so I get access to all the awesome man toys. those 3d printers are slick but what cad software would you use? I prefer solidworks
8/202019 4,900.00 price is getting close to double in 8 years!
$3,950 5/31/20, it actually went back down! (Maybe because the world is ending?)
rule #1 do not wear a long sleeve shirt to use the lathe i have seen guys loose there arm and its call back lash
I was going to say the same thing.
Yea, those lathe chucks are HEAVY and takes some effort to spin by hand (to dial in a 4 jaw for example). When you turn the lathe on it turns with ZERO effort. Imagine that force will literally rip your arms off.
Agree, t-shirt, glasses and a football helmet required. :)
that's one heck of an upgrade.
I may have missed it in the video does it have a 4 jaw chuck?
Nice lathe... I am ordering one in September!