Update:
My new lathe showed up yesterday. This is not my first gunsmithing lathe and won't be my last. Posting this so some people can get an idea of what to expect. A few points I need to make for anyone interested. The 40" bed is what the doctor orderded. The fit of the accessories seems good. The crossslide has what I call "wipers" that push the crud off of the ways before it hits the gibs, nice touch. The foot brake is a nice touch as well as the threaded end of the headstock to make a cathead for. I know Grizzly isn't the best but from what I can see so far, not a bad deal considering the accessories. It is a 0554Z and would reccomend it for an entry level lathe. The Z suffix means it has additional fittings over and above standard. I had a few snags with the 4
jawchuck, sme of the D1-4 lugs were bad. I had 6 to pick from and was able to make a complete set. Life went on.
The headstock was out of oil, a no brainer but worth noting. The bearing adjustment was spot on so no adjustment needed there. The shifting of this machine was a little weird but I attribute this to learning it, not a criticism. The tools sent with machine are....junk, wrenches, screwdrivers, toss them. The cast iron base is rough but has the proper slopes, holes, spigots where they should be, so its OK. The shift knobs have over spray from the painting which will go away in time, just annoying. It has typical handles of chinese origin, all need to be be cinched down to not be a pain. I leveled the beds all four ways and ran a test cut. In the 36" between the 4jaw chuck and the tailstock it was .002 out, Not perfect but I think I can tweak that a little. The 5K delivered to my door with the goodies is I think a fair price for what you get. You want a SB?, no comparison, but for an average schmuck and upcoming machinist, not a bad deal. Hope this helps anyone looking. As an added note, Grizzly makes a large "gunsmith" lathe, I think this is a better deal for $2300 less. Just my .02
My new lathe showed up yesterday. This is not my first gunsmithing lathe and won't be my last. Posting this so some people can get an idea of what to expect. A few points I need to make for anyone interested. The 40" bed is what the doctor orderded. The fit of the accessories seems good. The crossslide has what I call "wipers" that push the crud off of the ways before it hits the gibs, nice touch. The foot brake is a nice touch as well as the threaded end of the headstock to make a cathead for. I know Grizzly isn't the best but from what I can see so far, not a bad deal considering the accessories. It is a 0554Z and would reccomend it for an entry level lathe. The Z suffix means it has additional fittings over and above standard. I had a few snags with the 4
jawchuck, sme of the D1-4 lugs were bad. I had 6 to pick from and was able to make a complete set. Life went on.
The headstock was out of oil, a no brainer but worth noting. The bearing adjustment was spot on so no adjustment needed there. The shifting of this machine was a little weird but I attribute this to learning it, not a criticism. The tools sent with machine are....junk, wrenches, screwdrivers, toss them. The cast iron base is rough but has the proper slopes, holes, spigots where they should be, so its OK. The shift knobs have over spray from the painting which will go away in time, just annoying. It has typical handles of chinese origin, all need to be be cinched down to not be a pain. I leveled the beds all four ways and ran a test cut. In the 36" between the 4jaw chuck and the tailstock it was .002 out, Not perfect but I think I can tweak that a little. The 5K delivered to my door with the goodies is I think a fair price for what you get. You want a SB?, no comparison, but for an average schmuck and upcoming machinist, not a bad deal. Hope this helps anyone looking. As an added note, Grizzly makes a large "gunsmith" lathe, I think this is a better deal for $2300 less. Just my .02
