Grizzly G5979 for first lathe?

Its probably the same motor as my G8691. I will work OK for spindles but pukes out easily. The motor on my G8691 is definitily not 1/2 HP.

I considered my G8691 to be a good learning lathe but I've upgraded to something much better.

I agree, I have the model you are talking about, moved up , way up to a Oneway 2436. The Griz: Motor too small. Motor in the way on the back side for bowl turning or large items on the "swing". Mechanical "variable speed" difficult to adjust at times. Banjo somewhat "loose". Tool rest was very poorly crafted and broke quickly tailstock and headstock was misaligned. No Reverse.

All of these Chinese knockoffs are about the same. The biggest problem with the Griz was the low horsepower of the motor. Mine smoked in about 3 months cutting a pecan bowl, just undersized for the tool. You need a bigger motor.

Regards, Lewis

Man a pecan bowl ouch! I burned out some router bits on a pecan box a couple years ago and decided never to use the stuff again.

Man a Oneway, pocketbook ouch! I went to a Nova DVR and ouch! But I've become fairly adicted to turning and I looked for close to half year before making a decision.

However, a discussion took place on less expensive lathes not long ago on this group. Something to realize, when I was given the Grizzly I soon had spent several times its cost on chisels, grinder, chuck etc. The chuck you can maybe live without for spindles but the chisels and grinder you kind of have to buy.

Another >I agree, I have the model you are talking about, moved up , way up to a >Oneway 2436.

I've got a G5979. Now collecting dust. The motor is way too small and definately not the 1/2hp they claim. Go for the Jet or Delta of the same size as the G5979. Harbor Freight has a look-alike as well with a larger motor.

Leslie

Thanks for all the info guys. Think I'll save a little more and maybe go with a Jet with 3/4hp. I hate buying tools that works for what I want to do now but not in the future. My Dad taught me that if you buy cheap it won't last and you always end up spending more to upgrade so you can make something better and easier. Learned that lesson the hard way years ago so that's why I now rely on people like you with experience.

Thanks again, Al in WA

I don't know how much you have allocated for a lathe, Al, but you might at least consider the lathe I bought recently. My Jet 1442 is a nice compromise, I think, between lathes such as the Jet 1238 at the low end, and the Delta or Jet costing around $2K. Mine went for $767, which included cast iron legs.

I've made two minor modifications to my lathe: 1) I added 2x4 tressles between the legs and attached a piece of heavy ply on top, on which sandbags have been added to bring the total weight up to roughly 550lbs, and 2) I installed a segmented drive belt, which smoothed out the drive system a bit.

After using this lathe about a month, I'm very pleased. Oh, it would be nice to have an electronic speed control, but in lieu of that it has been a great machine.

Max

My dad taught me to either buy the cheapest tool you can, or the best tool you can. Because you're either going to replace it, or not.