Originally Posted by
Roger Chandler
Hu.......you and I are more together than we are apart on this 0766. Two main issues are in play. The toorest is too high from the factory, and the banjo should have not been taken fron the 0733, which has 4" less swing and just stuck on this 0766! The banjo should have been extended another 4 inches in length, and the toolrest should have been 7/8" below the centerline for bowl turning, as this lathe is advertised to be made for.
I suspect had they done these things, the lathe would be more expensive than it was, but adding another $100 to the price and have gotten these things right would have made for an intoduction of this unit to the market that would have had much celebration, instead of all the threads that point out the deficiencies.
They basically took the leg and bed castings of the 0733 and added a larger headstock, tailstock, 3 hp motor, delta inverter, and handwheel to the same frame of the 0733, which is fine, as the legs and bed are plenty stout to support that additional swing, but they did not bring out a longer banjo on it to support the added swing..........that does not render the lathe incapable of most large turnings, but it is not what it should have been either!
I would really like to see Grizzly take these issues to heart, and begin putting a longer banjo on these 0766 units, and make that small adjustment to the toolrest height, then they would likely have threads singing their praises for such a fine and powerful lathe that this unit has the full potential of being if these two changes were made.