Questions for G0733 Owners

[James Conrad]

Hey Folks, I've decided to pick up a Grizzly g0733 lathe, should fit my needs pretty good. I've read most of the posts about them and Harrison's video, although he notes in his comments section that he ended up selling it instead of the Jet contrary to what he says in his video review...

So, my questions to G0733 owners are: other than what has been explored in previous comments and the video review, have you found any limitations in practical use? Has anyone bogged it down turning a large project, and if so what size/weight caused it? Has anyone found a work around to the speed control going to 0 with power shut off? Anything else critical that you were not expecting?

Thanks for the help!

[Roger Chandler]

James.......I have the predecessor G0698 18/47 lathe which was upgraded a couple of years later to the G0733. Your question on bogging down.....please know that it is a 2 hp motor on the 0733........the motor on a PM3520b is a 2 hp motor. Bogging down......it can happen on the largest lathes..........depending on the cut being made. I have a friend with a Oneway 2436 with 3 hp motor.........he has bogged it down countless times! I have personally bogged down a 3 hp Robust American Beauty, and a couple of PM3520b's! That is because of trying to take too heavy a cut, for the wood that was being turned.

They upgraded the lathe I have to the G0733 after a couple of years and added a different motor.......an A/C motor, 2 hp from a D/C brushless servo motor on my G0698. The inverter was also upgraded to the same unit they put on the 3520b, so it should not give you pause related to the G0733.

The PM 3520b is a heavier lathe for sure and has a cage............probably the best comparrison is that the G0733 is a bigger brother to the Jet 1642 evs 2 hp, but does not have the cage, and does give you 2" more swing with the 18" and it is 5" longer between centers..............good luck on whatever you decide!

Our local club is considering a G0733 as the addition of another large lathe for teaching at our meeting place. We currently have one 3520b available and 5 midi lathes, so we need an additional big lathe.........cost is certainly a consideration. There is likely no better value for the features on a big lathe than the G0733. I have had my unit for 5 years and have not had any issues........the performance has been superb.

[James Conrad]

Thanks Roger, I ask about the bogging due to the VFD, and having to run at initial low speeds with a large pieces and it reducing the HP due to the VFD. I've always had lathes with pulley changes for speed, so was not sure if it was ever an issue in practical use for a VFD lathe.

[Roger Chandler]

Thanks Roger, I ask about the bogging due to the VFD, and having to run at initial low speeds with a large pieces and it reducing the HP due to the VFD. I've always had lathes with pulley changes for speed, so was not sure if it was ever an issue in practical use for a VFD lathe.

The G0733 has belt changes available as well as the VFD........a two speed pulley system for increased torque at lower speeds. Same as the PM3520b, and most other VFD machines. The belt changes only take a few seconds.

When I do a heavy large turning, I switch the belt to the low speed setting which gives better torque and will give me 1260 rpm max, which is way more than enough on larger items. The low setting will go from about 50 rpm to 1200+ rpm and the hign belt setting will go from about 200 to 3200 rpm.

We also have a Grizzly Green Monster Group [GGMG] where you can communicate with other Grizzly G0733 owners and see some discussions on modifications, etc on the Grizzly lathe........go to the community tab at the top of the page click, then groups, and the group will come up, click on and you can become a member.

[James Conrad]

Thanks again for the help. I had no idea that existed, or communities in general existed on the forum.

[David C. Roseman]

James, I've had a Grizzly G0733 for 2-1/2 years and couldn't be happier with it. I agree with all of Roger's excellent comments, with one minor exception regarding it using the same inverter as the PM3520B. Both lathes use inverters from Delta Electronics, but the models are a bit different, or at least were when I last checked this past Spring. The G0733 uses a Delta Electronics VFD-M series drive, enclosed by a steel cover, but does not come standard with a braking resistor. The PM 3520B, as well as the Jet 1642 EVS, use the slightly less expensive Delta Electronics VFD-S-1 drive, with no protective cover, but the PM3520B adds a braking resistor. A braking resistor isn't at all necessary, but is nice to have when you're turning big, heavy bowl blanks. As you probably know, it harnesses electromagnetic energy to bring the lathe to a stop a bit quicker at shut down. I added one to the Grizzly's VFD for around $30 with the help of a buddy who knows way more about electronics than I do. You can see some more of my input on the G0733 in an SMC thread from last March, starting at post #18, here: http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthre...33-lathe/page2

David

[James Conrad]

Thanks David, I had read those threads, something I would probably add in the future. Hopefully Griz will start up those coupons again soon!

[Doug Herzberg]

James, I haven't posted because I don't have much to add. I have had the predecessor GO698 for a few years now. Someof the cast iron parts turned out to be defective, but all were discovered in the 1 year warranty period and Grizzly tech support was very helpful and everything was replaced at no charge. Even after the warranty, the tech people have been great. Contrasted with what I've read about people here dealing with companies like Delta, it has been a real pleasure working with the people at Grizzly.

[Marty Tippin]

I had a G0733 for about 18 months or so, sold it primarily because I had an opportunity to get a PM3520B that I couldn't pass up.

Overall, the G0733 was a pretty good lathe, though I had some issues with runout in the spindle and had to have Grizzly send me 2 of them before I got one that was mostly acceptable. Replacing the spindle wasn't hard - just had to drive it out of the headstock and press the bearings off.

The other significant irritant is that the spindle isn't milled "correctly" to allow most standard thread-on accessories (chucks, etc.) to seat all the way against the shoulder of the spindle behind the threads - there's an area that I had to file down myself in order to get the required clearance for a thread-on spur center (the "Stubby Lathe" center) to fit.

There was also some significant noise in the headstock when I sold it that (fortunately) the buyer didn't object to - he said he figured it was in the bearings, but I don't know for sure where it was coming from. The noise had actually been there most of the time I owned the lathe and it wasn't until I heard how quiet the Powermatic was that I understood the noise wasn't "normal".

As for the issue the OP described regarding the speed going to 0 with the power shut off, I'm not sure what that's about. But I also never turned the power off when I wanted to stop the lathe -- use the forward/reverse switch instead and put it in the center (off) position. The main power switch should only be used when you're done using the lathe, though that's not at all intuitive to folks who expect a big red button to be used anytime you want to stop the lathe.

For what it is, the G0733 is a good lathe, but the fit and finish is quite inferior to something like a Powermatic - and I guess that's to be expected. As Doug mentioned, Grizzly customer service is great to work with and they seem pre-programmed to send out whatever replacement parts you think you need without question. It would be better, of course, if you never had occasion to speak with them in the first place...

[James Conrad]

There was also some significant noise in the headstock when I sold it that (fortunately) the buyer didn't object to - he said he figured it was in the bearings, but I don't know for sure where it was coming from. The noise had actually been there most of the time I owned the lathe and it wasn't until I heard how quiet the Powermatic was that I understood the noise wasn't "normal".

As for the issue the OP described regarding the speed going to 0 with the power shut off, I'm not sure what that's about. But I also never turned the power off when I wanted to stop the lathe -- use the forward/reverse switch instead and put it in the center (off) position. The main power switch should only be used when you're done using the lathe, though that's not at all intuitive to folks who expect a big red button to be used anytime you want to stop the lathe...

Thx Marty. I had read one other report about noise at the headstock, certainly something to watch for.

Harrison mentioned the speed reset with main stop in his video, wasn't sure if it was really an issue in use since,as you mention, using the f/r switch makes sense.

[Roger Chandler]

When I stop my G0698, I go through this process......first turn the speed dial down to zero.........then push the off button. That is what I do when I want to shut the lathe off entirely. Just to stop rotation, I turn the speed dial down......simple. The issue related to some aftermarket items like chuck inserts. The Grizzly lathe is milled to metric specs......not an issue really, in my opinion. As did Marty, I took a file and held against the shoulder area of the spindle while the lathe ran at about 400rpm and quickly took care of that. Please note, that some machining discrepancies do exist in a lot of aftermarket parts......especially inserts. I have mostly Nova chucks and even their own inserts have discrepancies in machining from batch to batch, not to mention the aftermarket ones like WC used to sell called WoodRiver!

Related to bearings........I have used my lathe for nearly 5 years, pretty heavily, and the original bearings are still just fine. I did purchase an extra set of high quality bearings from Bearings Direct, just in case I ever needed them......they are still in the drawer of my turning tool chest, and I have not needed them

The centers lining up, most of the time, is an issue of leveling the bed precisely. When I first got my G0698, the centers were off from one another. I found a bit of machining sluff off stuck to the bottom of the tailstock.......took a file and in a minute or so had that off.......then the precise leveling of the bed. IF your level is off 1/8" when the centers are together, then when you have the tailstock and headstock apart, that will be magnified. Leveling front to back as well as end to end and getting those feet adjusted correctly will solve likely 98% of any centers not meeting. The set up of the lathe is more of an art than most people realize!

I will say that it is possible to get a lemon from any manufacturer, but I will also say that Grizzly Tech support will do everything they can to get you to a point of being a happy customer, so let them help you and please fire away at the GGMG members......they can help as well!

I am one of the first 10 people who got an 18/47 lathe from Grizzly.........I have a lot of experience with it, and have talked to people all over the country. I do not profess to know it all, and I very much appreciate other owners chiming in.

I am a stickler for precision when it comes to my tools. For example, my rip fence on my table saw is set up with a dial gauge, and is less than 1/2 of .001 difference from front to back and parallel with my miter slot on the saw. That is just the way I roll, so I know that the G0733 can be set up for very good performance if one is willing to go to the effort! My centers line up the entire length of the bed, no matter where I have the headstock and tailstock located.

[Rick Gibson]

I have the busy bee (Canadian) equivalent. Other than faceplate and colour they are identical. http://www.busybeetools.com/products...EAVY-DUTY.html I got used to having a handwheel on the headstock and this lathe does not have one, I will have to break down and make one I guess. The next concern was after I got it I noticed it called for a 220V 20A circuit. I had a couple 15A circuits in the shop but no 20A one. I ran it on a 15A circuit for a while and never tripped a breaker but then never put anything heavy on it. My kitchen cooktop had it's own pony panel in the basement providing 20A so when I replaced the cook top with a gas one I was able to install a 20A circuit without having to rip down all the ceiling in the rec room.
I have stopped it trying to take to heavy a cut at a very low speed. No real problem, I just took lighter cuts until I got the bowl blank into better balance and was able to up the speed.

[Mark Henshaw]

I actually purchased this Grizzly lathe from Marty who has posted earlier. It did indeed have a noise in the headstock that I thought was a bearing noise. Upon getting the lathe home I found the cast head stock to have been slightly mis-machined. The shaft had a small amount of play as the shaft increased in speed. A few brass shims and the vibration was completley eliminated. Purchased the lathe about 6 months ago and an very happy. Have turned on a 3520 many times but for the money, I would not think twice about purchasing this lathe from Grizzly.
Marty, very good lathe at a good price, thank you!

[Marty Tippin]

I actually purchased this Grizzly lathe from Marty who has posted earlier. It did indeed have a noise in the headstock that I thought was a bearing noise. Upon getting the lathe home I found the cast head stock to have been slightly mis-machined. The shaft had a small amount of play as the shaft increased in speed. A few brass shims and the vibration was completley eliminated. Purchased the lathe about 6 months ago and an very happy. Have turned on a 3520 many times but for the money, I would not think twice about purchasing this lathe from Grizzly.
Marty, very good lathe at a good price, thank you!

Nice to hear from you, Mark. And glad you got the issues worked out - I didn't think it was a major issue, but shimming would never have crossed my mind.

[Roger Chandler]

I actually purchased this Grizzly lathe from Marty who has posted earlier. It did indeed have a noise in the headstock that I thought was a bearing noise. Upon getting the lathe home I found the cast head stock to have been slightly mis-machined. The shaft had a small amount of play as the shaft increased in speed. A few brass shims and the vibration was completley eliminated. Purchased the lathe about 6 months ago and an very happy. Have turned on a 3520 many times but for the money, I would not think twice about purchasing this lathe from Grizzly.
Marty, very good lathe at a good price, thank you!

Mark.......I agree with you that the G0733 is a good lathe and a great value! I have turned on at least 9, maybe 10 different 3520b lathes, at different places and demos, etc as well as the Jet.......my G0698 performs basically on par with them! Two of those 3520b units had issues, one I think a bearing problem. Just goes to show you that any lathe can have problems, but so far my G0698 has performed very well for 5 years!