Grizzly G0766 Video - Motor Noise

[Roger Chandler]

So far James, you are the only one in the entire shipment that went out from the Distribution center to report this noise. I sure would like to hear from all the rest of the guys who got this unit........so far only about 4 of us out of the nearly 30 units have posted anything........you know the old saying....."no news is good news"

Most do not post for some reason unless there is something negative. I will be glad to hear what Grizzly customer support says for you.......they will work hard to get this right, I believe.

The earlier Grizzly has your info on the motor noise, the earlier the can get a motor on the next shipment coming in, if that is what it needs..........tech should be able to determine what is needed!

[hu lowery]

So far James, you are the only one in the entire shipment that went out from the Distribution center to report this noise. I sure would like to hear from all the rest of the guys who got this unit........so far only about 4 of us out of the nearly 30 units have posted anything........you know the old saying....."no news is good news"

Most do not post for some reason unless there is something negative. I will be glad to hear what Grizzly customer support says for you.......they will work hard to get this right, I believe.

The earlier Grizzly has your info on the motor noise, the earlier the can get a motor on the next shipment coming in, if that is what it needs..........tech should be able to determine what is needed!

Roger,

I doubt seriously that more than half of the thirty recipients are on the internet as regular members of a forum. Maybe half of those on the forums you frequent. For no more units than are out there already getting four people in a thread is a very high number I would think. Some unhappy people, not without reason, prefer to handle their issues privately. Always best to first try the private route with real issues anyway. Here we are sharing information and such and John wanted to know if his noise was common, a bit different.

I don't think we can judge the owners we haven't heard from as happy or unhappy. Doesn't really matter, we are starting to get information. A hundred and fifty pounds of packing and packing still leaves something to be desired. I expect machined metal to look virgin when I get it! The loose nuts and bolts are typical of the quality of equipment from china, doesn't matter whose nameplate is on it. Not thrilling to find, not surprising either. The chinese export mentality is to get the unit out as cheaply as possible that the customer will accept. The customer being Grizzly in this case.

Sounds like except for John we are getting about what I expected. The minor problems might be remedied in a few months. The second and even third shipments are probably already in the pipeline and we are unlikely to see any changes in those shipments other than possibly a piece of pasteboard thrown in to protect the lathe ways by the third shipment. Too late for production line changes I believe. The danger of getting early units but I'm tired enough of the lathe I am using to take my chances plus I believe Grizzly will act responsibly if need be.

Hu

[Dale Miner]

I heard two different sounds.

A crick crick at the slowere speeds that is likely belt noise and not really a majoe concer other than checking for pulley alignment and belt tension.

The howl at higher speeds is a bearing noise, probably from a misaligned outer race or installation damage.

[daryl moses]

I heard two different sounds.

A crick crick at the slowere speeds that is likely belt noise and not really a majoe concer other than checking for pulley alignment and belt tension.
.

I agree, my G0733 had the same "crick crick" noise when I first got it. The pulleys weren't co-planer and it takes just a little more tension on the belt than just the weight of the motor to properly tension the belt.
That loud whine on the OP's lathe is reason for concern though.

[James Conrad]

As much as I'd like you guys to be right on the noise being belt related, it is not. Makes the same noise metal/bearing rattle, as I noted previously, without the belt attached and is clearly coming from inside the motor at the fan end. I'll report back after my discussion with tech support tomorrow.

[Roger Chandler]

As much as I'd like you guys to be right on the noise being belt related, it is not. Makes the same noise metal/bearing rattle, as I noted previously, without the belt attached and is clearly coming from inside the motor at the fan end. I'll report back after my discussion with tech support tomorrow.

There are two bearings in the motor, James. If you look at the parts diagram breakdown you will see them and they are listed in the parts list as well. It is possible as you mention that the motor has a bad bearing in it........things do happen once in a while, so Grizzly might just issue you a new motor.

Make sure tech support will walk you through the installation or send you some help to fix it! It will be interesting to see how they deal with this ........I wonder if it will be a send it back and we will send a new one type of deal?

[Dennis Collier]

When I had a problem with my table saw, it was just that. Send it back to us and we will look at it. It was a nightmare getting it back out of my basement shop and crated up especially when I had already gotten rid of the original crate. They made it right though so I cant complain. I do believe they should have an authorized service man, at least in each state.

FWIW, my lathe dosnt sound anything like the video.

[Bob Bergstrom]

Just had a terrible thought. Seeing that this is a new model and is unique with a 3 hp motor, will there be parts available at this early date. I hope they are ready to resolve any problems.

[Mike Goetzke]

James - I'm just a serious woodworking hobbyist but I too hear two different noises. The one you note around 200RPM sounds like an electrical noise to me - VFD? The other does sound like a bearing. I had a lathe that was about a year old that experienced a bearing issue. I bought a cheap $4 mechanics stethoscope and could hear an almost crunching noise. But your lathe is brand new and shouldn't make either noise (nor suffered all that scuffing damage).

Mike

[James Conrad]

Hi Mike, Yes there are 2 noises of concern: the whine which gets excessive at the 200rpm mark and the bearing rattle/clacking which you can hear each time the lathe is at a steady speed. The whine is coming from the motor not the VFD.

[John Keeton]

It is yet too early to tell whether the 0766 lathe will deliver as hoped. Four of my stationary tools are Grizzly - bandsaw, tablesaw, jointer, and planer. I bought those tools after the particular models had been on the market for a while and reviews showed them to be acceptable for my level of use. I knew they were essentially "composite copies" of other machines, that the mass of the machines was sufficient for my hobby use, but that they lacked the refinement and purpose oriented engineering one might want for a professional level machine. However, the price vs. benefit was attractive and I have not regretted those purchases.

When I built furniture, I performed rather quick and basic functions on the bandsaw, tablesaw, jointer and planer, and of those, the tablesaw required the greater precision. But, none of those tasks required machines with a significant amount of purpose oriented engineering. That said, a woodturner seems to form an intimate bond with a lathe, and with the initial comments on this lathe, it seems that in this new model, Grizzly has not "corrected" simple engineering issues that occurred in prior models. Contrast that with the PM 3520, originally designed with extensive input from Osolnik on the 3520A, and Ernie Conover on the 3520B. Even the Jet 1642, my current lathe, seems to include design elements that were well "thought out." The Oneway lathes and the Robust lathes certainly include extensive purpose oriented engineering, with the Robust being the pinnacle IMO.

In the end, I suspect this lathe will be widely accepted. It provides a large swing - attractive to some folks, and sufficient power, all at a very attractive price. The mass distribution, the quality of castings, the basic design engineering all reflect a machine intended for a market niche. I don't expect this lathe to offer serious competition for any of the top end lathes for those reasons. So long as folks understand what they are getting, it should perform acceptably for most.

I am happy with my Jet 1642, and do not have a need to exceed the 16" swing capacity of the Jet. If, at some point, I want/need a larger lathe, it will not be the Grizzly 0766. I would spend the money and buy a machine designed on which I would expect to spend hours on end forming a close, intimate relationship.

[Roger Chandler]

Go back and search the forums........one will see a number of issues that have been reported with the 3520b, and the Jet 1642 evs................everything from switches needing repacement, to bearings gone bad, and not too many weeks ago an inverter gone bad.....[it has happened to several of them]..I have a friend who just had to replace the switch on his 3520b. it happens to all makes (at least the ones from overseas!) I read where some General lathes have had issues, and Oneways as well........

While my particular G0766 has the toolrest that is too high, that will be remedied shortly by an adjustment.......I have already placed an order for two Robust rests, and will see what Grizzly says about this one being too high, but I may just take it to a local machine shop and have an additional 5/8" to 3/4" taken down to the post diameter.

Everything else at this early point is super good........the lathe is performing very well, the VERY minor mods I did to enlarge the hole in the banjo and take down the boss behind the threads on the spndle only took a few minutes. It is an impressive machine!

This lathe is also sold to European markets where metric is standard, and likely, having to change tooling and such to meet American specs would up the price considerably. Now, while there has been one motor issue reported with a new machine, it sounds like it is probably a bearing that was not right. One member here recently got a new 3520b, and they had to replace a brand new switch before he could use the lathe........I recently read about a 3520b owner whose motor had to be replaced twice, and Jim Underwood just had a thread where his Jet motor went bad.......folks, it happens!

For the additional swing, and distance between centers, not to mention the $2500 I saved by getting this G0766 instead of the 3520b I was also considering...........I will gladly do those minor modifications!

The same kind of comments that Mike made above were said about my former G0698 lathe, and some much worse. That lathe performed superbly in my possession for over 5 years with fairly heavy use, and is still going strong at our club. All I am saying is there has been a long history of some people in the turning world that have poo-poohed Grizzly lathes, but they have gotten better, and yes, there are some very minor things to get sorted out with this new model, but most of the other makes have theirs as well!

I think you will see this 0766 do very well over all as time progresses. Not saying that the occassioal unit might not arrive with an issue but so do the Jets and Powermatics, and I would not hesitate to recommend either of those makes! I would also not hesitate to recommend the 18/47 G0733, and give me some time with this 0766 22/42, and it will likely be that I can from a position of experience, recommend it! For those who say it is unproven........it is a new model, and its closest relative the 0733 is a proven performer! At one time the 3520b was unproven, but time and use solved that.....it will be the same for the G0766.

[hu lowery]

First and foremost, we are working with a sample size of less than a half-dozen machines. One has a factory defect. That might mean that one in four does, or one in four thousand or less. We don't have statistics to judge that.

The tool rest height issue is exactly the same as with my present lathe with a cast iron rest. I suspect that Grizzly considered that they had issues with earlier rests snapping and tried to engineer that problem out. They may have engineered that problem out and a new one in.

I will probably never turn a bowl or vessel over 20" on the lathe, maybe a wall hanging bigger. I figure 22" of swing means that I can rough shape my blanks, balance them, and knock the rough spots off. I find it easy to have a bit of wood sticking out well past the biggest bowl or vessel I can make when I work with blanks straight from the log which is over 99% of the time.

Another issue with my lathe and rest I currently have is tool angle even though it is a 15" swing. The 22" swing gets the bed out of the way a little better when I want to drop the handle way down.

I don't know what this lathe is. On the other hand I know Grizzly is mostly offering good customer support these days and their current machines are good enough they can stand behind them.

I strongly suspect all of the castings from the same foundry are using the same alloy and process so it comes down to mass. I would like more, but I come from a metal turning world. I always want more mass. Some of the machines I turned on weighed many tons. Some that weighed tons I thought were light for the job.

Buying Griz I'll lose a little on name and snob appeal, neither one cuts wood. No distributer network, my local PM dealer charges a ton on his floor so I wouldn't buy from him anyway. I might lose a little on outside finish but having been inside a Jet I know that the surface flash is just that and I'd bet not a one of the machines manufactured in the same place is anything to brag about on the inside. They work, so in the end who cares? I would like to see top quality in the working parts of the machinery but I don't know if anyone offers the quality internals I would prefer. Maybe Vickmark or the American machines but my budget doesn't reach there yet. The Griz might help with that problem.

I suspect a lot of people are turning out nice work on a lot less machine than the 766. Always a learning curve before a user meshes with a new machine and I suspect there will be a bit of one with the 766. Pretty sure it will be a fine machine when things settle down. There were a handful of good reasons to make an early move and I took a chance. I'll count on Grizzly to make things right if a real clunker shows up on my doorstep.

Hu

[James Conrad]

Just off the phone with tech support...

So, they have no motors to replace mine with, no surprise there. They will be sending me a return label to ship the motor to them in PA for evaluation. No ideal, but other than sending the whole unit back, my options are zip.

On my other issues, they are sending me paint, and a die for the spindle threads and apparently I'm the first to report the tool rest height issue so he needed to kick that up the chain. If you haven't contacted Grizzly about that issue yet please do so, we'll need numbers to get that addresses I'm guessing.

My post wasn't intended to start a dog pile, but to get some input on this issue in resolving it. When all my issues are resolved and I get some time turning on the lathe I'll provide a fair assessment of the all inclusive experience. I can say I have some initial regrets for not bailing out, but I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt again in a speedy resolution.

[Roger Chandler]

Just off the phone with tech support...

So, they have no motors to replace mine with, no surprise there. They will be sending me a return label to ship the motor to them in PA for evaluation. No ideal, but other than sending the whole unit back, my options are zip.

On my other issues, they are sending me paint, and a die for the spindle threads and apparently I'm the first to report the tool rest height issue so he needed to kick that up the chain. If you haven't contacted Grizzly about that issue yet please do so, we'll need numbers to get that addresses I'm guessing.

My post wasn't intended to start a dog pile, but to get some input on this issue in resolving it. When all my issues are resolved and I get some time turning on the lathe I'll provide a fair assessment of the all inclusive experience. I can say I have some initial regrets for not bailing out, but I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt again in a speedy resolution.

I suspect they will take your motor apart in house and replace bearings and check it out well, as they have an extensive shop to do just that ........