Shop Fox 1758

[Russell Neyman]

One of my students got a terrific deal on a used Shop Fox 1758 lathe, paying 500 bucks for the machine, a large One Way chuck, ten Pinnacle Tools (virtually unused) and a collection of 10-15 well-cured, rough-turned bowl blanks.

Now, some of you will shake your heads at the quality offered by Shop Fox. This one is a Reeves Drive variable speed with a 2 HP 120-volt motor and a digital readout. My own experience is that they're crappy machines and there isn't much customer support. But, at that price, I still think it was a deal he couldn't pass up.

I went and helped him get it assembled and leveled, tossing in a chunk of plum to see how everything worked. Here are several observations and questions I have:

• HANDWHEEL-- I was surprised that there is no wheel on the tail end of the headstock for hand cranking the quill. Nothing shows on the literature, but there appears to be a threaded hole for one. (My guess it's a 7/16" left hand thread.) Can anyone provide some insight? Would a hand wheel from a Jet 12-36 work?

• SPINDLE LOCK-- No way to lock the spindle? Really? Can that be?

• LOW END SPEED-- The digital speed readout says bottom end RPM is about 750, fairly fast for rough turning irregular blanks. Would some sort of electronic step down work on this? I'm tempted to tinker with the spacing of the upper pulley, snugging it up in the closed position to slow it down. Comments?

• ACCESSORIES-- Are there any? What brands are compatible?

[Roger Chandler]

That is one of Grizzly's older style lathes......yep, the low end spindle speed is way too fast for bowl turning if you have an unbalanced blank.....I think it is around 600 rpm. Some of their older lathes did not come with a handwheel. There should be a pin to serve as a spindle lock....perhaps the original owner lost it.


While he got a good deal on the lathe and accessories, the lathe has its drawbacks.
The Grizzly G0462 is the green version of the same lathe..........you can download a manual off their website for it, which has a parts breakdown, and the only difference is the color of the Shopfox W-1758

[David Hill]

I had one for a while that I'd bought at a school equipment auction. For the money, was great deal, and gave me the power I'd been looking for.
Yes the lowest speed was around 600'ish----gets faster as the belt wears. Changing the belt the first time or 2 is interesting (no sarcasm font) at best. Kevlar belts seemed to last the longest.
Mine had no spindle lock which was perplexing---got good at using channel locks. Never got around to making a hand wheel.
Didn't like the tail stock either.

Have since upgraded and sold it to have room for the newer lathe.

[Russell Neyman]

The silence on this lathe is deafening. Like I said, these are rather poorly built machines.

[Larry Dubia]

I bought one of these as a replacement and upgrade from a midi lathe. It lasted just over 1.5 years before the pulleys started eating the belts, yes even Kevlar. The problem is the aluminum pulleys on a steel shaft with steel keys. Everytime you change the speed of the lathe, the pins wear into the pulley making it more and more sloppy. When the pulleys start going bad, it put extra pressures on the headstock bearings. Mine both had to be replaced due to a flat spot being caused by the pulleys slamming around. The lathe was only 500$ new. The 600 RPM "low" speed scared the bejesus outa me.
I replaced it with a Nova DVR 3000 for $1500 and wore it down a bit before buying the Grizzly G0766. While not a perfect lathe it does have needed features like a locking pin for the spindle, a 0 RPM start, dual belt speeds, infinitely adjustable speeds, and it can turn forward and reverse.

I wish you the best of luck with your machine. Watch thee pulleys like a hawk. Look for some steel replacements.

[David Boardman]

To anyone looking at one of these lathes I bought one from amazon last week and after speaking with a rep today I was taught some nifty tricks! First speed is a HUGE issue with this lathe. It is possible to slow it down some. This is straight from the tech, he told me to do it to mine as it was running at around 680 rpms on the lowest setting. If you set it to it's lowest speed then remove the two screws that hold the speed control arm in out, then remove the arm now that you have it removed change it up one notch. Now reattach it to your lathe in the same way you took it off. This creates a new lower speed, it does remove a higher speed though. I bought my lathe specifically with the idea of using it to turn table legs, I use a Veil duplicator with an angle grinder attachment so I need it to turn no faster than 600 rpm. With the change I am now spinning in the low 500's. The only time I go any faster is to sand, I usually turn it up to around 1200 rpms. It will top out at around 2000 rpm if you do this.

Next is the belt. He said that if you change your speeds fast it will eat your belts up. He instructed me to turn the lathe on change the speeds one hole at a time until I get to my desired speed.

I hope this helps anyone out there looking at this lathe. I don't think it's a bad lathe it just needs some tinkering out of the box to get it set up.

[Russell Neyman]

Confirmed: Yes, the Jet 12-36 handwheel fits perfectly into the Shop Fox 1758. It makes one wonder if SF bought parts from Jet.

[Duane Meadows]

Confirmed: Yes, the Jet 12-36 handwheel fits perfectly into the Shop Fox 1758. It makes one wonder if SF bought parts from Jet.

Thanks Russell. I have the Shopfox and really appreciate this info. By the way I like the lathe a lot. Have mine adjusted to go a little below 600RPM. Sometimes wish it would go a bit slower but it works fine for 99% of what I need it for. Great lathe for the money!

[Marvin Hasenak]

Shop Fox 1758, Jet 1236 and the Harbor Freight 34706, are all the same parts, different colors and names are the only difference.

[Russell Neyman]

Duane, I have a Jet 14-42, and often need it to run slower than the last "stop" on the speed dial. So, I pull it lower with a bungee cord and that works perfectly. No, it does not damage the pulleys.

Marvin, the Jet 12-36 is substantially smaller than the SF, I believe.

[David Walser]

Shop Fox 1758, Jet 1236 and the Harbor Freight 34706, are all the same parts, different colors and names are the only difference.

In fairness, the fit and finish on the Jet 1236 is much better than on the Harbor Freight 34706. I've had my 34706 for years and its served me well, but its rougher than any of the Jet's I've seen. I suspect the Shop Fox would be close to the Jet in terms of fit and finish.