Is this Grizzly mini lathe worth investing in?

[Quick Cal]

Hey guys. I'm not really a wood turner, yet. But while looking for a metal lathe I ran across this little Grizzly G4297 for $10. The guy said it just needed a belt. The cover was hanging off of it. It was close so I went after it.

I got there and he said he bought new gears, pulled the cover and seen it needed a belt. He didn't want to mess with it anymore. Well it does not look like new gears to me. And there's no screws for the cover. Hmmmm. But for $10 I bought it,,,lol.

Like I said. I'm not a wood turner but I'm interested if I could get this going cheap enough, assuming it's worth fixing? I'd have to buy just a belt for $20. Or belt and gears for $40. Then I would need tools and everything else to get started.

Is this little guy worth the effort?

I've read that these eat belts. Do these gears look ok? The motor gear looks like it could be a little damaged? I see a groove in it.

Thanks for any input.

 

[Drewby108]

I mean, for ten bucks, I don't think it was a waste. If the motor turns on, then you can at least turn it into a fixed buffing station.

 

[d_bondi]

I agree, if the motor runs you can't go wrong for 10 bucks. The alignment even looks close and it appears to be a variable speed model.

 

[egnald]

Just thinking out loud here. For $10 - hmmmm.

If the motor runs and the variable speed controller seems to work - that is a real plus.
New gears and a belt can be found online for about $40 - not bad.
It's only 1/3 HP, maybe a little on the low end, but likely adequate for making pens and other small turnings.
It looks like the alignment is pretty good so the frame must not be bent or anything.
Both the drive center and the live center look really worn.
In general it looks like it is in pretty good shape and might clean up really well.
I've read somewhere (maybe here on IAP) that it is has a shorter than usual morse taper (MT1) and that some have had to cut their MT1 tapers to make them shorter so they would fit.

I think the new price was pretty low considering the features. Looks like it might have been in the $200 range.
It looks like you might spend a hundred bucks or so to get it cleaned up and functional for pen turning.

Of course I like a challenge, so I would probably take it on as a restoration type project, but that's just me. (Easy for me to say since I have a nice JET 1221VS lathe).

Best of Luck - Dave

 

[jrista]

Two things:

Its #MT1, so if you have any #MT2 lathe accessories, you won't be able to use them.
Its only 1/3HP, so its not going to turn much more than a pen or other very small items.

If neither of those are a problem for you, sounds like a deal.

 

[Quick Cal]

Thanks for all the replies.

Forgive my ignorance as I don't know the proper name of things yet. But I promise I will learn,,,lol.

So I cleaned the live center up a bit. Does it indeed look worn out? The bearing has a sticky spot in it. Can I pull the dust shield off and clean it? Is it pressed in or is this a screw in the back that lets you take it apart. I thought it was an Allen head. If it is, it's stripped. Or would I just get a whole new deal? If so how much are those?

The holder on the end of the spindle is dull. It has burrs on it. Can It just be filed and saved? Or does it need replaced? How much are those?

I made a short video of the motor running. Does this all seem normal to you guys?

 

[leehljp]

If you don't have a lathe, $10 for an introduction is cheap. Fixing it up to be productive will be a great learning experience. I lived overseas for many years and saw some great things created with less precision mechanics than that machine.

That said, it has been mentioned if you want to be the most productive, the first consideration for a lathe will be an MT2 (Morse Taper 2) as it is the de facto standard for home shop and small shop lathes, and also has a multitude of options for it that are just not available for MT1 lathes,

 

[RDHals]

I have a Grizzly lathe myself, different model, they're great lathes. I've had mine over 10 years, use it every day, with no troubles. The spur drive you show in the pic can be dressed up with a file or replaced, they're cheap to replace. One thing that I haven't seen mentioned yet is your tool rest. If it's the same as mine, the post is like 25mm not 1in. It can make getting a different tool rest a challenge. Or you can bore your banjo out to 1in as I did with mine. Congratulations on a great buy.

 

[NeonWoodShop]

Welcome to IAP. The good advice and comments above cover most of your questions.

Do you know what you plan to turn? Pens? Small ornaments? Small bowls? This info can help us provide better recommendations.

I definitely would have bought the grizzly for $10! The lathe is definitely worth fixing up, depending on what you want to do with it. As mentioned above, any accessories you purchase likely won't transfer to a larger lathe if/when you upgrade. The smaller Morse Taper (MT1) and smaller tool rest post (likely 1/2") are two examples. Just something to consider going forward.

My experience is a lot like yours; the lathe is similar to the HF 8x12 I started with when I started turning in 2020. I started purchasing pen turning equipment and then realized some of the limitations of the HF lathe. I upgraded and none of the turning equipment/accessories fit the new lathe (MT2). I use the HF lathe strictly for applying finish and wet sanding, so things worked out in my favor.

I looked at the specs of your lathe on Grizzly's website and it seems they lowered the rating to 1/4HP before the model was discontinued.
Your pic of the live center after you cleaned it up shows part of a number, possibly the bearing number, so you should be able to source decent bearings from many suppliers. The live center may not be the Grizzly part that came with the lathe so be careful with ordering parts.
There are better spur drives available for about the same price as the factory style, but that can wait if you plan to focus on pens.

I watched your video and the start delay is common to both of my VS lathes - probably related to the control box or a soft start maybe.
One other thought. Does the spindle turn freely by hand? Check for play in the bearings too.

I'm looking forward to updates on the lathe.

 

[darrin1200]

Good score. For $30 (incl the belt) this is a great deal. While you will probably upgrade fairly quick, this would still make an awesome sanding/buffing station.
I have a slightly bigger General International, with my buffing wheels on it. I would love to get a couple like yours.