Grizzly Lathe G1495

[bearfretworks]

I'm interested in buying a lathe to add to my tool collection! I've looked at a lightly used Grizzly G1495 thats for sale for a decent price and wondered if any of you have used or seen one????

The scrollsaw link is I'd like to turn spindles/columns for the trophies I'm making. The ones I made for the gymnastics meet yesterday were well received and prompted more orders....... Thought adding columns/spindles would diversify my product line.....not to mention the ability to turn pens, bottle stoppers, bowls, etc....

Thanks.

[William Young (SE BC)]

If you can get that one for a good price I would go for it.
Here are the specs on it

http://www.grizzly.com/products/G1495

I feel it is quite overpriced new at $914.25 deliverd for a lathe with only 3/4 HP motor and seven speeds. Sometimes a brand name costs more than an exact clone out of the same factory with a less known brand name . Mine has the same HP but 10 speeds and I am totally satisfied with it for less than half the price of that one. We are talking mid priced lathes here. Not real basic and not professional quality but plenty good enough for the average turner.
Quite often it is the skill of the turner that means more than the price of the lathe. I have seen some wonderfull turnings come off of much lower priced lathes than the ones in question here.
You are wise to start with that size rather than a mini lathe . You can do the smallest (even miniatures) turnings on a big lathe but you can't do big turnings on a small lathe.

Turning fits in very well with scrolling and there is a BIG trend towards scrollers buying a wood lathe in recent years . Even the turning sites are just a humming with information and I am seeing more and more scrollers that I recognize names of participating in turning sites.
Turning is a blast and although you and I may never get as good at turning as some turners are on the various boards , we can have fun trying and using them for inspiration. Here is an example of the quality of turners I am getting on the turning board in my own Woodworking Friends multi board woodworking site . This one was just posted today by a fellow that turns a lot of this sort of thing and I have it up as picture of the week...
If you can get that lathe for under $400.00 and if it hasn't been used much I would say grab it and have yourself a blast learning to use it.
If you do craft sales you will find that when you mix turning with your scrolling your sales will double for the same hours spent at any one sale.
W.Y.

[sdj]

Consider a midi/mini lathe

Depending on your "long term goals", don't forget to consider a mini/midi type lathe with a bed extension. Jet makes a decent one for about $280 plus the bed extension can be had for around $50.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...lance&n=228013

Biggest limitation is the 10" swing. Which means you cannot turn a disc/bowl greater than 10" in diameter. Also can not do "outboard turning".
But spindles can be 48" with the bed extension.
Also Lathe "acessories" can easily end up costing more than the lathe itself. Turning tools, grinders, chucks, duplicators, etc, etc,etc.

[lucky788scroller]

As far as quality is concerned, I wouldnt be to worried. I have a Grizzly 1067Z lathe http://www.grizzly.com/products/g1067z That I am very pleased with. Ive turned a huge oak 'log' about 8 inches across and 36 inches long on it, and it had enough hp to do it no problem. The downside is its weight.Think of a lathe like a scrollsaw,the more mass the better. Another thing, like was also mentioned, attachments and tooling will cost the price of the lathe.The lathe you have a chance at does have a lot more weight, so thats in your favor. Also, if buying it used, perhaps you will get some tooling with it as well. One other thing is spindle thread, but if its your only lathe, I dont see that as a problem. About 2 montha ago I got a steal of a deal on a diffrent grizzly lathe, one that I cant find on their site now, but its a clone to a jet, with the 1X8tpi spindle.I got the lathe, and some tooling at twice the price as one of the big bowl gouges that came with it.I dont need two lathes, but I guess Im a tool hoarder, I cant pass up a great deal! Maybe in another month when my 4H group is going fullbore I will have them both in use, the extra tools come in handy then.
Yes, a lathe will add a whole new dimension to your woodworking. If the price seems right, jump on it!!! Dale

[William Young (SE BC)]

Hi Dale;
That is a nice looking lathe you have. I am sure you are getting lots of enjoyment out of it . ButI can't help thinking that it is somewhat overpriced because of it being a big brand name.
Here is my clone to that one



But it has a 3/4HP motor instead of 1/2HP and it has 10 speeds instead of 6 and is 43 inches long.
I really like the swivel around head for outboard turning and the full steel shelf at the bottom. It only cost $425.00 brand new in Canadian funds which is equal to $377.66 in USA funds at todays exchange rate.
The most HP you can get is important when hogging out big 14" wide by 4 or 5" deep bowls . But less power can certainly be used with shallower cuts and very sharp tools. Sometimes I wish mine was a full 1HP motor.
Weight is very important in a lathe when turning big deep bowls. I made a unique but asthetically pleasing way of weighting mine down and almost doubling its weight. No more dancing around on my wood floor when roughing out an out of round blank. It can be seen by either viewing my site or sending me an email at
[email protected]
It is amazing how many scrollers are getting into turning as a wonderfull alternative to scrolling.
W.Y.

[bearfretworks]

A big THANKS to all for your input. I did not buy the Grizzly based mainly on price (although I did find some folks who have used it with mediocre reviews) and ordered a Jet Mini w/variable speed. I can get the lathe, basic gouges, scrapers, etc... and a grinder, and a bench bandsaw for the pirce of the Griz. I think I'll have a better chance of selling the jet if I decide to get a new, big, bad spinny machine in the future.

And Lucky788scroller, I can relate to the tool collection addiction!!!

Thanks again!

[sdj]

Thinking of a bandsaw also?

See this thread. http://www.scrollsawer.com/forum/sho...hlight=bandsaw
The original "poster" got a 12" bench style, but for $260 (on sale right now)please consider a HarborFreight 1HP 14". With a good Timberwolf blade it is more than capable of resawing lumber. This is perfect for the scrollsawing part of your work.
I don't think Harbor Freight has good quality on all their tools, but the bandsaw is very good.

[bearfretworks]

Thanks for the tip on the bandsaw. I'll take a look, but freight to Alaska on big items is usually expensive. For example, the Jet mini lathe boxed costs almost $100 to ship here. That's why I only buy from amazon.com if I can't find a better deal locally - they offer Free Supersaver Shipping to Alaska occasionally.