Help Me Decide...lathe...g0602, G9972z, Or G0752??

wachuko

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Like the title says... need help deciding between those lathes...

G0602, G9972Z, or G0752??

This is just in case I need to do something for my cars or motorcycle... use as a hobby and to learn the ropes...

No rush as I do not have a specific project that I need one for (like what happened when I got the mill)... so just doing my homework.

Thank you!
 
Hi,

I had the G9972Z that I have now replaced with some other lathes.

The benefit of going up from G9972Z from the G0752 is minimal and if you look at the weight comparison they are quite similar. The benefit with the G0752 is the variable speed that is nice to have. The belt drive of the G9972Z is not bad and by changing belt you to reduce speed you get the the extra torque you need when cutting on a larger diameter.

Both lack the automatic cross feed. That might be something to consider. But if you plan to run your lathe for repair work and such it should be fine. The next step up looking at Grizzly site is the G4003 or G4003G. You probably want to look around before you decide on such a step up. PM machines come to my mind.

Hope this information was useful.

Regards
Bjorn
 
Bjorn,

Thank you. When you say PM... something like the PM 1127VF LB ?
 
I have a G0752, and like yourself, am new to lathes. I did the research like you're doing now. I thought about the 602 but went with the 752 because of the variable speed. Neither of them will do left handed threads without modifying them, and neither has quick change gears. I haven't done any threading yet, so it hasn't mattered to me. I figure I can do any threading needed with dies until I figure out the gearing.

It's been good so far, but I've been getting familiar with it learning the ropes. What others have been doing for years, is all new to me. But it's been fun learning it all. I'm not familiar with the other lathe you mention.

The 602/752 have a pretty large following, and there are all sorts of mods you can make if you pick one of those two.
 
Bjorn,

Thank you. When you say PM... something like the PM 1127VF LB ?

I meant the pm1236 from Precision Matthews. But since Grizzly has g4003 on sale the price is the same. Pm is Usd 3348 including stand and freight, Grizzly is usd 3347 including stand and freight.

I did consider the pm1236 in the past but ended up with an old torshalla. I have an old cva too. Seems like pm is doing a fairly good job checking out the machine before it is shipped to buyer.

The pm1127 is not that big step up from g9972 but you get a lot more fetures including variable speed. But the price is comparable to pm1236/g4003.

G9972z was in my experience a good lathe and capable. The torque difference you might get using g0704 with varible speed might ot matter. Other users might want to comment?
 
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When you say PM... something like the PM 1127VF LB ?
Just a note... there are a lot of happy PM1127VFLB owners... BUT... by the time you spend that much money, you should instead just buy a 12x36 lathe (like the Grizzly 4002 or 4003). Assuming you have room for one, of course.

Why? 12x36 gets you a Norton QCGB (allows all inches threads without gear changes, it uses those levers instead of rotary dial switches) and a cam-lock chuck (really nice feature). All the chinese lathes smaller than 12" swing have QCGB of extremely limited value... almost any threading requires manually swapping "change gears".

Given the list of machines you posted originally, I would go for the G0752. The VFD in it gives you a lower speed (100 rpm), which is vital for threading, and it has a built-in tachometer. Before Grizzly came out with that version, a very common mod for G0602 owners was installing a VFD in their machine. The price difference between the two means you are better off just buying the G0752... you can't do the conversion yourself for the difference in price.

Also take a look at what Machine Tools Online (Precision Matthews) is offering (PM1022V). Matt essentially sells the G0752... except with powered cross feed (nice!)... for $60 more (when you looking at the difference in freight charges). Matt has a great reputation on this forum, and has been in business for a decade.

http://www.machinetoolonline.com/PM1030.html
 
In the sub $2k range, I would go for the PM1022 or 1030, based on features (the power cross feed is nice to have) and PM's reputation. However, you mention working on cars and motorcycles, I think a bigger lathe might be more useful for that type of work, perhaps one with a gap bed so you could turn brake rotors etc...
 
In the sub $2k range, I would go for the PM1022 or 1030, based on features (the power cross feed is nice to have) and PM's reputation. However, you mention working on cars and motorcycles, I think a bigger lathe might be more useful for that type of work, perhaps one with a gap bed so you could turn brake rotors etc...

Did not know what a gap bed was... Darn it... So much for trying to stay below 2k...

Thank you for the comments. Please keep them coming.

Oh and to any of the moderators. I was not sure if this was the right place for this thread. Feel free to move it if that is not the case. Since we are talking about different brands of lathes and not just Grizzly.
 
I was fine with a smaller lathe, making parts for my race bikes and whatever else came along. Until one time when I desperately needed a rear axle bolt for the GSXer. Threaded. After missing the race and cussing a blue cloud I ended up with my first 12x36 gap bed that had a quick change gear box. It was the cheapest import I could find, but I was able to make it work.

I really do like the smaller bench lathes for some things, but a slightly larger lathe (assuming you have the space and money) gives you a bit more flexibility when working on bikes and cars. Just my experience. :)

Sorry, to answer your original question: I would stick with the 972 or 752. The 972 is basically a stretch version of the old 9x19 that has a ton of users and mods you can do to tweak it. The 752 has BLDC variable speed (you will get used to that very quickly) and a decent secondary transmission that will give you a number of feeds/threads for a given gear set. Set it up for what you use the most and leave it alone. Just my $0.02
 
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I was fine with a smaller lathe, making parts for my race bikes and whatever else came along. Until one time when I desperately needed a rear axle bolt for the GSXer. Threaded. After missing the race and cussing a blue cloud I ended up with my first 12x36 gap bed that had a quick change gear box. It was the cheapest import I could find, but I was able to make it work.

I really do like the smaller bench lathes for some things, but a slightly larger lathe (assuming you have the space and money) gives you a bit more flexibility when working on bikes and cars. Just my experience. :)

I really appreciate the feedback. I would like to buy just one lathe... so if I have to wait a year to get a 12x36 with gap bed... then I rather wait. I just want the most affordable/small lathe that would meet my needs... Do not want an overkill of a lathe with capabilities that I will never tap into...

This last project... I got the mill to modify a caliper and a spacer. It was to be able to fit a wheel not meant for this bike. I would have preferred to modify the hub on the wheel and kept all the stock spacers and caliper location... Now I see that what I would have needed for that was a lathe with a gap bed.

I will now look for an "affordable" 12x36" gap bed lathe...

I will have to make the space for anything that I get. Looks like I need a minimum of 5'6" of space for it... that means eliminating the shelves/racks next to the mill... but that is fine. And we are talking about something that weights over 1,000 lbs.

So, if from Grizzly, that would be: G4003 (12x36), G4002 (12x24) and we are talking about US$3,400.00 with stand and delivery.
 
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