Lathe Shopping. Help!

lol, did not mean to start a discussion about metric vs imperial.
Both systems are excellent and both are better at some things than the other.
I use both systems daily and move freely between them.

The imperial system is very human scale, which makes it easier to use intuitively. It also does a far better job of reflecting the natural universe. Nature tends to divide continuously by 2 just like the imperial system. In terms of practical engineering, it is easy to get very precise when dividing by 2. This is what dividing heads essentially do, they do it very simply and very accurately. The stepper motors in CNC machines do this as well, both by dividing the poles up evenly, and by dividing the power to poles for half-stepping and micro-stepping. On the other hand unit conversion in imperial is mind boggling at times.
Metric on the other hand is more unified. Moving between units is far simpler because of things like that it takes 1 calorie of energy to raise the temperature of 1 cubic centimeter of pure water 1 degree of Celsius at sea level. This looks really "scientific" at first glance, but not only does this not utilize direct conversion of metric base units (centimeter rather than meter, and calorie rather than joule), things like sea level, Celsius, and the meter itself are totally arbitrary. Base ten unit also mesh nicely with out base 10 numbering system.

Any way.
@SuedePflow You did the right thing I think.
 
I know you've already chosen, and don't really have time to wait, but I'm going to throw in my vote for holding out for a Monarch 10EE. I hear they're $100k new, but you can pick them up for anywhere from $2k to $5k depending on your location. Was able to pick up one with complete tooling and fully operational and originally wired for single phase for under $3k.

I'm an engineer by training and do machining on the side for prototyping in our product development firm. I had the misfortune of being trained on a brand new Monarch 10EE, then having to switch to a Jet gear head lathe. The Jet was considered a great machine, but after the Monarch 10EE I felt like taking a sledgehammer to the handwheels every time I used it. When we tooled out our little prototyping shop, it was an absolute requirement that we hold out for a Monarch 10EE ... If anyone was able to get hold of one in reasonable condition, they are set for anything in that size range. The precision, the engineering, and the quality of that machine puts all other tools to shame. And ... Monarch is still around and will sell you the manual complete with build sheet for the exact lathe you have based on the serial number. Their support is amazing.
 
SuedePflow said:
I decided to increase my budget a little bit. I'm going to go with the grizzly G4003G instead. It makes sense to spend a little more and get something I shouldn't ever outgrow.
Click to expand...

You are going to love it. 2+ years on mine and I still live it.
Dave
 
Hey guys,

The lathe showed up yesterday. I got it uncrated and on the stand before calling it a night. Next on the list is degreasing, oiling, and building a power cord for it. Upon reading the manual today, I realized it didn't include any type of wiring. Not a big deal, but I do have a quick easy question about it. The manual recommends a "NEMA 6-15" plug. I already have my garage wired for several 220v plugs, but not one of these. All but one of mine are the standard 250v 50-amp recepticles like THIS. In the interest of keeping it simple, I'd like to use one of these plugs on my lathe instead of the 6-15 plug. Any reason why I shouldn't?

20150804_194544_zpsizhkkfaj.jpg
 
Just don't over fuse it. The breaker needs to blow when it should if something goes wrong.
 
I also have the Grizzly 4003 and have been very happy with it. I did add a 15 amp breaker and did use the 6-15 plug.
 
The only thing that matters is that you have the proper volts with the proper current protection. Whether that be breaker or fuse. Some people like to have a disconnect box by the machine. Not a bad idea as this lets you size the fusing (in the disconnect box) more specific to your machine without having to possibly change breakers. It also gives you a handy on/off switch


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