A couple of observations and a question for anybody who understands this motor stuff.
Since photos of the G0796 is the wallpaper photo on all of my computers here at the house as well as my computers at work, I have had a great deal of time to examine the photos. I noticed some things while comparing them to the Bridgeport at work, mills from my working past, and photos online. Here we go:
A: The 3HP spindle motor on the G0796 has a bulge on the side for a starting capacitor. The Bridgeport brand mills and 99% of clones do not. Both are listed as induction motors, there are however IMHO different kinds of induction motors and I do not understand all the nuances of the different types. When tapping in Bridgeport mills, I often chuck the tap in a keyless chuck start the spindle motor, and then gently plunge the tap into the hole reversing the motor to unscrew the tap after reaching desired depth. My question is this, will the capacitor type induction motor on the G0796 reverse as quickly as the motor on the Bridgeport or will I have to wait for it to coast to a stop before reversing it? Any help anybody has will be greatly appreciated.
B: The power feed on the X axis looks a bit wimpy with sort of a limp hello kitty plastic toy appearance. It is not. I have done a bunch of digging based on the photos on Grizzly's website. The Aclass TonE designation on the power feed got me nowhere. Enlarging the photo showed a model number APF500 and this did lead somewhere. This is a very good aftermarket power table feed with some outstanding features and people seem to be very happy with it. The manual for this power feed can be found here:
http://modelengineeringinthailand.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/manual-em_a_class_power_feed.pdf
These power feed units are all over ebay. I think if you wanted one for the Y axis it would not be difficult to find one that matched.
C: The spindle transmission looks to be an identical clone of the old Bridgeports I ran when I first started in the trade in the 80's. This transmission has two knobs a lever on the top of the mill with a diagonal slot and a two position "pull, rotate, release the knob" lever above and to the right of the quill depth stop. This is a VERY good thing if it is an identical transmission including the metallurgy in the gears which may be suspect. Those Bridgeports I started on had been working every day since the 60's under harsh heavy duty conditions and during my three years at that company I never saw one worked on at all. The other Grizzly mills have transmissions that are different, the G9901 for example has some odd transmission with a lever above and to the left of the head which for a short guy like me is an issue. While in the showroom one day I fiddled with the transmission on the G9901 and it seemed a bit flaky, the lever flexed and it did not slide into gear like the Bridgeports I had run, it sort of begrudgingly snapped, or fell into gear. This probably does not amount to a hill of beans especially for the grotesquely tall operator, but it was a welcome observation to me and the other little people. Hopefully it means the mill will come (if it ever comes), with a top drawer transmission. There is also the possibility that original Bridgeport parts may fit, that would be a huge plus from where I stand.
D: The weight of the G0796 as listed in the specification sheet on the Grizzly website (Wish they would post a manual) is 2249 pounds. The standard belt drive Series I J head Bridgeport weighs in at almost 2400 pounds. So we are within about 150 pounds of the real deal. That was a bit of a concern to me until I noticed two things from the photos, the hole in the bottom of the knee is enormous compared to a Bridgeport knee, this will make the mill considerably lighter. Also, the ram is a humpback style ram like on the most recent Bridgeports. This is a considerable weight reduction too. So I feel that the difference in weight will have no impact on the performance of the mill. This again was a good observation.
E: The plastic on the spindle control switch looks a little cheesy. It looks brittle. What do you think?
Every time I look at this mill it gets better. It sucks to have to wait for it, but the wait will probably be worth it.
Barry