Menu
What's new

Made An Equipment Decision - Toys Ordered

Dave Hoskins

Dave Hoskins

Member
Messages
5,252
Location
Parker County, Texas
I have decided it was getting time to get a new lathe and band saw. Been putting it off, but my old Grizzly lathe is starting to show it's 11 or so years of age. Have rebuilt the head stock 2 times and I guess that's enough. The band saw I have been limping along is one them thar Crapsman Pro Saws. I don't want to spend a boat load, as I don't really know how many more years the arthritis is gonna let me do what I want to do. But, I think these two pieces of equipment ought to get me along for some time still. I still haven't replaced the chain saw (440Mag) that went south, but I have finally set my sights and will be getting a Stihl 261. Smaller, but should get my work done. I have seen it used by a lot of the tree services in this area, and talked to some of them. They love that 261, so that's a good recommendation to me. Here are the Grizzly lathe and band saw links I'm thinking on. Decision not final, but will be ordering them probably the first of next week.

https://www.grizzly.com/products/Grizzly-17-2-HP-Bandsaw-35th-Anniversary-Edition/G051

https://www.grizzly.com/products/Grizzly-16-x-42-Variable-Speed-Wood-Lathe/G0632Z
 
Last edited:
I have a 513 and it's a dang good saw. The price on the anniversary addition is really good as well. Having said that I bought the somewhat more expensive G0513X2F - the main differences I can see is the ANV has steel trunnion vs cast (not sure that matters?), the ANV is aluminim wheels not cast, and the G0513X2F has a foot brake. I personally like the foot brake because I can a) cut large dodgy stuff and if I get in a bind stop the saw without removing my hands from control and b) stop the blade to clear things out quicker when small bits get wedged into place. I'm not sure on the cast iron wheels, they seem nice I guess? a bit more momentum - so that having the ligher wheels might make the brake less interesting not sure. I can say that it ought to cut anything you need and is a lot of saw for the price.

On the lathe, oh my what a slippery slope :D I think the main questions are big enough and heavy enough, you can fix the latter with under carriage mostly.. I don't think? it has a handwheel, that would at least mildly annoy me. Note that the toolrest is 25mm not 1", some folks have bored that out or had custom rest posts made (apparenltly Robust will do that for you) if you need other rest shapes/sizes.
 
Interesting on the foot brake. Never used one, so I am sure if that's a deal breaker or not. That is a point on the wheels, though. But, I think they are probably alright. I think the lathe I am looking at will do all I need to worry about. I think it's probably heavy enough, but like you said something can be added to it. I may change my mind on the saw, but not likely on the lathe. It's 2hp, 220, head stock swivels when needed. Plenty good for me. I ain't much into all the extra bells and whistles other lathes might have. I'm a firm believer that the simpler, the better. More bells and whistles means more to go wrong.
 
Dave Hoskins said:
Interesting on the foot brake. Never used one, so I am sure if that's a deal breaker or not.
Click to expand...

It's not universally loved. Mostly I've found it useful for cutting up wetter stuff if I'm getting a bind or similar situations or when I'm trying to do detail work with the fence and want the thing to stop before sticking my hands in there. Also note that the blade that came with mine was decidely meh. The blades are a custom length but most of your usual suppliers will cut and weld to desired length.

Dave Hoskins said:
I think the lathe I am looking at will do all I need to worry about. I think it's probably heavy enough, but like you said something can be added to it. I may change my mind on the saw, but not likely on the lathe. It's 2hp, 220, head stock swivels when needed. Plenty good for me. I ain't much into all the extra bells and whistles other lathes might have. I'm a firm believer that the simpler, the better. More bells and whistles means more to go wrong.
Click to expand...

Yeah the main things I had on my checklist was capacity, decent bearings (I had a bunch of notes discussing the better types for the various parts.. long lost.. but don't see anyone complaining so likely pretty good), and variable speed. The rest post size is probably a minor annoyance, but it looks easy enough to bore out with a 1" bit, its only .4mm so .. meh.. There is of course the G0733 18" x 47" for only $250 more :D
 
I have a G0513 (from c.2002) that's the plain daddy to the one you picked out. It's been a workhorse even without some of the newer bells and whistles!
 
Dave, If you've only rebuilt your headstock twice in 11 years, you've still got lots of wood to turn on it still.... my lathe is a Jet 1442. I've rebuilt the headstock 3 or 4 times in the 12 years I've been running it.... got to the point i can pull the spindle, knock off the bearings, put new ones on, and new pulleys and be back running in less than an hour. I looked at the Grizzly and the Nova when I bought mine, but don't have 220 in the shop... at the time I had the money for the 1642 Jet, but it didn't have the rotating headstock, so opted for the 1442.... Mine has little shelves on the legs where you can add 2x4's to add a bottom shelf if you want... I put a box the depth of a 2x4, covered top and bottom with the plywood that the lathe was packaged in and filled the box with sand... about 160 lbs, then built a cabinet over that to hold my chucks, faceplates, and such... keeps everything close by and handy. I think the one you are looking at has the same little brackets on the legs... might add some weight for more stability. Good luck on the new equipment.
 
Ryan, on the 733 the head stock does not swivel and I like that feature. Comes in handy at times. I had thought of rebuilding my lathe again, but hey. Can't help myself. Got the new lathe fever, I guess. And, not sure yet but I think my son wants the old one. He is smart enough not to want that Crapsman band saw. Been a pain since the warranty ran out. Oh, well. Lessons learned. As far as the 220 in the shop goes, creating a 220 circuit is nothing at all. Easy work to accomplish. And, as far as the components of the lathes a lot of brands are all made on the same factory floor in Taiwan; Grizzly, Powermatic, Jet, and many others.
 
Looks like a couple of good upgrades, Dave. I'm not a big fan of rotating headstocks, but seeing as how you like them, it looks like the 632 would be the better choice of the two for you. Does your current lathe have an electronic speed control, or is it a Reeves drive? After having owned both kinds, I'd hate to use a Reeves drive again. (Although I turned some nice things on that one.)

The 513 looks like a beast of a saw. :thumb: I have the Shop Fox 1706, which is an upgraded version of the good ol' 555. It has cast iron wheels and a bigger motor, and I added the 6" riser block. It has served me well, but I've lusted for a steel frame saw like the 513 for a long time. (Can't justify the expense at this point in my life, though.)

Whatever you end up with, sounds like you're gonna have fun. :)
 
Oh, and I think you'll be real happy with the Stihl 261. It's a true pro workhorse. When I bought my chainsaw, I went in looking for something in the "pro" class, but after describing to the dealer how often I planned to use it and the types of things I'd be cutting, he actually talked me down to an MS 390, which was their biggest "farm and ranch" saw at the time. (They no longer sell that model.) I expect it to last me as long as I'm physically able to use it. You use a chainsaw a lot more than I do, so the pro line is much more appropriate for your needs. :thumb:
 
The old Grizz I'm using now has a Reeves drive. It's gonna be nice to get away from that. Yeah, I'm gonna go with the 513x2 version instead of the Anniversary one. The cast iron wheels to me are better. Wasn't thinking clearly on that before, me guesses. But yeah, me gonna have fun. New lathe, new band saw, new air compressor, new chainsaw and I guess I need to add a new dishwasher. The one going right now is starting to make some funny noises. it's an older model, so what can one say? Served me well. On the chainsaw I've made up my mind that it's gonna be a Stihl MS261. It's the smallest in their professional series, but I think it's got all the umph I need nowadays. That is unless someone offers me a deal of a lifetime on a MS 361. :D
 
Yeah the move to variable speed on the lathe will imho be a HUGE game changer. I've maxed out my 3520 a few times and being able to start those big blocks SUPER slow is vastly less terrifying (still terrifying of course :D ). It also changed my "lathe work safety" process a bit, unless I'm working on repated small spindle stuff I try to always both hit the off button AND turn the speed dial to zero. This reduces the "no no no no !!!" moments where it starts to fast with a big blank (not that that has ever happened to me but you know hypothetically :rolleyes:).

I think the 513 ANV is a really good price for the saw it is, so I can certainly see how you got there, its really a value trade off. The X2 is ~$200 less than the X2F (I didn't personally see the XFB with the motor brake being worth it - drifts into the "more to break territory" for me). I can't say if the foot brake is worth $200 or not, depends a lot on what you do. If you're doing a lit of jig setup or blade changes probably, if you're mostly cutting bowl blanks that are dry and tend not to trap blades much then .. probably not. I've wished I had the 514 versions extra capacity about twice in ~8 years so I think that means I didn't really need it :)

I can't see how you'd be dissapointed in the Stihl MS261, everything I've seen says its a great saw.
 
The Reeves unit is the one thing I'm not as excited about on my lathe... it's the reason I've rebuilt the headstock 3 or 4 times over the years... I had the money at the time to buy the EVS model, but some faulty thinking caused me to stay with the unit I have... thinking I would need the revolving headstock.... I use it only when I use the cole jaw extensions which are 16" diameter and won't fit over the ways... since I have a vacuum chuck system now, I use the cole jaws less and less. You will enjoy the EVS on your new lathe.

I don't know much about chainsaws, but I finally (after going through about 3 cheaper models) bought a Stihl 250 Farm and Ranch... best I could afford and does what I need... could have saved a lot of money if I'd bought Stihl first.
 
The wear on the head stock caused by the Reeves drive is one of the reasons I decided not to rebuild it again. That center bearing always seems to catch the worst of it as it's involved directly with the speed control, or it looks like it is. :huh: Ain't nothing better than a Stihl in my mind. I mean look at the old 440 of mine. Ran hard and heavy since 2003. Just now passing on to chainsaw heaven. That says a lot about them.
 
Yeah, you're gonna love having ESC. :thumb: I find having reverse is also real handy for sanding. I like to switch directions when I switch sandpaper grits. Another feature I use all the time on my 3520B is the remote switch. It's in a magnetic box that I can stick anywhere on the lathe. I almost never use the switch on the headstock anymore. I prefer to use the remote one, usually positioned within easy reach of my right hand. I never have to move into the line of fire to stop the lathe. I don't know if one's available for the Grizzly, but it'd be pretty dead easy to wire one in.
 
The remote switch is certainly a possibility down the road. Shortly down the road, I should say. The reverse switch will be nice on this one as well. Yeah, the 261 should be enough for me. I know I ain't what I was when I bought that 440 or the 880 my son has now. Gotta trim some things down a bit, besides the waistline.
 
I drool over that 17" bandsaw every time I go into the Grizzly store. It's a beaut. Should outlast a lifetime. I have one of the early G0632 lathes (ser. #2) and am very happy with it. Sadly, it hasn't been used in months. Two issues I have had, the slowest speed is about 250-300 rpm, that adjust thingy is very sensitive. The tailstock lock doesn't like to hold and I have to apply a lot of force to lock it. When I put this in I added weight. Not because I needed it but just because I could. A word of advice on assembly. If you want a shelf between the legs, cut them in advance and insert before bolting legs in place. The way it is designed you have to do this first. I added two 60 pound sandbags for weight. Get help carrying the headstock, it is VERY heavy, dropping could be costly.
 
Frank, I don't even like dropping my Nova chuck on my foot. Always manage to get my big toe. AAARRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!! I doubt the headstock weighs more than 100 or so pounds, so I'll cart if over to the frame and then grunt and groad and get it up on there. :rofl: All I am waiting for is for my check from a not local financial institution to arrive for deposit. With the holiday on Monday I figger it will be here on Tuesday or Wednesday. I didn't make up my mind how much to withdraw until yesterday. So, I can't wait to get it in the bank so I can get some new toys. WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
 
Got the new toys ordered this morning. Went on with the Anniversary Band Saw. I figger if it lasts me 6-7 years, I am good to go. I re-thought the lathe and went with the heavier duty 733. Should be a the freight terminal around Friday. They can't deliver to me as they only run 18 wheelers and no place for that here. Gotta go to the north side of Fort Worth to pick them up. Ah, the price we pay for getting new toys.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top