General Impressions of Grizzly G4003G Lathe

I also have the 4003. It is well made, besides being green, I love it. Mine has the D1-4 spindle, you do get the D1-5 when you get the 4003G. Keep them lubed and they will probably last your lifetime.
Jeff
 
I have the big Grizzly G509G "gunsmithing" lathe. I like the machine as a hole, but the threads it cuts are less than perfect. I have a buddy with the same machine and he reports the same on the threads. A little chatter doesn't hurt anything, but people don't like seeing it and for 8,000$ there probably shouldn't be any. My little grizzly SB heavy 10 doesn't have this issue and its 1/7 the weight. Lee
 
The day Anna posted I went to their website and requested spec sheet on their 13x40 lathes, and as a follow up I sent a PM to Anna and requested the same thing --- still waiting for their response.
 
I used a G4003G for several years before buying other machines. I chambered a lot of great shooting barrels on it but if I had to do it over again and could only improve on one feature I would get one with the closed gear box, Grizzly sells one for about $300 more than the G4003g.
The G4003g doesn't have adjustable half nuts so be ready to replace some parts someday.
 
They are noisy machines.
The design of the chip pan doesn't allow cutting fluids to drain off.
They are noisy machines.
Add the cost of a good quality motor to the purchase price and it will perform much better than the way they do out of the box. I converted mine to 3ph and operate the machine through variable frequency drive remote key pad bypassing all of the switches that came on it.
Those lathes are so loud they will begin to drive you nuts after a while. A closed gear box would definitely make it a better machine, add a good Baldor or WEG motor and it would be even better, just keep in mind you are buying a $3000 machine and you will learn to get along with it just fine.
 
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Thread is a bit old but I thought it ended reflecting unnecesarily poorly with reguards to the Grizzly g4003g lathe compared to my experience. I just spent all afternoon cleaning on my poor neglected G4003G lathe and I was just googling what people thought about theirs. I have had this lathe about 10 years, bought new and got in on the end of a special free shipping deal of some kind, I forget the details but Matt extended it for me due to some circumstances of some sort. Think I give $2700 to my door. I have never considered it noisy at all ?? There is some of the geared speeds that inherently run quieter than others but none I consider bothersomely noisy, at least I don't think so. Mine has been used off and on throughout the 10 years, Likely has 100-200 total hours on it. Used for both steel and aluminum. It has almost been flawless. One day a month or so ago it just quit running and I assumed it needed a new contactor or ?? I have to move my welding bench to move the lathe to get to the back to open the elec. box so it took a week to get back to it. When I tried it, before the big moving project day it fired up and has worked daily since. ?? I have no idea. That is the only single single issue I have had. I hate to admit it but I never even properly cleaned mine until today. It was just another tool and used to support my drag race car projects when purchased at the time. Since getting a good used Bridgeport I have been really getting into the machining and thus had decided to detail clean the Griz G4003G today. This is terrible and hard to admit but, I just set it, whipped the chuck and ways clean and put it to work. I did add the proper spindle head stock oil but had never read the manual and had never added oil to the carriage gear case until today nor had I ever oiled the little spring loaded ball oilers. I about crapped when I realized about the carriage oil. !! It got a good tear down and super clean today and everything cleaned and oiled properly. I am surprised but the carriage sounds no different and still runs smooth as it always did. The only thing that changed was that my quill had gotten a little stiff and I resolved that with the cleaning and new oil. I think this is a tough little lathe that has served me well against terrible owner neglect. I promised it that I would take proper care in the future now that I took time to read the manual and actual know how. I have in the last year retired and am finding great joy in using the lathe and newly acquired Mill for work on my higher end air rifle and model engine building projects. I give it two thumbs up. I just yesterday fit a piston and cylinder bore so close that they would suction together with lite oil and popped like a champagne cork when pulled apart quickly.

P.S. I have a couple of GoldenRod pump oil cans and I had to grind the nozzle down to a bit of a blunt point to get it to inject oil into the ball oilers but once I did this it worked well and flushed some grime out several places and left fresh oil where it needed to be.
 
I have a G4003G from the first boatload, Shiraz posted on this forum asking for interest and I committed.......and bought it.

I have since bought a South Bend Heavy 10 just to see what all the fuss is about.

First of all, the G4003G IS noisy. I have to turn the music way up.

I didn't know that until I got the Heavy 10.

But I would buy the G4003G again.

And again.

I've had zero troubles, if they're all as good as mine (sounds like some have had problems) then they're an incredible buy. And tomorrow I'm gonna cover the bottom of the open gearbox with a towel and see what happens to the noise :)
 
It is 9 years later with the PM1236 from China.
Every day I am grateful I no longer own a Clausing 5913.

Over the last 9 years I have only built a few dozen rifles. I had to fix the change gear box when key came loose. I drilled and tapped to re attach it.

I had to buy a new cross feed DRO encoder and I mounted it differently than it came.
 

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alinwa said:
I have a G4003G from the first boatload, Shiraz posted on this forum asking for interest and I committed.......and bought it.

I have since bought a South Bend Heavy 10 just to see what all the fuss is about.

First of all, the G4003G IS noisy. I have to turn the music way up.

gearbox with a towel and see what happens to the noise :)
Click to expand...



Hey Al. Will the Sb10 do anything better than your Grizzly?
 
sdean said:
Hey Al. Will the Sb10 do anything better than your Grizzly?
Click to expand...

ABSOLUTELY!

Old guys love it.....

and it sets and be's quiet very well.

And it won't suck you in and wrap you up like spaghetti on a fork because the belt will slip and save your life whereas the Grizzly will eat you and poop you right into the oil tray without a grunt.

It has a back gear..... which I THOUGHT was gonna be cool. But I'm now getting smooth enough on the G4003G that I do everything 5-times as fast as I use-ta'-could and no longer feel the need to get much under 70rpm which is the min of the Grizzly.

The oiling system is ridiculous for a hobbyist, unless you're one a' those Ford-Drivin' hobbyists who gets his kicks from fixing/maintaining the equipment so's he can go to work. I bought liddle glass turret-style oilers and "someday" might rebuild the wicking system.

I've found it to be much less rigid than the Grizzly. The tailstock is retartedly small... On this note I made a wikkid cool DRO assy for the tailstock of the G4003G and it worked well cuz.... big ol' square surfaces. I WOULD NOT like to mount a DRO on the tailstock of the Heavy 10.

I'm in the process of setting it up as a collet machine and am looking forward to it's handiness in that regard. IT IS A FUN MACHINE but....

Bottom line for me, if I had to lose one lathe the Heavy 10 wouldn't burthen my heart whereas losing the G4003G would cripple me.

And this post is gonna' piss off a lot of people so's I'll duck back under my rock for a while.
 
I have the Model DF-1237G Grizzly new around 1985 and picked it up from a friend the original owner. Does everything I have ever asked of it and at times more. It also does it with precision but there are still those who feel that a tenth or two coming off one machine is not same tenth or two coming off of another. Being a cast bullet competitor who does all of his work including making my own bullet moulds. There have been several times where I had to go in and bore out the baseband in a mould a thous. or better put a half per side and of course a bit more at times to fit other needs and my machine has never not been capabale of doing such precision work. Some will probably think it not so and that's there right but others have been here to watch it being done and I surely have no cause to lie. I just hope there is enough room under that rock for me as well as it it's just about time again to hear how one machines tenth or two is still yet better than anothers.

JLouis
 
As well all know the cult like following for original Heavy 10 south Bend machines are tight. With that said, i have developed my own love obsession for the new Grizzly sold south Bend heavy 10 machines. I now own two!! These machines are simply amazing. I personally think they are better than the original. Super smooth and super quiet. 3 phase with built in VFD . Very high quality import machine.
I have bought and sold several machines over the last few years, and the New heavy 10 stands in its own class. easily!! These units are not cheap, but the product i can produce with mine makes me a believer!! Check them out!!!! Lee
 
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