Re: Opinions on Grizzly lathe/mill combos

On Apr 13, 8:46 am, "Chuckit" <CMar...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
On Sun, 08 Apr 2007 19:36:21 -0700, 42etus wrote:

I'm thinking of getting a lathe/mill combo. Can anyone give their
opinions
on these two from Grizzly

http://www.grizzly.com/products/G4015Z

http://www.grizzly.com/products/G0516

These would be used in a home workshop situation mostly for hobby
type
jobs.
TIA

The entry levelSmithyis about a grand and is much better made.

Actually theSmithyis the same machine from the same factory as the 3
in1
shown. The traditional lathe with mill attachment has the same old
problems
as all of those designs- very small mill table and limited travel due to
mill column bolted to the lathe bed. Either one of those machines
would be
classed as lathes with minimal milling function.

The appearance is similar, but it is not aSmithymachine and they are
not produced at the same factories. You can compare images with those
atwww.smithy.com.

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't your 12-20 Midas machines made in
the Huangshan factory- same as Grizzly, while your Granite machines are made
in Linyi, same as Harbor Freight?

Glad to gently correct you. :) The original image the discussion
referred to is a variant of the old HQ-400 machine made by the White
Eagle factory. The White Eagle factory used to be about a 4 - 5 hour
car ride (bumpy, windy and narrow road -- horn blaring the whole way)
away from the factory at Yellow Mountain (Huangshan). We do not
currently purchase any 3-in-1 machines from the White Eagle factory.
About 7 years ago we purchased some 3-in-1 machines from them but that
project was discontinued after a relatively short time. The White
Eagle factory does supply 3-in-1 machines to Grizzly and Harbor
Freight as well as others. The Yellow Mountain factory and Smithy have
worked together for almost 20 years producing 3-in-1 machines and
those machines are sold by Smithy. (They are the best ping pong
players of the group). The "Star" factory does produce a variety of
machines -- now predominantly much larger commercial machines for the
domestic Chinese market. (Did you know China is the largest consumer
of machine tools for the last 5 years running?! Amazing compared to
what it was like almost 20 years ago). They produce some extremely
inexpensive machines for a variety of customers selling in the low
price market. When we began working with them years ago, they
expressed frustration (like most good engineers/machinists); they knew
they could make something that reflected better the quality of the
work they could do if they weren't so controlled by price. We
partnered with them at a time when most were convinced the Chinese
couldn't make a decent cardboard box much less anything precision.
(There are still some that insist the Chinese will never produce
quality goods. I leave to them the reminder of what "Made in Japan"
used to mean). To each their own opinion. We had a great engineer
working with us that understood which factories could produce which
products and we partnered with them on the Granite series of machines.
Again, you'll note that these are exclusively Smithy products. You'll
find the accountants in China can be just as sharp (and controlling)
as accountants here. If price is your only determinant, you can
usually find someone to sell to you at a price. But just like here,
being driven only by price usually mean sacrificing quality. On the
other hand, we had a great machine years ago that sold like crap. It
was a beautiful machine -- Emco Maier clone -- but it wouldn't sell
here. The price was higher because it was quality but customers
wouldn't believe quality could be had out of China and the product
died. It sold great in Europe but never took off here.

It's a very interesting to visit these factories. Over the years they
have run the full range from state and local enterprises to fully
functioning shareholder owned capitalist enterprises... from places
that made every tool they used to new modern factories with full CAD
centers and CNC machinery. They're in major cities and small villages
and spread across an area equivalent to NY to Atlanta. You write as if
you have visited China and some of the factories. I hope you enjoyed
it as much as I did.

China has changed much in a very few years. I believe Americans would
be rioting in the streets if our lives changed as much as the Chinese
have in the same time period. (IMHO). To be accurate -- there have
been demonstrations and disturbances. I started seeing protestors
about 5 to 6 years ago and the police weren't hustling them away.
Consider, there are more skyscrapers in Shanghai than New York City.
(When I first went to Shanghai there were no skyscrapers and only rice
paddies where most of the city stands now). They have over 170 cities
with populations in excess of 1 million, and I even saw a call center
this last trip answering calls from North America. This doesn't mean
that life is a breeze there; that there isn't poverty -- interior
provinces have yet to share much of the wealth. That much change, even
positive change spawns problems. Remember that the last few hundred
years of history, the part that most westerners know, with China being
a weak power is atypical for most of Chinese history. The Chinese have
a lot longer institutional memory than we do and remember China as the
most advanced society on the earth for much of that memory/history. A
classic example of how little we really understand China is that we
make the mistake of translating the character the Chinese use for
China as "middle" i.e. Middle Kingdom. I feel a much better
translation would be "center", as in the "Center of the World"
Kingdom. They want to create a great China and are working like crazy
to get there. I really wish I could be in China for the party the
Olympics. What a "Coming Out" party the Chinese are going to throw.
Sorry to get a bit off topic.

Disclaimer: I work for Smithy. These are my opinions and not those of
my employer.







.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Chinese crap ??
    ... said they could be busier if they could get machines. ... going to China. ... So before we all start on about Chinese crap bear in mind that they ... and the only real problem will be: where is the next cheap manufacturing ...
    (uk.rec.models.engineering)
  • Re: Opinions on Grizzly lathe/mill combos
    ... The White Eagle factory used to be about a 4 - 5 hour ... currently purchase any 3-in-1 machines from the White Eagle factory. ... domestic Chinese market. ... find the accountants in China can be just as sharp ...
    (rec.crafts.metalworking)
  • Re: Opinions on Grizzly lathe/mill combos
    ... Please correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't your 12-20 Midas machines ... The White Eagle factory used to be about a 4 - 5 hour ... domestic Chinese market. ... find the accountants in China can be just as sharp ...
    (rec.crafts.metalworking)
  • Re: Interesting email from TPF
    ... Have a home video that's trapped on your camera? ... Go down to the Factory they are building nothing ... Talk is cheap, real cheap (like your "2 million" ... entertainment out of any machines you'll ever produce. ...
    (rec.games.pinball)
  • Re: Kawi SB and other machines...
    ... But he's the one top guy with real experience who hasn't had a ride on the Honda, Yamaha or Ducati MotoGP machines, and he's not currently on any of the factory machines. ... I would guess it would undermine his little discoveries regarding how to push the bikes with their particularities if you knew that he was still 15 seconds a lap off a legitimate GP pace... ...
    (rec.motorcycles.racing)