Vertical Mills... Grizzly? Jet?

[Zumba]

Does anyone here own a knee mill made by Grizzly or Jet? I'm debating whether I should spend the extra money on the 9x49 Jet over the 9x49 Grizzly (about $750 more). My main concern with the Grizzly is possible poor fit and finish with the headstock components... such as backlash in the quill and vibration in the spindle.

If you can recommend another brand of mill under $5K, that would be appreciated as well. I've looked into getting a used Bridgeport, but most of the ones I see either require overhauling or end up costing $6-7K after shipping.

[wizard]

My take on Grizzly is that the farther up the food chain you go the better the quality of the machines. At least this was the case when I visited Griz to buy my drill press. I stopped buy the store in PA to get a look see before laying out cash and ended up getting a more expensive machine due to the obvious quality issues of the lower cost units.

It is a case of you get what you pay for. The drill press I got is very nice and I can't honestlly complain about it. Well other than the reality that it is bigger than what I thought I needed initially. So I ended up paying about $150 more than expected.

So my first recommendation is to visit a Griz store.

I did look a bit at the mills and I have to say that I believe the same point applies. That is pay more and get better quality. This shouldn't be a huge surprise.

As to brands I'm not willing to reccomend anything other than a Bridgeport. There are certianly bargains to be had but I simply don't have experience with them. The other issue is that the manufacture for the brands may change. Contrary to popular belief they don't all come out of the same factory.

Personally if I where to go the import route I'd go with a larger vendor, with a good reputation, that has the capability to stand behind the product. Griz gets good reports in this respect, that is customer support. What you really need though is for the vendor to specify the tolerance of the machine up front. That is squareness of the X&Y, spindle runout and such - basically the whole ball of wax. If they can publish specs then there is atleast some hope that the machine is being built to a reasonable quality standard.

Thanks
Dave

[titchener]

You can't go too wrong with a Grizzley or a Jet as they won't dump you after the sale if something is wrong with the machine.

Also take a look at the Birminghams from http://www.billstoolcrib.com/ . This is a small operation but he takes care of you after the sale if something is not right. I've got a Birmingham BP clone and I'm happy with it, the fit and finish was better than I thought it was going to be. Still has some "WTF" moments, for example when I found out they used 1/2-12 bolts on the turret (if your going to copy, do it right), but its a good machine for the dough. Would I rather have a real BP? Definitely, but this machine has been getting the job done.

I bought my Birmingham used, but Bill helped me get it running right anyway, hooking me up on the phone with his tech who got me straigthened out on some problems I was having. If he'll help you even when you didn't buy the machine from him he must really treat his customers right.

Good luck-

Paul T.

[d.dixson]

Grizzly offers a referal service. If your'e not near one of the 3 stores you can call and give them your zip code (helps if you are in or near a big city), give them the model number you are interested in and they will give you the name and address of someone whose got one. This way you can get an unbiased opion of the machine and maybe see and hear it run. A bit more of an advantage than just looking at the machine. Good luck. hth

[Zumba]

Hey Fellas,

I was set on getting the Grizzly but then checked Amazon.

All of a sudden, they dropped the JTM-2 price by over a thousand bucks (Jet 9x42 knee mill). They also had an $80 off coupon. Knowing the volatility of Amazon prices (I've seen sale prices last for 15 minutes on power tools), I ordered it right away. Total price: ~$4050 shipped. Awesome price for a Jet.

[NC Cams]

Jet seems to be a higher end imported line. I can recall them selling tools as far back as 1980. I own a Grizzly lathe and mill.

They are NOT Hardinge/Bridgeport but they are quite adequate and reasonably priced. Asside from actual measured quality, the percieved quality of the Jet is higher than the Grizzly (nicer fits and finishes). If you're a stickler, plan on taking machine down, adding/finishing the thing with body filler, sand and repaint. Did it to my mill and it looks as good as my Bridgeport - don't run any better but it "looks a lot more accurate" 8-)

I dunno if how the Jet parts service is cuz I don't own one BUT I did have to buy some real odd-ball parts for my lathe from Grizzly due to a moving "oops". Service was prompt and the parts actually bolt-together FIT!!! This is not a quarantee with all imported mills.

I did use the referral service when I bought mine and the guy I called said "sure, come on over". I was called about the stuff I bought but couldn't help as the stuff was still in storage when the call came.

I've recommended Grizzly, been a repeat customer (good value) and am satisified with the product, all things considered. For home use, Grizzly is FINE - Jet would be nicer but not worth the price differential for my needs/requirements.

Regarding the alignment tolerance "certs", the machines ALL come with certs from the supplier. But they are pretty much meaningless as the machines are all knocked down after being measured and prior to crating. NOBODY is gonna certify them unless they are remeasured after reassembly which will drive up the cost. Besides, everthing shifts when it is moved and you have to level/align the machine in-place anyway.

So unless the stuff is mounted crooked/backwards, you still have to tram stuff in when you get it mounted. In this regard, a Bridgeport spindle is going to be aligned no better or worse than an import once its been knocked down as prescribed for shipment. However, spindle runout is a whole another issue.....(in this regard, see prior comments about "certs")

[Zumba]

Yea, Grizzly does offer some great machines. I have a lot of their woodworking machines, including a 16" jointer, 20" planer, and a tablesaw.

I have a few Jet and Powermatic woodworking machines as well. They may not be any better than Grizzly machines in terms of quality of cut, but they sure do look nicer.

When the price of the Jet fell $1100 bucks, I just couldn't resist. Good thing I acted quickly... the price is back up to $5200!!

[MikeWB]

Hi folks,

I've had a Grizzly lathe for 12 years (12" x 36") and a Vertical/horizontal knee mill for about 4 years. I like both machines and part of the joy of ownership has been tweeking them into better and better shape. Sometimes it is just playing around with a face mill on a block of aluminum to get the milling spindle lined up to produce a crosshatch with the front and rear edges. Sometimes it is replacing a belt with a less stiff type to reduce motor induced vibrations in the work piece. I put a DRO on the mill and it made a world of difference in how quickly I can make a part. I even use the DRO for measuring castings and layout work. Great option ... recommended.
I'm satisfied with the machines and they do good work ... when I am up to it. I have no experience with the Jet machine tools so you have to take my experiences with that in mind.

Cheers,

Mike

[sizmo]

Very familiar with both they about the same. I bought a Birmingham like it better. From Rutland Tool .They sell lots of brands

[DRD]

I just purchased a new kent, 9X49 mill, with varispeed head for $4500.00, A very nice machine for sure, fit and finsih is excellent. I also purchased a new Kent lathe, 14X40, excellent product also.