A Hands On review of the Laguna Revo 1836

[John Keeton]

Thanks for the comments and congrats. Although I have 32" capacity on the Laguna, finding wood that size will be the challenge. I am investigating the possibilities of having a local mill saw some larger maple slabs for me, though I suspect somewhere around 20-22" may be more probable. I am also involved in making a proposal for some commissioned art in NC with wood from there that is going to be milled to spec and that might include larger stock. I am looking forward to experimenting!

[Robert Henrickson]

Definitely a comprehensive review, with useful detail. The local Woodcraft (where John bought his) has sold a number of these in the last 6(?) months.

[Dale Miner]

I recently upgraded lathes and thought this review might be of interest to creekers. I apologize for the black and white pics, wide margins and the poor pic resolution, but the original PDF file with color pics could not be reduced sufficiently to permit upload to SMC.

I hope this is helpful to those with some interest in this lathe.

Congrats on a newer bigger better.

I will keep an eye out for you for you for some 36" blanks. I might have a 32" chunk out in the back lot if you are in a hurry. :-)

[Dok Yager]

Congrats John. Nice review with great comments and pic`s. Hope you enjoy your new monster and go even deeper into the rabbit hole.

[Alan Heffernan]

Thanks for the review John and congratulations on acquiring a very nice lathe.

[kip allen]

John, excellant report. I have been trying to decide which lathe to by next and you have given me some very good information. I went to my local (Eugene, OR) store today and looked at there floor model. Very impressive in all respects. It was interesting that they had a PM right next to the Laguna and I have to say the Laguna takes a back seat to anyone. The thing I like the most is all the options that can come with it. The lights are a great add on. Again John, Thanks for such an excellent report, good job.

[John Keeton]

Kip, glad you enjoyed the review. I remain very pleased with the Laguna and absolutely do not regret the upgrade. The Lexington Woodcraft has sold record numbers of the Laguna, but sales of the PM and the Jet 1642 have dropped considerably. Interestingly, it is eating into both markets.

[Russell Neyman]

I have two fellow club members with this lathe so I get a chance to play with it. Great, well-made lathe, in my opinion.

I have a only one minor feature that Laguna might consider changing when they re-issue it: the control panel. Three or four times, when i have been working near the base of the bowl, I've rubbed against the variable speed knob sending the rpm's flying. The other thing I wonder about is why is the emergency shutoff right there, two inches from the "regular" on/off switch? I'd think you'd want that someplace lower on the machine, where you would hit it without standing near a spinning bowl.

[Edward Weingarden]

Nice review John; thank you. I have a question concerning any "unusual" motor sound it may make. I was watching someone demonstrating their new Grizzly G0800 on a YouTube presentation. When the lathe was plugged in, although not turned on (not spinning), there was a "whirring" (piercing) sound that was quite noticeable; something that I would find very annoying. Is there any such sound made by the Laguna? Thanks.

[carl mesaros]

The sound you heard is a small box fan located under the vfd drive enclosure. I believe it is to add additional cooling for the drive since it is enclosed. I don't find it noticeable at all while turning. What I don't care for is the fan runs even while the lathe is turned off. So after finishing for the day I unplug my lathe.
I have the Laguna 2436 which is identical to the Grizzly GO800.

[Reed Gray]

John, interesting comment about the handles on the banjo getting in the way of each other. I have run into that on a number of lathes. I have never understood, since I got my old PM3520A years ago why no one seems to use a T type handle that slides back and forth like the handles on a bench vise. Cast soft pot metal onto a hardened bolt is destined to fail. I want to test drive a lot of different lathes, though not looking to buy another one unless I get a 10,000 sq. ft. shop, then I might have room...

robo hippy

[John Keeton]

Nice review John; thank you. I have a question concerning any "unusual" motor sound it may make. I was watching someone demonstrating their new Grizzly G0800 on a YouTube presentation. When the lathe was plugged in, although not turned on (not spinning), there was a "whirring" (piercing) sound that was quite noticeable; something that I would find very annoying. Is there any such sound made by the Laguna? Thanks.

No unusual noises from my Laguna 1836. Only the motor fan as noted in the review. The motor itself is very quiet, but the fan pushes noticeably more air than did my Jet 1642. The sound is not sharp, just the neutral sound of moving air. I honestly no longer notice it.

I believe the Laguna 1836 is a different lathe than the larger Laguna and Grizzly lathes. Its stance and configuration appear to be different, though I have not seen the larger Laguna nor the larger Grizzly in person.

[Edward Weingarden]

Thanks. Maybe someone with the larger Laguna or Grizzly will chime in.

[Joe Frank Porter]

John,

I just bought the Laguna Revo 18/36. I started with the HF mini lathe a year ago to test my interest and became addicted. Desiring to move up, I began looking at every thing from the Grizzly up thru the Powermatic. Grizzly offers a great deal on large lathes, but seems to put their new lathes on the market before field testing, and lets the initial buyers do that for them. They do give the new buyers great service during the initial shake down.

I almost bought the Grizzly 0733, but then I saw the Laguna REVO 18/36 at a Wood Craft store. They were using it in their shop and taking it to shows - they loved it. All the video reviews were great. It just looks like a new lathe from the ground up and not some new adaptation of existing models. The other larger REVO lathes are nothing like this lathe and are made in different factories with a DC motor. So readers should not apply the 18/36 reviews to the other new larger REVO lathes.

This machine is so quiet and smooth and has a great stance and height. After I have put in a few days of turning I'll report back.

[Edward Weingarden]

Your mention of the larger Revo lathes having DC motors led me to do a search on DC motors and noise. Apparently, a high pitched whinning sound is common with DC motors. That would be a detractor for me in having a lathe with a DC motor. However, I've only heard it via the YouTube presentation I mentioned in my original post. I'd have to find one see and hear in person.