Laguna 18-36 - any experience?

[jon minerich]

Prashun,

I have had my Revo 1836 for about 4 months. It is the 110 volt version. I love it. It is smooth, quiet and and heavy. I have turned some bowls, boxes and lots of Christmas ornaments. The machine has performed flawlessly. Change overs are quick and easy. Overall it is a very nice machine and would highly recommend it to anyone.

Jon

[Thomas Wilson80]

I upgraded from my Craftsman lathe to the Laguna 18/36 110v about 6 months ago. Didn't want to go to the trouble of running another line to the shop. It has been a great lathe so far. Plenty of power and no issues with torque at any speed. The belt is simple to change but since I do bowls about 90% of the time I just leave it on the 50 / 1300 speed. I would recommend this lathe to anyone. The only issue I've had on assembly is while turning the leveling feet into the legs one hole must have had some paint in it because the foot became harder and harder to turn until the round foot part just started to spin on the threaded bolt. I got it adjusted to the same length as the others by putting a couple of nuts on it tight together and turned it in with a wrench. I called Laguna and they sent me a new one in about 5 days.

Any issues with power/stalling with the 110v? Do you core and if so, does the 110v do ok? Thanks, this is the first review of the 110v I have found online so it is very helpful!
Tom

[Barry McFadden]

Any issues with power/stalling with the 110v? Do you core and if so, does the 110v do ok? Thanks, this is the first review of the 110v I have found online so it is very helpful!
Tom

Tom...no issues with stalling of any kind...I don't do coring but I do a lot of large bowl blanks and have had no problem taking a heavy cut with them..

[Reed Gray]

Only comparison I can make here is with the Jet 1 1/2 hp 16 inch lathe that runs on 110 or 220. The 110 stalls easily for the way I turn, which is more production style. I had to slow way down on the cuts I made with both the standard cutting and coring. It does a fairly good job coring. My 1 1/2 hp Robust Liberty has no issues that way. Only real issue I have with the Laguna is their mobility wheel brackets. Fine if you don't use the sliding headstock, but if you do, they are in the way for stepping around the end to the lathe bed. I would take them off if I had it.

robo hippy

[Prashun Patel]

I pulled the trigger and purchased the Laguna REVO 18-36 (220v). I thought I'd write this for the benefit of anyone in my boat considering this.

I was considering the Powermatic 3520C, the REVO 24-36, and even the Robust lathes.

For ME, I don't turn enough to justify the investment into the super premium lathes, so after some deep breaths, I realized MY money is better spent on upgrading my accessories and tools than in horsepower and mass. I anticipate needing to turn larger and rougher things less and less as I age. I believe I was wooed (for better or worse) into considering pricier lathes by people who turn far more frequently and larger than I do. In the end I had to step back and consider my own potential use.

The 18-36 has a conical headstock and a lower stance. Being a shorter bowl turner, these things are good me. The weight @ 400+ lbs is more manageable for me to get into my basement, but about 3x what I'm used to, so I suspect it will be fine. I also suspect that the lower height will contribute to improving stability even at reduced mass. I like that the lathe extension can be mounted perpendicular to the headstock as well as on the end. I haven't purchased the extension, but I like having the option if it comes up on occasion.

The 24-36 was my second choice. This featured of course larger capacity and power, but also has a 3" taller (standard) spindle height. This is good for some but I prefer the lower stance. It also features a moveable control box. I did not like this machine $1000 more than the 18-36.

My only trepidation with Laguna was a reputation for sub-par customer service. However, current users don't seem to share this opinion, and therefore I have reason to believe this may be a thing of the past. I also don't (this is MY opinion) don't want to trust that the quality of a 2018 PM3520C is equivalent to a 2008 PM3520B. I could not find any user reviews of the new PM for me to make an informed decision.

Unfortunately I did not have the luxury of being able to try any of these machines prior to purchase (bring on the criticisms!), but there it is. I'll report back when I've had some history with this machine.

[William C Rogers]

Congrats on your new lathe. I also purchased a 18-36 in May. I am totally happy with the machine. My decision was basically the same as what you indicated. My previous lathe was a PM 90 and the original spindle height was 42 inches with a 12" swing. I raised that lathe for an 18" swing that raised the spindle height to 45". I liked the swing, but the height was not as comfortable turning. The only lathes I knew would meet my spindle height needs were the Laguna and Robust. If I was into coring and large bowls/turnings then the Robust, but I'm just a hobbiest so I went with the Laguna and no regrets. I didn't buy the extension, but glad to know it is available. I haven't had the need to contact Laguna CS much, but when I did it was positive. I had a vacuum pump and bought just the adapter from Laguna for about $70, well made. Although the assembly is somewhat straight forward, Laguna has a set up video on you tube. It is helpful in the unpacking. I did add 280# sand ballast to mine for increased stability from the start and it is very stable.

[Roger Chandler]

Congrats Prashun! I think you made a good choice for your needs. I went all out and got the G0800, should be in the first week in February. I did some rearranging to make a space to put my radial arm saw in my back building, and will take down one of my modular work benches to make room for the 0800 beast. Now I need to run another 240v circuit from my panel.

[carl mesaros]

Congrats Prashun! I think you made a good choice for your needs. I went all out and got the G0800, should be in the first week in February. I did some rearranging to make a space to put my radial arm saw in my back building, and will take down one of my modular work benches to make room for the 0800 beast. Now I need to run another 240v circuit from my panel.

Congrats to you too Roger! I know you will be more than pleased with your new GO800. You will be amazed at the difference 800 lbs. makes.
I turn every day and the only reason I'd ever move up is purely the beauty of a Oneway or Robust.
I will be watching this space for a complete review of your new lathe and to see if your expectations were met.

[Roger Chandler]

Congrats to you too Roger! I know you will be more than pleased with your new GO800. You will be amazed at the difference 800 lbs. makes.
I turn every day and the only reason I'd ever move up is purely the beauty of a Oneway or Robust.
I will be watching this space for a complete review of your new lathe and to see if your expectations were met.

Thanks Carl. I will put it through its paces, and since this is my 5th lathe I will have owned over the years, and my experience with many other models including 11 of the PM 3520b's, a Serious SL2542, a Robust American Beauty, numerous Jet 1642 evs, and midi's as well, I feel like I have a good and varied background and experience in which to be able to assess the performance of this G0800.

If I could get one of my son's to film me doing a project [time for them is always an issue] then I would be tempted to do a youtube review......not sure that is in the cards however, but one never knows.....

[carl mesaros]

Thanks Carl. I will put it through its paces, and since this is my 5th lathe I will have owned over the years, and my experience with many other models including 11 of the PM 3520b's, a Serious SL2542, a Robust American Beauty, numerous Jet 1642 evs, and midi's as well, I feel like I have a good and varied background and experience in which to be able to assess the performance of this G0800.

If I could get one of my son's to film me doing a project [time for them is always an issue] then I would be tempted to do a youtube review......not sure that is in the cards however, but one never knows.....

Great idea hope your son's can find the time.

[John Keeton]

No spring back. The only instability in the banjo is if it is fully extended such that the clamp washer is not fully engaging the underside of the ways. In that situation the banjo will not clamp down securely.

[Roger Chandler]

Sounds like your banjo nut underneath the clamp plate may need adjustment....perhaps 1/2 a turn or less. At least that is a good starting place. If that doesn't work, then take the banjo off, turn upside down and move the clamping mechanism around and see if it is binding somewhere. Not sure on your Laguna, but some banjo mechanisms have an eliptical cam that slide on the bar, or have a washer that seats into that cam, and if it is off to one side, it might not seat correctly as well.

[John Keeton]

Prashun, most all of the live centers permit the large cone to be removed. I use the cup center quite a bit, but I remove the small center pin. It is a morse taper and knocks out thru the hole in the live center.

[John Keeton]

Prashun, that is strange as I have two Robust straight rests and one fit perfectly and the other was just a tad snug and required a “once around” with a draw file lightly and dressed with 320 grit. Both work fine now. Obviously, there was some variance in my two Robust rests, so it is possible that the post on yours may be a bit off. Can you get a good measurement on it?

[Prashun Patel]

Thanks, John. The Robust rest clamps sweetly, but slips. I'll try cleaning the post and the hole. I have heard nary a complaint about either this rest or banjo, so I think it is probably fixable on my end.

I was able to carry the legs and ways into the basement myself. My wife helped me with the headstock.

I am in the process of building the ballast box, heretofore known as the "Keeton Koffin" tonight. I have a defunct treadmill deck that will form the sides.

I took it for a test spin already. Some initial impressions:

+
I am impressed by the machining. Bolts and parts just line up very nicely.
I like the sliding action of the tool rest and tail stock on the steel ways. It's smooth.
The belt changing is easy and convenient.
I like the stance of the legs. They are super stable even unsupported.
I like the super long travel of the tail stock quill.
I find the accessories (spur center, live center, tool rest) appear very well made.

-
I have the halogen light. I am not sure why they made it 220v, but fine. The articulating arm could be longer. I also find the hinge action a little tight. When adjusting the bolts and nut, they were prone to strip.
Turnbolts on tool rest and tail stock: I hope I get used to them. I also find them to be inconveniently located. Luckily, they don't require much force to engage (+) so I'm hoping I can replace them with something smaller even if it sacrifices a little leverage.
The duplicator brackets are puzzling. The light mounts to them, but the tail stock bracket is inconveniently located by the locking tail stock lever.
For the assembly, they use a confusing array of hex key sizes. I think I needed about 5 different wrenches. Not a big deal, but I didn't understand the reason for that much diversity.
The instructions were a little sparse. The YT videos, on the other hand were superb.