Laguna 18/47 lathe

[Dick Foster]

I'm in the market for a lathe. Have searched the net for all the models and prices. Jet 1642EVS 2, the mustard monster 3520, the Nova DXP3000 and the Laguna 18/47. Of all the lathes it's been the hardest to find an owner of a Laguna 18/47. Part of the reason is that it's only been out on the market for about a year. Is there anyone that has the 18/47 that can give me some feed back on the operation of the lathe and what type of warranty. I have their 16HD bandsaw and really like it. But I hate to pull the string on this lathe without more info. I have found places on the net that bash Laguna for their supposedly bad service, but that surely can't apply to all of those who have bought their products. The 18/47 lists for $1854.00 plus shipping. That gives me some room to buy lathe tools, chucks and etc. Would apprectiate anyone's reply, good or bad. Thanks, Dick

[robert hainstock]

It has been difficult to find any positive comments about the Laguna. The others onthe Other hand, all good. Good luck and let us know what you decide etc. :)
Bob

[Bernie Weishapl]

I would not even consider the Laguna. On another couple of forums there were some bought and as far as I know all went back and got there money back. When I got my Nova DVR XP I did a lot of research and did not hear one good thing about it.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Dick - Welcome to the Creek!

The Laguna lathe has been the subject of a number of recent threads and hopefully they may help in your decision. Check out these threads:

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=96395&highlight=laguna
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=87587&highlight=laguna
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=77695&highlight=laguna

[Gary Max]

Dick-- I am two hours south of Louisville Ky---come down and test drive a Mustard Monster.

You can get service out of Nashville Tn----real nice folks.

[Cyril Griesbach]

Run away from it...run away fast!!!

[Mike Lipke]

Great bandsaws
Bad lathes

[Gordon Seto]

A bunch of us met the guy, Mike who had the problem lathe at the Richmond Symposium. We were horrified for the treatment he got from the company. Buyers were forced by the sales people to say nice things in forums about them in order to get service. I saw posts in other forums that the forum has to retract some negative comments about the company in order for Mike to get his money back.
Lathe is heavy and cost a lot to be shipped for repair. Service is important factor to consider.

[Richard Madison]

Dick,

Welcome to the forum. Lots of good info available here.

For about the same $$ you could have the Jet 1642 EVS 1.5 hp. from Amazon (or where ever). A proven tool and well supported by WMH Tool Group and Amazon if you buy from them. Just a thought. For about $300 (?) less you could have the new Grizzly clone of the Jet mentioned above. We have little or no info on the Grizz, as it is a new introduction.

[John Shuk]

Great bandsaws
Bad lathes


I have a Laguna bandsaw and I would have to disagree.

[Mike Lipke]

Whoa!
Sounds like Laguna is a top end line in $$ only. What was that slogan that Packard Automobiles had? Oh, "Ask the man who owns one"

I do have the 1 1/2 hp Jet lathe, and couldn't be happier. Especially for what I paid for it. Had it for over 2 years.

[Dick Foster]

Thanks for the replys on the lathe. I guess when I got no response on the Laguna message board that something was up. I think it's called the website secret service. (We don't want negative responses from our owners on the web site.) Now down to the business of buying a lathe, white(Jet) or gold (PM)? Any betters out there? I will make the choice in a couple of months, will let you know what it its. I will have to say that it has been a real pleasure surfng the SMC site for all the info that is pasted on each day to fellow woodworkers. I hope I can return the favor. Thanks , Dick

[Burt Alcantara]

woodturnersresource.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1193174775;start=all (http://www.woodturnersresource.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1193174775;start=all)

[izak shoshana]

Dick,

I’ve been lurking here for a while and never actually got to contribute.

I have the exact same lathe but not the Laguna brand. Bought it in Israel and believe it was imported from China.

If you are upgrading, as much as budget allow, I would opt for something better like 3520B. just for comparison, I don’t see much difference between this lathe and the equivalent Jet model sold here in Israel. In fact, the Jet have the same headstock casting, pulleys, knobs etc... but different stand and colors and almost identical tailstock..

Cons for this lathe:
-the tailstock and banjo “loose” grip with time so you have to reach under the ways and tighten the nut that holds them.
-When rough turning out of balance piece, the beating of wood in the gouge will make the toolrest swivel (sometimes towards the rotating wood – dangerous and really annoying).
-(this actually depends on the motor Laguna included with the lathe) but on mine, if you take heavy cuts (~5mm) in green wood the lathe will stop. This is true only when pulley is on the high speed range. When using the low range, torque is either sufficient or the motor has no security brake so the lathe will not stop.

Some of these issue can be easily fixed. Don’t know the term in English but was suggested to buy nut that is semi-closed with plastic filling to keep the nut tight.
Did replace the tool rest lever with a good quality spring-loaded lever and the tool rest is steady as can be.

On the up side, it left me enough money to invest in good chuck and wide range of tools.

Sorry that it turn out long but hope this helps.

Izak.

[Gordon Seto]

In fact, the Jet have the same headstock casting, pulleys, knobs etc... but different stand and colors and almost identical tailstock..

Jet doesn't even have a 18" swing lathe model in USA market. The largest Jet is 16", and Powermatic starts at 20". I believe Powermatic is sold in Europe under Jet brand & color. If they are of different swing, the same casting is impossible, cloning is possible. The knobs can be generic. Manufacturers may have been getting some common hardware from the same suppliers.
It seems to me that Jet and Powermatic launch their new lines in the US market first. I wonder why the 18" model never made it?

[izak shoshana]

Gordon,

I think you are correct. Not sure what swing the Jet that I saw had, but the casting looks definitely the same.

I was trying to convey my thoughts about the similarity between many lathes that rely on similar design. And as being similar, spending the extra cash on brand name, better support etc…is for each one to decide.

If my budget was bigger I would go for the 3520. Since it wasn’t, decided not to go for Jet which I perceive as technically similar to Laguna and put the extra cash in tools.

Sorry if I mislead anyone re. the Jet swing capacity.

Izak.