Laguna 18/36 - yay or nay for beginner?

[John Kananis]

Looking to add a lathe to my shop. I'm an experienced woodworker with no experience turning so first lathe and I'd be learning on it.

I've shopped around and all the lower priced machines fall short in one spec or another and I'd like to only buy once. I'm almost settled on the laguna 18/36 but I'm concerned this may be too much machine to learn on. Can I still do small cabinet knobs, etc on a big guy like this? Any challenges I would face and is there anything else to consider?

Thanks in advance guys,
Job

[Barry McFadden]

I upgraded to the 18/36 a few years ago and it's a great lathe. I does as big as I need to turn and there is no problem doing small pieces as well . I've turned things like a wine goblet that can sit on a dime...

[John Kananis]

Thanks for the feedback...I almost want to get a 12/16 to start on (maybe its the intimidation factor) but I'm afraid I'd outgrow it too quickly.

[Kevin Jenness]

If you've done your homework and decided that's what you want, get it. You can do small work on a large lathe but not the other way around. Two other lathes in the same range you might consider (probably already have) are the Grizzly G0766 and Jet 1840.

If you join a local turning club you can probably try out a few different machines as well as find a mentor (hands-on instruction is best).

[John Kananis]

That grizzly is a monster but I'm thinking the laguna would offer better build quality... almost the same sentiment on the jet, which is priced a little higher. I actually almost considered the g0838.

And unfortunately, I've not found any type of turning club or similar locally. Going to have to depend on online resources (can't wait to start that research...). Not even sure if I'll try out traditional gouges or Carbide tools first yet. Lots to learn.

[David Walser]

John -- Do not be intimidated by the shear size of the 18/36. A large lathe will turn anything that a small lathe can. The reverse is not true. In fact, in some ways, a larger lathe is easier to learn on than a small lathe. The greater weight, larger spindle and bearings, and wider/longer footprint all translate into greater stability and less vibration. Less vibration makes it easier for the turner. Think of it this way, if you were to teach a newbie how to use a table saw, would you prefer the newbie learn on a full-size cabinet saw or a compact job site saw? The cabinet saw would offer a more stable work platform, making it easier for the newbie to concentrate on the saw's operation. The same holds true with large v. small lathes.

I'm NOT dissing small lathes. Many are a joy to use. I'm only making the point you don't need to be afraid of large lathes. They're actually (slightly) easier to use than their smaller siblings.

As to the Laguna 18/36 lathe, it should serve you well. When I upgraded last year from my 16" swing lathe, I went with the Powermatic 3520C because I wanted the larger swing. YMMV.

[Prashun Patel]

I learned online and on my own. It's very doable.
I have the 18/36. It is not too large for a beginner - especially if you plan on incorporating some turned legs or spindles in some of your furniture. In that case you'll appreciate the longer bed than the smaller swing lathes give you.

As far as the quality of this machine, it's good. I've had no problems with it. There are some minor quirks (it's lower than other lathes, the indexing pin doesn't lock) but major perks (convenient tail stock storage, good accessories like the mobility kit, swing away bed, lights, sliding headstock).

It's a good machine that will grow with you.

[John Kananis]

This is all great information, thanks everyone...I feel a little less intimidated now. And the tablesaw comparison was great.

[Paul Williams]

You have some good information in the previous posts. I am also self-taught, about 50 years ago, and retaught about 15 years ago. Get hands on instruction if you can, but don't be concerned about starting off on your own. There are a lot of good books and videos out there. I turn on a midi which meets my needs. I would consider the space you have for the lath and if you are likely to turn table legs or bowls.

[Reed Gray]

It is a very popular lathe. You can turn tiny things on a bigger lathe, and if you aren't breaking the bank, get it. If nothing else, it will have good resale value. Do find the nearest club and attend meetings. You can usually find mentors and even used tools.

robo hippy

[Kevin Jenness]

Too bad there isn't a club nearby. If you give your location maybe someone here is close and would offer lessons. You could also post on the AAW forum (you don't have to be an AAW member, though you may find that worthwhile). I am largely self-taught, but I would have learned faster and better with some personal instruction early on.

There are a lot of videos available, though you have to use some judgment as to which ones are worthwhile. Some I have found helpful are by Lyle Jamieson, John Lucas, Al Hockenberry, Brian Havens, Robo Hippy and Alan and Stuart Batty.

Be prepared to invest as much (over time) in tools and accessories as in your lathe. Don't ask me how that happens.

[John Kananis]

I'm in northern NJ, Warren County. I think there's a club about an hour and a half away and they meet once a month (usually)... I'll look into that one a bit more.

[John Kananis]

Any recommendations on chucks would be great also. I know I need a 1 1/4 × 8tpi but not sure where to go from there.

[Prashun Patel]

I have 2 supernova chucks one with the medium sized jaws, one with a jumbo set. I’d recommend buying just one chuck for now with medium jaws. Then buy more jaws when you want to go bigger or smaller; you can swap out the jaws on this chuck. If you ultimately get tired of changing the jaws, you can buy a second chuck. But to start only one is necessary.

For knobs you should probably get a set of “pin jaws”.

What are you doing for sharpening?

[Barry McFadden]

I use the Oneway Talon Chuck from Lee Valley with various jaws including the Jumbo Jaws

[David Walser]

John -- There are lots of good threads in this forum that discuss chuck recommendations. Allow me to make two recommendations:

First, consider the SC4 chuck from RecordPower. It is a clone of the Supernova2 chuck from Teknatool, but the RecordPower has slightly better fit and finish and seems to be made from slightly better materials. One advantage of these chucks is that any of the jaws from Teknatool, Sorby, or RecordPower will fit any of the chucks from these brands. That gives lots of options. I have, IIRC, three SC4 chucks and use them frequently. I have no complaints. I prefer my Vicmarc chucks, but I cannot say they are worth the $50 - $100 (depending on the size) they cost more than the SC4.

Next, consider NOT buying a chuck. Instead, buy, and learn how to use, faceplates. Chucks weren't available to woodturners until relatively recently. (IIRC, the first became widely available in the 1990's.) Before that, woodturners used faceplates. The advantage of chucks is speed. If you're turning for a living, that's a big deal. If you're a hobbyist, it's not nearly as big a deal. While chucks have the advantage of speed, faceplates have lots of advantages over faceplates. I'll only mention three: 1) They're less expensive, so it's practical to have several. B) As long as you keep your work mounted to the faceplate, the work can be taken off and on the lathe without worrying about the blank being off center. It's hard to remount a blank into a chuck and have it be perfectly centered. That's not an issue with faceplates. In my shop, I typically have several projects going at once. Some of them are mounted to their own dedicated faceplate. When their turn to go back on the lathe comes, they'll be perfectly centered. III) Faceplates hold more securely and introduce less vibration. This compares a blank mounted in a chuck with a properly sized and shaped tenon (or mortise) with a blank that is properly attached to a good glue block that is properly screwed to a faceplate.

As I said, I use chucks. I also use faceplates. I think most new turners would be well served learning how to use faceplates before adding a chuck or two to their arsenal. I wish I had learned that way. However, as often as I have shared that advice, I seriously doubt anyone has taken it. So, let us know how you like your RecordPower chucks!

[tom lucas]

Any of these will serve you well: Laguna 18-36, G0766, Jet 16-40, Harvey T60, PM 3520. There are others too but the price gets up there.

I've had the G0766 for 3 years now. Good lathe. Consider bed length too if you think spindles might be in your future. Right now I think the T60 is the best bang for the buck and if I were buying now and couldn't afford an American Beauty I'd likely get the Harvey.

As for chucks, I have Vicmarc and Nova SN2's. The Vic is far superior but it cost a lot more. The Nova's are a good value and a great place to start. They do the job (mostly). Many like Oneway. I don't care for their keys. If I buy any more chucks, They'll be Vicmarc.

[John Kananis]

You guys are really helpful, thanks again, all great info. For sharpening, I use a slow(er) speed grinder when absolutely necessarily but most sharpening is done by hand. My water stones don't see much use any more as I've made the switch to the Lee Valley steel plate and water based diamond paste from gramercy...a friend had recommended and I poo-poo'd it initially but I'm kind of hooked on the system.

[Greg Parrish]

For what it's worth, there is a Laguna 24/26 for sale on FB Marketplace in TN for what seems like a good price. I just came across the listing. Not my listing mind you. Provided it runs, it seems to be about 1/2 price of a new one. Just a little surface rust on the top of the ways. Easy to clean that up. The picture shows the vacuum pump setup and two laguna lights also. If I had somewhere to put it, I might be making a road trip right now. LOL

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/483869316668690/?ref=search&referral_code=marketplace_search&referral_story_type=post&tracking=browse_serp%3A8ac54666-6f98-4f89-b2d1-aec9df5b89f2

[John Kananis]

Oh man, road trip to Tennessee is not in my future but that does seem like a great deal.

[Tim Elett]

I have been turning with the 1524 and have done 14 inch bowls and small handles for tools,be careful turning green wood or the bed ways will end up like the one in the picture. RUSTY!

[Richard Coers]

What's that old saying about lathes? You can turn small stuff on big lathes, but not big stuff on little lathes. Pull the trigger!

[Prashun Patel]

Turning tool sharpening is a different beast than plane and chisel sharpening. You'll want to look at your grinder again and consider adding some jigs to it.

[John Kananis]

Ok, I think I'm convinced... I'll be ordering in the next 30 to 45 days or so.

And Prashun, I'll look into sharpening jigs. No chance to freehand?

[Kevin Jenness]

No chance to freehand?

You definitely can sharpen freehand on a grinder. It takes practice to get a consistent shape and to remove a minimal amount of steel, that's why jigs are so popular. At typical turning speeds your tool travels a mile through the wood every three minutes or so, so frequent sharpening is necessary. CBN wheels are very popular for bench grinders as they cut fast and cool and maintain their diameter. To hone high speed steel you will probably want a diamond card. To buy all the tools and accessories you will be pointed to you may need a platinum card. Remember, you are only one new tool away from expertise.

[Dave Keele]

No chance to freehand?

John, I'm a woodcarver and have freehand sharpened my carving tools since 1980. When I got a little more serious about turning 3 years ago, I thought I had a fair handle on sharpening and turning tools would be no problem. Boy, was I wrong. I ended up with the Wolverine system and can now do a fairly decent job. I think at a minimum you'll need a platform and a way to reset it at same angles to repeat grinds with minimal material loss.

[mike ash]

Woodworker Wisdom is "Buy Once".....but I seem to be a slow learner and it took me a few lathes to get where I needed to be!!! One considerations I don't see mentioned is the cost of the various attachments that are specific to the swing of your lathe (ie...a steady rest, Sphere jig...etc). Those can add up. Good luck!!!

[Bernie Kopfer]

John when I retired 10 years ago I gifted myself a PM 3520 and have turned everything I wanted to turn on it. I can think of no reason to not starting big. Have a bunch of Nova chucks that work wonderfully. But the older models tighten counterclockwise and that is a bit of a pain, but the newer models fixed that problem. Do not mix the two types! Makes me wish I had the Record or Vicmarc.
You raise another question and I'm going to take a chance on it. Carbide or traditional??? This raises the hackles of many turners but hear me out.
I learned on Carbide tools (an old traditionalist taught me after he had "moved" to carbide) and have turned everything from spindle to bowls etc. That said I am at the present time transitioning to traditional tooling, bought a Sorby ProEdge sharpening system and am relearning to turn. What a pain in the arse!! Even after years of turning comfortably on carbide I discovered that the learning curve is steep and mentoring is almost required. Carbide tools are easy to learn, safer and and you have the satisfaction of becoming proficient quickly. But they are slower, leave a rougher surface and might cost more in the long long run. I am switching because I wanted to learn something new (an old age thing) and will be doing much more turning in the future. If an individual says they would like to learn to turn and do not intend to do it frequently, as in several time a week, there is no way I would recommend anything but carbide tools. So seriously consider your goals both short and long term, find some turners including carbide tool users and listen to their experiences. Welcome to turning!

[Prashun Patel]

You can do it many ways.

A popular method is a slow speed grinder + a CBN wheel + a modular platform system that allows you to grind skews and scrapers as well as gouges. People (and I) advocate for cbn wheels because they tend to be more balanced and durable than friable wheels. As a result they give a keen edge, quicker, and do it longer.

You'll find it out on your own as you start: quick, repeatable sharpening is necessary for lathe turning.

[John Kananis]

Ok, added a tormek t4 and the turners kit to the list. Anything else to consider?

[carl mesaros]

Ok, added a tormek t4 and the turners kit to the list. Anything else to consider?

Just a suggestion.
I would recommend the Sorby pro edge belt sharpening system in lieu of the Tormek.
Especially if your new to sharpening lathe chisels.The pro edge is a dream to sharpen, fast to set up to any angle.
My thoughts on your lathe choice, go as big as your checkbook or wife allows.:D

[John Kananis]

Looks like the sorby isn't available until May. Why not the tormek (what are the disadvantages)?
Also, I'm set on the 18/36 now and will be ordering in the next couple weeks.

[tom lucas]

One thing about wet grinding: Not suited for a shop that might freeze. The stone takes days to dry out. Subsequently it can freeze and crack. I've resorted to using RV antifreeze instead of water. Not sure it's great for the stone but seems to be OK.

Wet grinders also take longer. They do a great job if touching up but changing the profile can take forever.

[David Walser]

John -- Ask five turners for sharpening suggestions and you'll get eleven recommendations.

The Tormek and its turning jigs are the cat's meow when it comes to sharpening systems. Personally, I prefer the larger T-8, but the T-4 should work just fine. If you go that route, budget for either Tormek's diamond wheel(s) or a CBN wheel. I have a Tormek 2000. I also have a slow-speed grinder set-up to use Tormek's jigs. Using Tormek's original water stone, shaping a new tool is painfully slow. That's why I adapted the slow-speed grinder to use Tormek's jigs. After I shaped a new tool, I would then move the jig to the Tormek (without removing the tool from the jig) for sharpening the tool. It was fairly quick. Once the initial sharpening was done, the tool would never see the grinder (unless I wanted to reshape it for any reason). Works fine. However, a year ago, I put 400 grit CBN wheel on my Tormek. What a difference! Now, there's no need to use the grinder for shaping a new tool. The Tormek, with its 400 grit CBN wheel, is still slower than the grinder. However, the difference is not bad. Now, I sharpen on the Tormek, hone on the leather wheel, and I'm done. No time at all.

What about the Sorby Pro Edge? Sorby basically copied Tormek's jigs, so I can't say anything is wrong with them. The difference between the Pro Edge and virtually all the other sharpening systems is the Pro Edge produces a flat bevel, while the other systems produce a hollow ground bevel. Is one better than the other? Mostly, it's personal preference. However, an advantage of using a hollow grind is that it makes it easier to hand hone a tool without rolling over the edge. Also, some feel it's easier to 'find the bevel' when turning with a hollow ground bevel. But, if you prefer a flat bevel, a Tormek has you covered. With their diamond wheels (or some CBN wheels), you can sharpen on the side of the wheel.

On the topic of hollow grinds, this is why I prefer the T-8 over the T-4. The T-8's larger wheel produces a shallower hollow grind. I prefer a hollow ground bevel, but I prefer the hollow to be shallow.

What about the other sharpening systems? All the name brand systems work and work well. As already stated, I believe the Tormek jigs are superior in ease of use, repeatability, and the variety of shapes you can produce. However, you won't go wrong with Oneway's Wolverine system -- by far the most popular. Personally, I prefer Woodcut's Tru-Grind sharpening system to the Wolverine. (The Wolverine's sliding arm is longer, which requires more space behind the grinder. In a small shop, like mine, the more compact design of the Tru-Grind system is a bonus.) There are lots of similar systems being sold to woodturners. Each has one or more perceived advantage, but they all work basically the same. You can get very good results with them. Such results are an order of magnitude easier to obtain if used with a good slow-speed grinder and CBN wheels.

HTH

[John Kananis]

Very good advice. My shop is temperature controlled though.

[John Kananis]

David, I was looking at the cbn stones. I'll likely get one. 400 grit you say... thanks

[Kevin Jenness]

Ok, added a tormek t4 and the turners kit to the list. Anything else to consider?

A cbn wheel for the Tormek. Calipers. An angle sander. A spindle roughing gouge, skew chisel, Hunter tools, scroll chuck, vacuum chuck, hollowing system, steady rest, work lights, dust collector hood, coring system, multiple tool rests... get the picture?

Seriously, just get a few basic tools - you can do a lot with a bowl gouge, a spindle gouge, a parting tool and a couple of scrapers- a 180# cbn wheel for your grinder, a Wolverine jig, a faceplate and some lessons. If you catch the bug you will soon figure out what else you "need".

[John Kananis]

Ok, a little confused about which cbn wheel I should be looking at? Is there a reliable (a go to) source for these? I found a 600 grit at Lee Valley.

[David Walser]

Here you go: https://woodturnerswonders.com/collections/tormek-style-wheels. Ken Rizza has them available in 200 - 1200 grits, in 200 grit increments.

[Sam Force]

I second woodturnerswonders, forget the tormek and call Ken Rizza. He will set you up with a slow speed grinder and CBN wheels for less money and you would be set

[John Keeton]

Another vote for Ken Rizza. 180 grit and 600. Get the Rikon 1hp and a OneWay Wolverine with the original varigrind.

[Prashun Patel]

I'm with John K. The ss grinder you already have will work fine. Oneway makes a great platform system, and so does Powertec (for less). I'd start with a 180 grit cbn wheel.

[Mike Wilkins]

Satisfied 18/36 owner here. Not a single problem since ownership. It's likely my last lathe as I use it to compliment my furniture making, with occasional bowl making.

[John Kananis]

Wasn't aware of that site, thanks again!

[Barry McFadden]

First off I'm not the worlds greatest sharpener by any means. I was using a grinding wheel and not having a lot of luck getting the tools as sharp as I would like. I know there are tons of people that use grinding wheels and I'm not trying to change anybody's mind just saying what I do that works for me. I read some articles that stated when sharpening on a grinding wheel you don't get a flat bevel on the tool. It's more of a slight concave bevel because of the curvature of the wheel so it's possible that when "riding the bevel" while turning there is not the support behind the cutting tip that there would be if the bevel was flat. I switched over to a sanding belt system after taking a course at Lee Valley and have had great success keeping my tools sharp with it. I bought the assembly at a big box store and modified the table so I could adjust it to get the angle I needed. I leave it set to match the bevel on the gouges I use most and adjust it as needed for other tools. Again, I'm not trying to change anyone's opinion of sharpening methods and please don't bombard me with "you're crazy, grinding is the way to go"....I'm just sharing what I do. Here is the jig I use (I keep the cover of so it's easy to change sanding belts.}

474933

[John Kananis]

Barry, I don't think anyone's opinion (not here anyway) is crazy. Thanks for sharing your experience.

[ChrisA Edwards]

About 3 years ago, I picked up a use oneway 1224. This was my first lathe and an intro to turning.

I took a couple of class at my local Woodcraft. Made about 4 bowls for Xmas presents and realized that it was a little small for a nice sized fruit bowl.

So I researched lathes and locked into the 18/36.

I got very close to buying it and then, after many recommendations, went with the big brother, the 24/36.

I used a little of the buy once/cry once on this purchase.

I will never outgrow the capacity of this lathe.

Totally satisfied with it, although I only get it out when I run out of other woodworking projects.

[John Kananis]

I can't see needing the 24 inches to be honest and the extra 1k is quite a bit considering what extras will run but thank you for the fyi.

I'm torn on something: 400 grit or 600 grit on the cbn wheel? Only getting the 1 for now. I suppose 400 will give me a more efficient grind but is that enough to then go to the strop? I'm thinking in terms of hand chisels and can't imagine leaving them at that rough a grade.

[Earl McLain]

I can't see needing the 24 inches to be honest and the extra 1k is quite a bit considering what extras will run but thank you for the fyi.

I'm torn on something: 400 grit or 600 grit on the cbn wheel? Only getting the 1 for now. I suppose 400 will give me a more efficient grind but is that enough to then go to the strop? I'm thinking in terms of hand chisels and can't imagine leaving them at that rough a grade.

May seem a bit counterintuitive, and I’m probably not going to describe it right…but for turning tools an edge that is too sharp tends to dull too quickly. I’m using 180 CBN on most scraping & roughing, and 600 CBN on bowl & detail gouges. I think I’d have been fine at 350 to 400 for a single CBN. Might be worth calling Woodturners Wonders or another vendor to discuss.
Good luck!!
earl

[David Walser]

John -- I told you I went with the 400 grit CBN wheel. The tools seem to hone just fine on the leather wheel. However, if I had to do it over again, I might go with a 600 grit wheel, instead. There are two reasons for this. First, in choosing a 400 grit wheel, I was primarily concerned with my Tormek being too slow if I'd gone with a higher grit wheel. Recall, my chief complaint with the Tormek's standard waterstone was the amount of time it took to shape a new tool. It was very painful! That's no longer an issue with the 400 grit CBN wheel. Second, with honing, my tools are just as sharp as I got them with my Tormek's 1,000 grit waterstone. It might take a few seconds more time on the leather wheel, but the bevel is polished to the same degree as before. But, I didn't always hone after using my Tormek's waterstone. The surface left by the 1,000 grit waterstone was more than adequate for turning, so I often opted not to hone. I might be able to get away with not honing with a 600 CBN wheel, too.

I know where you're coming from when comparing 'chisel sharp' with 'woodturning sharp'. The standards aren't the same and don't need to be. With a bench chisel or hand plane, the edge is being pushed through the wood with nothing more than your muscle power. For control, you need the edge to slice cleanly, almost effortlessly, through the wood fibers. That's NOT the case in woodturning. You need to tool to be sharp enough to cut cleanly, but it doesn't need to be so sharp that it cuts effortlessly. The wood is being spun by a 2hp electric motor. The surface of the wood is passing under your tool at a speed that is faster than you can move your hand. The combination of speed and power makes it relatively easy (relative to a hand powered tool) for your tool to cut cleanly.

Consider, until quite recently, aluminum oxide wheels were the best you could get for sharpening your woodturning tools. Some very well-known turners argued that a 60 or 80 grit A/O wheel was sufficient to sharpen woodturning tools. Some recommended going all the way up to 120 grit. Virtually nobody honed their tools. We simply used the edge straight off the grinder. The faith promoting rumor was the 'serrated edge' produced by the grinder was more durable, and did just as good a job, as a honed edge. With the availability of CBN wheels, most turners have come to see the advantage of using higher grits. But, many stop at less than 300 grit. Very few hone. Given that, don't think you need to go up to 10,000 grit like you might with a plane iron. It's just not worth the extra time.

[John Kananis]

I think I get it, thanks.

[John Kananis]

Very good explanation, David... thank you.

[Peter Blair]

Buy the best lathe that fit's your budget.

[Zachary Hoyt]

With regard to sharpening, I do all of mine freehand on a 120 grit sanding disk. I've done it this way for years and get good enough results, but I'm sure they could be better if I was better at it or had more expensive equipment. I've just recently ordered a WorkSharp machine that I plan to use for regular chisels, as I am not as happy with how they come out by hand. Maybe I'll use it for lathe chisels too. The nice thing about lathe tools is you get to sharpen them a lot, so you get lots of practice.

[Thomas Wilson80]

Hi John, I'm fairly new to turning and self-taught so I've gone through a lot of your questions. Like Chris, I was dead set on the 1836 and at the last minute went with the 2436 (during one of their 10% off sales) and love it. Since getting a bigger lathe, I have found that I do more smaller turnings than I ever did on my Mini Jet, but when I need to go big, I love the ease and capacity. If that's not in your budget, go with the 1836 and if needed, you can always buy the extension kit to turn larger/longer.

As far as sharpening, I started with carbide and hated the results so I quickly went to traditional tools with a wolverine jig and a 180 grit cbn wheel. I bought a bowl gouge and learned to use/sharpen, then bought a skew and learned to use/sharpen then eventually bought a spindle gouge and learned to use it. I will often (but not always) use a diamond card to hone my tools, but usually I use them right off the grinder with good results and then hone in place of regrinding. Lots of ways to do things. Good luck and enjoy getting sucked in!
Tom

[John Kananis]

Thomas, I'm eyeballing that 24/36 but I think it's just pushing the envelope too much. Accessories, etc are coming out to about as much as the lathe itself (more maybe).

[Paul Williams]

"Accessories, etc. are coming out to about as much as the lathe itself"
John, you have discovered the first truism of woodturning. Enjoy being sucked into the next tool purchase.

[John Kananis]

Does anyone know how much increased capacity the 20" extention offers? For turning bowls i mean and assuming you're mounting on the lower mounting holes. .

[David Walser]

32", per the user manual.

[John Kananis]

It almost doubles capacity? That's pretty impressive.

[Mick Fagan]

Having the bed extension and tailstock and tool stock risers as a kit is best value for buck in their accessories, followed closely by their lights; I have two of their lights. I also have the 24-36, which is a different kettle of fish, the 18-36 feels like a midi lathe by comparison. That said the 18-36 would be my mid lathe choice as its functionality is just great; a real lot of thought has gone into the design.

Another advantage I have used twice, is to place the bed extension in the front sticking directly towards the turner. In this position, one slides the headstock down a bit and with the tool rest placed onto the 90º placed extension, one can turn a full sized bowl rear without having to remove the bowl blank from the chuck or faceplate. The bed extension can be attached in five positions.

The diagonal of that rough blank is approximately 900mm, the lathe is running almost at its limits; so was I.

Mick.

[Tim Elett]

That's one big popcorn bowl! I want to see when finished please.

[Mick Fagan]

That's one big popcorn bowl! I want to see when finished please.

Rather unfortunately that blank became four cored bowls, of which three survived; one cracked up, or should I say, knotted up...

They are long gone and I cannot find any pictures of the finished bowls, but here are the three surviving cores about two weeks after being cored.

The little mallet is for some reason there, nothing at all to do with the bowl blanks; I did a few of them one Christmas for nieces and nephews children.

475262

[eliot feldman]

The size of the lathe has nothing to do with learning to turn. And no matter how large the lathe is, there is really no limitation on how SMALL you can go. It's the other say around: if the lathe is on the small side, then you will be limited in how large a piece you can safely turn. I believe the Powermatic "mustard monster" is one of the best lathes for the money.

[John Kananis]

So I had my heart set on the 2hp model but it won't be available until some time in June. The 1.5hp model is available now. What do you guys think?

[Barry McFadden]

I have the 1.5 model and it turns anything I put on it with ease.

[John Kananis]

Excellent, thank you Barry. And to everyone else that helped...

I "think" I'm pulling the trigger today, just have to overcome that last bit of hesitation. Also, I got a call from woodcraft a couple of days ago saying they had an opening in a 3 week class (1 evening per week) which is awesome since they weren't supposed to have openings until July. Serendipity.

[Reed Gray]

If the 1 1/2 hp one is 220 volt, it should serve you well. If it is 110 volt, then it won't have enough power for lots of heavy bowl turning. It would be fine for some general bowl turning. 2 hp and 220 volt would handle just about any bowls you put on it.

robo hippy

[John Kananis]

Hi Reed, the 1.5hp model is a 110v, however, it's a single phase machine (obviously) with a vfd that converts to 3 phase. I've been reading that its pretty solid.

[John Kananis]

Trigger = pulled. I went with the 1.5hp 18/36 and looks like they're shipping immediately.

[Barry McFadden]

I'm sure you will be very happy with it.....