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Thread: Laguna 18-36 - any experience?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
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    New Jersey
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    Laguna 18-36 - any experience?

    <p>
    I am considering upgrading to this lathe. It comes available in 110v, which would be good for me. Is there a compelling reason to choose 220 over 110?&nbsp;</p>
    <p>
    Also, how easy are the belt changes when going from low to high speed ranges?</p>
    <p>
    Last, how do you find the torque at lower speeds?&nbsp;</p>
    <p>
    I turn green bowls, so roughing larger, heavy blanks at low speed is a something I would like to handle easy.&nbsp;</p>
    <p>
    I am also considering the Grizzly G0733</p>

  2. John Keeton did a great review on the Laguna Revo 18/36, and he loves his. 220V is not hard to setup. You can do it with the same wiring on your 115V. Provided it is at least 14/2 with ground. Just swap out the breaker at the panel [turn off the main first!!!]. Then wire the black and white to one side of the receptacle [the brass colored screws], then ground wire to ground screw on the receptacle. Wire the white and black to hot on the breaker, then the ground to the ground bar in the panel box. Turn the main back on.
    The G0733 is also a great lathe, and has more distance between centers...47” and would be great for spindle work if you turn table legs/bed posts, baulisters, etc. Same 18” swing as the Laguna Revo 18/36, but you will save about $600-$800 and get just as good performance. The Laguna Revo does have a handwheel, but I learned to do just fine without one on my 18/47 G0698, and you can always make one for it out of wood, if you really want a handwheel.....There is a write-up in the GGMG threads on how to do it.
    Last edited by Roger Chandler; 12-27-2017 at 5:23 PM.
    Remember, in a moments time, everything can change!

    Vision - not just seeing what is, but seeing what can be!




  3. #3
    Join Date
    May 2011
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    Sioux Falls, SD
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    I do not have any direct experience with the Laguna, but I did look one over at Woodcraft this weekend in KC. That thing made me covet my neighbor's lathe, so to speak. I loved that I could just spin the wheel on the tailstock and it would keep going. I tried moving it and it didn't budge. I moved the banjo and tool rest around and they were silky smooth yet solid. Coming back to my Nova made me want to start pinching pennies and save up for a Laguna.
    USMC '97-'01

  4. #4
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    Thanks guys. Roger, do you find torque problems with the grizzly at low speeds? The Laguna goes a little slower, which I appreciate for sanding. Do you find the griz to do all you want at low speeds?

  5. Prashun......I have turned on 11 different PM 3520b units to date.....several Jets, a Robust American Beauty, a Serious SL2542 [monster indeed!] and numerous other lathes..

    Believe me when I say this......you can core with the Grizzly lathes! My current G0766 is 3 hp, and the G0733 is 2 hp like the 3520b's. For the same money and basic footprint, you can get the 3 hp 22" swing G0766, but I thought you liked the 18" swing size. I have cored with my former 2 hp G0698 with D/C servo motor, and now with my 3 hp G0766.
    I did a coring demo on a 3520b back in October for one of our clubs in the area........my G0766 has more power than our clubs 3520b! That being said, on coring [likely the most taxing thing you will do related to torque, I stalled that Robust American Beauty 3 hp, and have stalled my G0766 and the 3520b, so what I'm saying is the power is there, but one can stall any lathe!

    My G0766 goes down to 60 rpm, which is basically too slow to do anything at that speed except sanding. I have turned at 100 rpm, some large blanks that were not balanced, and it did fine in the torque department. David Roseman has both the G0733 and the G0766. He can speak to the differences he might see in both of the models as an owner. You can send him a pm, ... I can only relate to the G0733's predecessor, which was the G0698 18/47. The G0766 is the real deal!
    Last edited by Roger Chandler; 12-27-2017 at 7:33 PM.
    Remember, in a moments time, everything can change!

    Vision - not just seeing what is, but seeing what can be!




  6. #6
    Prashun, I have never turned on the Laguna. Someone I know asked me what my opinion of the Laguna 18-36 was so I did some research. Looking at the assembly drawings, I found that the 18-36 uses the same bearings as the 24-36. 6207 inboard and 6205 outboard. A 6207 has an i.d. of 35mm, and a 6205 is 25mm. If these handle the loads of a 24-36 they would most likely be more than adequate on the 18-36.

    Another thing I want to point out is the bearings on the Grizzly G0698, and the G0733 are are the same. Two 6206. Both bearings are located inboard of the drive belt so the pulley end of the spindle is not supported. This allows for a shorter shaft on the motor and shorter spindle which contributes to cost saving. In contrast would be a more costly lathe like the 3520C which utilizes two 6207 bearings inboard and a single 6206 on the other end of the spindle with the drive pulley located in between. Good luck. My friend ended up buying a used Oneway with lots of tooling.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Feb 2012
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    Haubstadt (Evansville), Indiana
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    Do look at John Keeton's review. I have had my 18-36 for about 6 months. I am a hobbiest. I am still very pleasedwith this lathe. One of my main reasons for buying the 18-36 was the floor to spindle height. I'm 5'9" and the 41-1/2" height is just about perfect for me. I have had a 17-1/2" out of round blank and didn't have any problems roughing out the bowl. I don't do coring, so can't comment on that. These are the main things I like; the fit and finish out of the box was very good. All the screw holes lined up and did not need to be forced. Tailstock/headstock centers were right on. I checked the spindle face and shaft and there was no measurable runout. Laguna has videos on the set up and every accessory. I did watch the setup and although somewhat self explanatory the unpacking helped. I like the access from extended cone. I no longer sand before turning a bowl around to the chuck. Also when that is done there is always some runout. I now take a cleanup cut and final cut on the outside when chucked. I don't sand until I'm finished with the entire bowl. I bought the vacuum adapter only ( I have a pump ) from Laguna that fits into the handwheel about $70. The only other accessory I might buy at some future time is the bed extension that will allow 32" swing. The extension is $500. The leg splay is 26" ( 2" more than the 3520B ) and I added 280# sand between the legs making it very stable. The sliding headstock is nice. The control panel is easy to use/read. The things I don't like ( or could be better ); the spindle lock is spring loaded and you must hold it with one hand. The index decal is not as good as I would like. Indexing is fine, however the window showing the position is sometimes between number. May just be my lathe, but I need to be careful reading the index position. There is no remote emergency stop. The set screw on the tailstock came loose twice. I put thread lock on after the second time and so far so good.
    I would buy this lathe again without doubt. I have turned on Powermatic and Robust, very nice lathes, but the Laguna does everything I need well.
    When working I had more money than time. In retirement I have more time than money. Love the time, miss the money.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
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    813
    Quote Originally Posted by Roger Chandler View Post
    John Keeton did a great review on the Laguna Revo 18/36, and he loves his. 220V is not hard to setup. You can do it with the same wiring on your 115V. Provided it is at least 14/2 with ground. Just swap out the breaker at the panel [turn off the main first!!!]. Then wire the black and white to one side of the receptacle [the brass colored screws], then ground wire to ground screw on the receptacle. Wire the white and black to hot on the breaker, then the ground to the ground bar in the panel box. Turn the main back on.
    The G0733 is also a great lathe, and has more distance between centers...47” and would be great for spindle work if you turn table legs/bed posts, baulisters, etc. Same 18” swing as the Laguna Revo 18/36, but you will save about $600-$800 and get just as good performance. The Laguna Revo does have a handwheel, but I learned to do just fine without one on my 18/47 G0698, and you can always make one for it out of wood, if you really want a handwheel.....There is a write-up in the GGMG threads on how to do it.
    Prashun - +1 on all of Roger's comments, with one caveat on converting your existing 115v circuit to 220v. I believe this assumes it's a dedicated circuit i.e., that there isn't anything else on the circuit requiring 115v (lights, other 115v receptacles). Otherwise, you'd need to run a separate circuit. But the reward is worthwhile.

    Regarding the Grizzly G0733, I've had that lathe for 5 yrs, plus a G0766 (for 2 yrs), and think very highly of both. Unless you would use the extra 5 inches between centers for spindle work that the G0733 offers, I think the G0766 is a bit more versatile for a bowl turner like yourself. It also has a 3 Hp motor, rather than 2 Hp, although I've yet to stall my G0733. Also, as Roger notes, the G0733 does not have a hand wheel. If you are considering that lathe, PM me and I'll be happy to email you a tutorial I did a few years ago on adding an integrated handwheel/vacuum adapter.

  9. #9
    I've read John Keeton's extensive review (thanks!) but I'm curious to hear from others with the Laguna 18-36 (esp. if anyone has the 110v) to hear first-hand how it performs or if there have been any issues.

    It would be too expensive for me to wire 220 in my current setup but am likely moving in the next 2 years and could do 220v then (which would force the decision between the G0766 vs the Laguna) but ideally I would like to upgrade sooner but haven't found any reviews on the performance of the laguna 110v and would rather wait than upgrade and regret it. If anyone else has experience with the Laguna (and specifically with the 110v) it would be helpful.

    Thanks,
    Tom

  10. #10
    Join Date
    May 2013
    Location
    Smyrna Mills, Maine
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    95
    I owned a G0766 for about 1-1/2 yrs and have had a Laguna 18/36 for about 7 or 8 months. I would highly recommend the Laguna if you are not concerned about the difference in money. As far as the torque and power are concerned Laguna has plenty of each. I do allot of coring, large bowl turning and hollowing it handles it fine. The Laguna is quiet, no noise from the vfd at all, my grizzly had a fan in it that was noisy all the time. The Laguna has a better stance for lathe stability in that it is lower and has a wider footprint. The Laguna includes a very nice tool rest, live center, knock out bar and drive center standard items. If you want to add vacuum chucking a vacuum adaptor is available from Laguna for less then $100. I like the fact you can add on to the Laguna with bolt on extensions and turn up to 32" dia or add to the length as long as you want. The grizzly is a good lathe for the price and I had no problems to speak of with mine but it does not compare with the Laguna for fit and finish, availability of accessories or ergonomics in my opinion.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    New Jersey
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    Thank you for all the opinions. I am waiting for a Laguna sale now...

  12. #12
    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.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
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    Thanks, Barry. I was curious if the same machine could be rewired for 110 or 220. I see they are different motors. The 220v is 2hp, and the 110 is 1.5hp. I think I will bite the bullet and rewire for 220. I have been meaning to do that for a couple years anyway.

  14. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by Barry McFadden View Post
    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

  15. Only one comment here, the Laguna 18/36 has only one bearing on the inboard (stock side) side of the spindle, not two as on the Grizzly's, Powermatics, JET and Nova lathes.

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