Laguna Revo 18-36 Bearing Replacement

[Russell Neyman]

I have an elderly, partially blind friend whose Revo 18-36 that's starting to squeak at the front end of the headstock. I'm fairly certain the bearing there is showing signs of wear. I've overhauled lots of lathes in the past so I'm assuming that the replacement process is as follows:

• Loosen the drive belt.
• Remove the handcrank pulley, which is probably a lefthand thread with a setscrew.
• Loosen the other pulleys and pedometer enough that they don't interfere.
• Push/pull the spindle out.
• Replace the bearings.
• Reassemble.

Anyone done this on this particular machine? Any comments or suggestions?

[Brian Tymchak]

I have no info for you Russell, but I'm considering buying the 18-36. Can you tell me how old that lathe is?

Thanks!

[Russell Neyman]

About four years old, I think. Don't react to this as a negative about the lathe. Bearings are all manufactured by someone other than the lathe company and simply wear out after several thousand bowls being made, plus moisture and other exposures.

[John K Jordan]

I have an elderly, partially blind friend whose Revo 18-36 that's starting to squeak at the front end of the headstock. ..

From what I've seen on other lathes (I know nothing about that one) bearing failure often sounds more like roughness than a squeak. Sometimes you can feel it. Could there be something rubbing, perhaps from the spindle a little too tight? Does it sound like metal-on-metal squeak? Continuous or occasionally? If you disconnect the belt and spin by hand does it spin freely?

[Melvin Feng]

I have no info for you Russell, but I'm considering buying the 18-36. Can you tell me how old that lathe is?

Thanks!

If you are dead set on the 18/36, make sure wherever you order it from actually has it physically in stock. Laguna is having a tough time being able to actually deliver products right now, and I don't see them being able to catch up for many months.

I will say my general impression of those that have the 18/36 is that most are pretty happy with it, though some do get lemons. An interesting tidbit though, is that most that I've seen post about it have had the lathe 3 years or less. From what I can find, it looks like Laguna released the lathe in 2015-2016 or so. Most do have problems with the banjo not holding the tool post well, and many either modify the banjo or buy a oneway or robust banjo to replace their stock one.

I personally have a 12/16, and have had very mixed experiences with the lathe, as well as customer service. You can PM me if you want more details.

To the OP: You can try contacting Laguna Customer support to see if they have any documentation that they can send to help you. It is worth a try, even if they tell you no. There is one youtuber that I recall that had to replace the entire spindle. I didn't watch the video, but I found it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8ew...pinWoodTurning

There may be some good tidbits that can help you with the bearing replacement. The bearings themselves should have a code on them to be able to find replacements easily enough. If the markings have come off, just make sure to take very careful measurements with your calipers to order appropriate replacements. There are many good sources for good bearings, I would probably start with mcmaster and then go from there.

[Brian Tymchak]

About four years old, I think. Don't react to this as a negative about the lathe. Bearings are all manufactured by someone other than the lathe company and simply wear out after several thousand bowls being made, plus moisture and other exposures.

Thanks Russell. I intended to also ask about wear and tear but forgot before hitting send. I'm sure I won't do much heavy or high volume work with it. I know several on this forum have this machine and say good things.

[Brian Tymchak]

If you are dead set on the 18/36, make sure wherever you order it from actually has it physically in stock. Laguna is having a tough time being able to actually deliver products right now, and I don't see them being able to catch up for many months.
......
... Most do have problems with the banjo not holding the tool post well, and many either modify the banjo or buy a oneway or robust banjo to replace their stock one.

Thanks Melvin. Not fully decided, but I'd say it is my front runner at this point. Although I haven't done a lot of research yet. It's not just Laguna having delivery problems.

Had not heard about the banjo issue. Thanks for the tip. I'll do some research.

[Alex Zeller]

It could be a press fit. Also the shaft could come out only in one direction. I would see if you can find a parts breakout for the lathe. Look for things like hidden snap rings and if the bearings are all the same size. It should be pretty straight forward but if it doesn't slide out easily using force can get costly. A few years ago while trying take apart a very expensive tool one of the techs on the other shift missed one screw. The screw actually held a ground wire on a pricey probe. One good yank cost the company tens of thousands.

[Melvin Feng]

Thanks Melvin. Not fully decided, but I'd say it is my front runner at this point. Although I haven't done a lot of research yet. It's not just Laguna having delivery problems.

Had not heard about the banjo issue. Thanks for the tip. I'll do some research.

I am part of the laguna lathe facebook group, and I have seen a number of people post about the banjo. Even with that problem, most seem to be happy with their 18/36. Some do have electrical issues with the switches, VFD's, control boards, etc. but those don't seem to be nearly as a common as the banjo.

No lathe will be completely without problems though. Customer service is really important to me, and if you do enough research on Laguna, you will find they have a very checkered past in this regard.

[Russell Neyman]

To the OP: You can try contacting Laguna Customer support to see if they have any documentation that they can send to help you. It is worth a try, even if they tell you no. There is one youtuber that I recall that had to replace the entire spindle. I didn't watch the video, but I found it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8ew...pinWoodTurning

There may be some good tidbits that can help you with the bearing replacement. The bearings themselves should have a code on them to be able to find replacements easily enough. If the markings have come off, just make sure to take very careful measurements with your calipers to order appropriate replacements..

This video answered my questions. Thanks. Looks like a typical knuckle-buster.

My friend has, indeed, encountered several problems with the electronics and, in fact, I eventually replaced the entire control panel. Still, he says if he had to do it all over again, he'd still buy this lathe.

[Melvin Feng]

This video answered my questions. Thanks. Looks like a typical knuckle-buster.

My friend has, indeed, encountered several problems with the electronics and, in fact, I eventually replaced the entire control panel. Still, he says if he had to do it all over again, he'd still buy this lathe.

I'm glad the video helped! I remember seeing it posted, but it was too long for me to watch the entire thing, but it stuck with me.

That's the thing about a lot of Laguna tools, they offer a great value for the features (I also have an 18 BX bandsaw, which I think is great overall), but there is a cost for many in terms of quality, reliability, and dealing with customer service. When I bought my 12/16, I was super excited, but when I started having problems soon after, it became a series of frustrations. The lathe is working fine for now, and when it is working, it works well. It is always in the back of my mind though when the next thing is going to fail, and if I will still be in warranty at that point (my 12/16 is less than a year old still, and their warranty is only 1 year!). I am very tempted to save up for a full size lathe from a different company just so that I can move on.

[Reed Gray]

I would think that the bearings should last more than 4 years. My PM 3520A lasted 5+ years of my bowl turning, and I turned without the tailstock, which relieves a lot of pressure on the tailstock. I was able go get mine repaired at a local shop, including buying parts locally, for less than I could buy the replacement parts for from PM. My bearings were kind of squeaky, but I could also feel the spindle being 'rough'.

robo hippy

[Russell Neyman]

I would think that the bearings should last more than 4 years....robo hippy

Agreed. My comment to the owner that, other than a slight squeaking noise, the lathe is operating perfectly. I told him I'd check into what was involved and report back to him. He's in his 90's and nearly blind, so I'll switch them out for him if the situation worsens. I bet it won't.

[Richard Coers]

Agreed. My comment to the owner that, other than a slight squeaking noise, the lathe is operating perfectly. I told him I'd check into what was involved and report back to him. He's in his 90's and nearly blind, so I'll switch them out for him if the situation worsens. I bet it won't.

My 1998 Oneway 24-36 has had zero problems and hasn't been touched. And I did a huge run of 24, 18" diameter bowls a few years back. Still a firm believer in "You get what you pay for." You have to have pretty low expectations to think you would have a 4 year old machine making noise and having replaced the entire control panel, and still think it's a great machine! Just the kind of guy these import companies dream of.

[John Keeton]

Richard, OneWay is certainly a quality lathe, but by categorically characterizing the purchasers of imported lathes in negative light as you have, you have impugned every woodturner that doesn’t own either a vintage North American made lathe or a Robust or OneWay. That is a pretty broad brush.

I have been wonderfully pleased with my Laguna 1836.