New Laguna 2436

[Charles Cadenhead]

Randy, sorry to hear about your troubles with your lathe. I did own a Laguna 18-36, but never experienced the problems you have had. Laguna CS can be frustrating, I know. You just have to keep after them. I ended up replacing under warrant every switch and relay on that lathe. Laguna eventually sent me a whole new headstock and even then I had to replace the electronic board. When I finally got the lathe “right” I sold it. Keep after their CS and hopefully they will do the right thing. A friend has a Laguna 24-36 and has not had any problems. I think his is about 3+ years old.

This was similar to my experience with a 12/16 lathe.

 

[Randy Anderson]

After a bit of back and forth with Laguna support they have decided to send me a new headstock. Until then it runs and I can turn with it.

 

[William Rogers]

Great to hear they stepped up and did the right thing. Im sure your persistence paid off.

 

[Kevin Jenness]

Laguna has earned a bad rep for customer service since their beginning. They have some good products but they are basically importers whose offerings in most lines change over time and the CS people are just looking at the same manual and parts diagram that you are, and may have less real insight into the machine than you. I have a friend who is happy with his Laguna planer and sliding tablesaw, and another shop nearby has had good luck with a cnc router, but I have heard so many sob stories over the years that I would be very hesitant to buy a new machine from them. I'm glad things seem to be on the right track with your lathe and it should serve you well once you get it sorted.

 

[Tim Hanus]

Glad to hear they are sending you a new one.

 

[Brad Bird]

Thanks Dave. Now need to find a home for a still great but very well used Jet 1642.

Can you share some more info please about your Jet?
Thx

 

[David Aion]

I finally pulled the trigger today on a new Laguna 2436. In my journey of making large hollow forms I've pushed the limits of my current Jet 1642 well beyond what I likely should have. It's held up well but it's time to move on. I recently picked up a large load of some very large black walnut and have some very large ash that finally convinced me that I can't keep sizing down pieces to make them fit my lathe. I ordered the 12" swing away bed extension so that gives me 48" center to center. That's should be plenty. If not, they make a longer extension.

For anyone else interested Laguna is having a 10% sale starting Oct 1st. My local wood store was able to order it with the discount. Should be here by first of October. Free shipping if I go pick it up.

Now to deal with the downstream changes of a bigger machine. Run a 220V line across the shop, resize the support posts on my deep hollowing rig to the new center height, get a riser for my steady rest to the new center.

congrats. I LOVE my 1836

 

[David Aion]

One thing you may need to do, is to fiddle with certain tools you may have manufactured, or possibly re-model them.

When I moved up from my Nova lathe, my steady wouldn't fit, so a new base needed to be made to fit the old steady onto the new lathe.



View attachment 66872

mike: did you use hardboard for the wheel supports? and how thick? thanks

 

[Randy Anderson]

I have a Clark steady rest made for a 16" lathe. He made a riser frame for it for me that will make it fit on the new lathe. The support frame for my big hollowing rig has different sized supports for it depending on the lathe swing. My articulated hollowing rig from Simple is adjustable so I think I've got all my tool options set to go.

 

[Mick Fagan]

mike: did you use hardboard for the wheel supports? and how thick? thanks

David, I used 3mm thick Masonite (which I believe is called hardboard where you live) this was glued to quality plywood about 8mm thick, making the whole about 11mm thick.

The main frame is two pieces of 18mm plywood glued together to make an approximate 36mm thick circular frame. It is quite rigid, that said, the wheels are usually only skimming, except when there is a load on, and then I ensure my tools are sharp and taking light cuts. I use it for long spindle turning, where it works brilliantly.

 

[Ed Weingarden]

I will have to manually lift the tail stock off the lathe and set it aside. There's just no way around that step.

@Randy Anderson - I do a good number of deep HFs on a Grizzly G0800 (24/48 with swing away bed extension). Lifting the tailstock off and on was also an issue for me, so I built a cart to slide the tailstock on and off from. The "bed ways" on the cart are the same dimensions as the lathe bed, and the height lines up with that of the lathe bed. I built the cart with drawers so it's also a storage unit. My deep hollowing apparatus is from Advanced Lathe Tools (Steve Sinner); the steady rest is pretty heavy so it lives on the cart when not in use. That way I don't have to lift it from the floor, and it's a few steps to the lathe bed when I slide the tailstock off. You may also notice that I put a couple of cleats on the back side of the cart to hold the capture apparatus for my Jameison hollowing gear. Thus, whether I'm using the Sinner apparatus or the Jameison, I can get them to the lathe with little effort, while being able to slide the tailstock on and off, also with little effort.

 

[David Aion]

David, I used 3mm thick Masonite (which I believe is called hardboard where you live) this was glued to quality plywood about 8mm thick, making the whole about 11mm thick.

The main frame is two pieces of 18mm plywood glued together to make an approximate 36mm thick circular frame. It is quite rigid, that said, the wheels are usually only skimming, except when there is a load on, and then I ensure my tools are sharp and taking light cuts. I use it for long spindle turning, where it works brilliantly.



View attachment 67558

got it. thanks

 

[David Aion]

@Randy Anderson - I do a good number of deep HFs on a Grizzly G0800 (24/48 with swing away bed extension). Lifting the tailstock off and on was also an issue for me, so I built a cart to slide the tailstock on and off from. The "bed ways" on the cart are the same dimensions as the lathe bed, and the height lines up with that of the lathe bed. I built the cart with drawers so it's also a storage unit. My deep hollowing apparatus is from Advanced Lathe Tools (Steve Sinner); the steady rest is pretty heavy so it lives on the cart when not in use. That way I don't have to lift it from the floor, and it's a few steps to the lathe bed when I slide the tailstock off. You may also notice that I put a couple of cleats on the back side of the cart to hold the capture apparatus for my Jameison hollowing gear. Thus, whether I'm using the Sinner apparatus or the Jameison, I can get them to the lathe with little effort, while being able to slide the tailstock on and off, also with little effort.

brilliant

 

[Randy Anderson]

Ed, nice setup. Sure looks convenient. The tail stock isn't as heavy as I anticipated so not an issue but, I haven't lifted it 500 times yet either. The steady rest is the piece that's no fun to lift up and set on the bed but, I have limited space so no real room for a cart for it. I stayed with the 16" steady rest I have and had Keith Clark fab a riser for it. No way I was going up to a monster steady rest and try to manage it up and down.