About Laguna Revo 24/36

[Luca Fumagalli]

Hi All,

I'm considering to buy the Laguna 24/36 from my local Woodcraft shop.

I've seen the smaller 18/36 version of it on display and, beside the general nice details and finishing, I'm a bit worried about how low this lathe is. I'm around 5.9 ft tall and, to be comfortable when turning, I will need to raise the lathe up of around 1 ft more (EDIT: is low but not as low as 1 ft less). According to the Vendor's specs, the spindle of the 24/36 version is just 3" taller, so still too low.

As you may know, Laguna is selling a raising block which is very expensive and btw will not provide the adequate height, so I was suggested to put concrete blocks under the lathe's legs. Would it be ok? Or perhaps it would not be the best practice due to increasing vibrations? Any recommendation here would be very helpful.

Beside the height concerns, does anyone has the 24/36 Revo and can share opinions about it?

Thanks, Luca

[MichaelMouse]

I think the standard construction concrete block would fragment.  They are often made, or were when we burned coal, of clinkers, which made them even softer.  Wood is good to elevate, and if you do your joinery, you may even have a mobile base for it when you're done. 

Or just built a cabinet out of sheet goods and put those iron legs in the garage.  That way you get the height and storage, too.

[Angus]

I'm sorry, I cant see any lathe in production that is one foot to short for an average height turner. A few inches maybe, but a foot? not if you use the rule of thumb for the spindle at your elbow.

Edit to add: that lathe is 44.5 inches or 3' 8 and half inches floor to spindle. If you add a foot that puts the spindle 4' 8 1/2. So the would put the spindle 1 foot below the top of your head. Something is not right here. first post????? strange indeed

[DFJarvie]

PM 3520 is about 45" (spindle height from floor) and I'm 6'3" and it's very comfortable. It's in the same price range as the Laguna.

[Luca Fumagalli]

MichaelMouse, thanks, I'll try to put some wood as raising block.

DFJarvie, thanks for the suggestion. The PM was my primary choice, in fact, but overall it is too far beyond my budget's cap. EDIT: To clarify, I'd like to turn big pieces, up to 22", so the PM will require also the bed extension which is 400$ more or less. Moreover, the PM starts from a higher price (4000$ vs. the 3500$ of the Laguna), so overall it will take around 1000$ more.

Angus, when I was looking at the lathe in the shop I had the impression that the spindle was around 1 ft from my elbows. Perhaps the bottom screws were not installed, I don't know, or maybe I have overestimated the issue. By the way your math is correct, thank you, also yes this is my first post, correct again.

Thanks, Luca

[iclark]

Hi Luca,

First, welcome to Woodnet.

I would not consider using concrete blocks to add height. They are too slippery and many of them are too brittle to hold up to the vibration of lathe feet.

A sturdily-assembled H-shaped base with recesses drilled for the lathe feet is much more forgiving and safer.

Please do not take offense, but we do not know each other and we can not offer you proper advice without more knowledge.

Based on your stated height and your statement about the extent that the lathe is too short, I have to ask:

1) what sort of experience do you have using a wood lathe?


2) when your arms are hanging straight down at your sides, how high are your elbows from the floor?

3) why do you want the lathe spindle at neck-level?

[DFJarvie]

If the Laguna meets your needs its worth buying the riser kit. Your going to be turning heavy out of balance blanks so you want to make sure the lathe is stable.

[Luca Fumagalli]

iclark, DFJarvie, thank you - About your questions:
1) what sort of experience do you have using a wood lathe? --> My experience is low/average, just two years with a Rikon MIDI lathe, but what I like most is to turn bowl so this is why I'm looking for more capacity (currently the Rikon is 12" from spindle to bed).
2) when your arms are hanging straight down at your sides, how high are your elbows from the floor? --> About 46"/3.82 ft
3) why do you want the lathe spindle at neck-level? --> I don't. I think I made some mistake with my assessment and math (as Angus pointed out in his reply) and perhaps I should have verified this earlier, sorry. I'd like the spindle height to be at elbows level, so it looks like it is ok because my elbows are at 46" and the spindle is at 44.5", so pretty close. I think I may try to work on that lathe as it is, and then in case make some efforts to buy the riser kit, as DFJarvie suggested.

Thanks, I appreciate your feedback

Luca

[robo hippy]

I am trying to figure out how, if you are 5 foot 9 inches tall that a lathe like the Laguna needs to be 1 foot higher.... Maybe if you are 6 foot 9.... Any way, if you need to raise it, I would not use cinder blocks. They may hold up for a while, but would eventually break down due to vibration. Even if you set the lathe feet on plywood to distribute the load, it could be a problem. I had my old PM up on some 4 by 4 scraps, with holes drilled for the leveling feet. The 4 by 4s were secured to the wall to keep the lathe in place. Make sure the feet are secured to the riser blocks, and there is plenty of foot print to take care of movement length wise, and sideways, or maybe North/South, and East/West. If you have the mobility kit on your lathe, the way Laguna does it, if you use the sliding headstock option, they need to be unbolted or you will trip over them.

The biggest difference between the Laguna and the PM is the headstock design. The Laguna has a big cone that sticks out 4 or more inches from the headstock. The PM is pretty much flush to the headstock. Big difference in vibration issues because on the Laguna, what ever you are turning is hanging out much farther off the base. Yes, vibration is dampened if you have the tailstock engaged, but I just don't care for that design. Yes, it may have a slight advantage if you are trying to true up a bowl after it has been reversed, but to me, especially on pieces over about 12 inch diameter, that is a huge stability issue.

robo hippy

[MichaelMouse]

The "cone" in no way contributes to instability no matter where the headstock is located.  The end of the spindle is the end of the spindle.  Period, end of sentence.  Whether or not the face behind the end of the spindle is square only interferes with tools and wrenches. The cone does, however, allow for reach around, as their demo shows.  Not that I favor the practice, because it almost guarantees you stand in the throw zone, and you are using your "off" hand, which makes you just a bit clumsier. 

No one should need to worry about imbalance with a leg splay greater than the radius of the turning.  A bandsaw and low rotation should account for virtually all imbalance, though I have turned a couple-three pieces that were so different in radius and/or depth one side to another that I found it advantageous to lag on a few washers in the waste area to balance up the rotation.  You can also bore holes to remove weight from the heavy/longer end, if things are that messed up.