# Disappointed by this lathe



## Druid

Hi Cathy, That's not good news, and I'm sorry to hear that you are having so much trouble with your new lathe. I really would expect much better performance from a Laguna product. I would suggest contacting your Laguna area manager to see what they will do for you.


----------



## oldrivers

Sorry to hear such bad news, I am considering a new Lathe, but will avoid this brand. Keep us posted on how Laguna handles this issue. They should make things right and compensate you for you anguish as well.


----------



## 1Woody

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and bad experiences with the new machine, I now know Laguna will not be on the top of my new machine list. 
Will be interesting to see if Laguna will do anything for you to fix the problem and have a happy customer.


----------



## cj5

Sorry to hear you are so disappointed with your Laguna. I have had my 18/36 for almost 2 years, use it almost every day,now and have had not trouble at all. I do keep the worst of the chips blown off. I have noticed it is very easy to accidentally change the speed setting when reaching for the stop switch. The spindle lock I found a work around by fastening a short piece of dowel to a horseshoe magnet. It will hold the red button down. Just be sure to release before starting lathe !


----------



## GR8HUNTER

this is very sad to hear seems like its not just this company but all of them are making horrible quality tools at a high price if I was you I would let them know why you are NOT HAPPY :<((((((((((((((


----------



## MrRon

I'm sorry to hear of your displeasure with your lathe. I have a Harbor Freight (HF) lathe. It's no Laguna, but at least I don't have your problems. I consider HF tools, works in progress. I can make modifications to improve their performance. Maybe you can do the same with your Laguna.


----------



## GR8HUNTER

> I m sorry to hear of your displeasure with your lathe. I have a Harbor Freight (HF) lathe. It s no Laguna, but at least I don t have your problems. I consider HF tools, works in progress. I can make modifications to improve their performance. Maybe you can do the same with your Laguna.
> 
> - MrRon


for that much money she should *NOT* have to modify it :<((((((((((((


----------



## cathyb

Thank you guys for your comments. If I had never had another lathe, maybe I would not be so upset. Since I paid a bundle of money for this thing, I had expectations of a top of the line tool with no flaws. Of course, I am going to have dust and chips flying. Didn't they consider this when they designed it. Honestly, the first time I couldn't turn it off because the buttons get stuck, I was dumbfounded. Thankfully, the emergency shut off works (so far). I should not have to rig up a way to keep the lock button to stay depressed, but I will until I find someone to buy this lathe. A lathe is an inherently dangerous tool. This one, with it's flaws, is even more dangerous. The dropping of the tool rest support yesterday in the middle of turning at 1200 rpms was really the last straw for me. Fortunately I did not get hurt, but what an eye opening experience and an absolutely unnecessary issue. This would have NEVER happened on the General. Once you had the tool rest tight on the General it did not loosen until you manually changed positions. 
I will definitely unload this tool. You all know that our tools are great, but anyone of them can cause an injury. If you can't trust a tool, it's just a matter of time until something bad happens.

Have a good out there…

Cathy


----------



## ssnvet

What a major bummer…. and I'm sure Laguna isn't even going to consider letting you send it back from Hawaii on their dime.

After all these years, they still don't seem to have their act together.


----------



## Redoak49

Have you contacted Laguna and what did they say?

I had a different Laguna tool and had a problem and called and got great help. They even called back two hours later to make certain everything was ok..


----------



## NormG

So sad to hear this has occurred. I have a coworker that is having the same issues. Early this summer he found a slightly used one (less than a year old) for sale, it came with all the bells and whistles, including lights, the extended bed, chucks and tools. He purchased it from a lady who's husband had been transferred and he would not be able to take his shop with him to their new home. He started using it that Saturday and has the same issues. He has spoken to Laguna and they have been less than helpful. Customer service says that it is due to inadequate dust collection and that since he is not the original purchaser they are not able to assist with the 2 year warranty.


----------



## cathyb

Hi Norman,

Of course, blame the customer for the design flaw. It is ridiculous. I don't want a new on/off switch, the same issue would result. I am not going to retrofit this thing with an after the market tool rest. This calls for a trip to the mainland for a tool show. I want to see the other lathes out there and find a suitable replacement, before I put this thing up for sale. Geez….

Cathy


----------



## michelletwo

Laguna appears to have customer service issues & it appears off and on in reviews. Unfortunaely they just bought sawstop, so it will interesting to see how sawstop owners who got great customer service, fair now. sorry for your troubles..it just ain't right.


----------



## Redoak49

Laguna did not buy Sawstop. TTS Tooltechnic Systems bought Sawstop and they also own Festool.


----------



## MrRon

> I m sorry to hear of your displeasure with your lathe. I have a Harbor Freight (HF) lathe. It s no Laguna, but at least I don t have your problems. I consider HF tools, works in progress. I can make modifications to improve their performance. Maybe you can do the same with your Laguna.
> 
> - MrRon
> 
> for that much money she should *NOT* have to modify it :<((((((((((((
> 
> - GR8HUNTER


I wasn't trying to imply that she try to fix anything that was "broken" or the result of poor design; rather things that can easily be fixed easily without any cost needed. Major issues should be referred to the company and be returned according to warranty. I know you take a risk when buying anything on line, but it is often the only way to get the item. When I make a major purchase, I buy locally and if it is not available locally, I shop for it used. I prefer "old iron" over new.


----------



## TopamaxSurvivor

Cathy, With those kinds of issues, I hope you report them to the product safety commission. A recall would be appropriate.


----------



## RobinDobbie

It sounds like you were being generous with the 3 stars. I made my first bowl the other day with a table saw, which is obviously not the ideal way to make a bowl! But it was fun. The more I look at the prices and performance of mid-range lathes, the more I consider just making one.


----------



## cathyb

Thank you all for your support. I am just incredibly disappointed with this experience, which keeps on coming. Today, I tried to drill the hole through my lamp body for the wiring, only to have that stupid lathe ramp up the speed. It is infuriating to have this happen. Once I have gone to so much trouble and effort to make my segmented lamps, then turn them, then add a coat of finish. I can't have this machine trying to speed up the drilling which is so critical and must be done without any unnecessary drama. After all, at this point, I am using a 12" long brad tipped bit and I sure don't want to go fast and I don't have an extra hand to spare to get back to the proper speed. Geez!

Considering I have made well over one hundred lamps with my General lathe and never had any of these problems, I get more frustrated every day. The one thing we, as woodworkers, always feel is a certain teamwork with our tools. I know my tools, I know how they assist me. They are an extension of me and I am always aware of the challenges of safety and never push my luck. This machine seems to have a mind of it's own. I can't get into a rhythm with this tool, because there is always a surprise coming around the corner.

Does anyone have a suggestion for my new lathe?

Cathy


----------



## Redoak49

I asked earlier if you had contacted Laguna? I read thru the thread again and did not see any reference to contacting them.

So, I will ask again if you have contacted them and their response.


----------



## RobinDobbie

Sounds like too many design flaws for a factory fix. But if re-homing it is inevitable, by all means get as many replacement parts for "free" as possible.

In my shopping I was looking at the Grizzly G0766 for $2233("practical" option). Seems like early models may have had some issues, but this was years ago.

Although, the Powermatic 3520 series(new or used) would probably garner more peace of mind. Personally I absolutely can't justify the new price, especially with the new tariffs.


----------



## cathyb

Good morning Red Oak,

I'll call them tomorrow. I will also let Woodcraft know the problems with this lathe. Maybe Laguna will come out with a better model in the future, with a switch in a more logical location to not capture the dust allowing them to get stuck. The emergency shut off is not in an ideal location. It should be near my knee.
The tool bar rest sounded great, but it needs to be redesigned. Ditto for the banjo clamp.
I have no idea why the machine changes speed while it is running, maybe this makes the motor happier. This will continue to create problems down the road.
Honestly, many turners work on the lathe with a turned piece. There must be an option to lock the spindle to accomplish this task.
I hope you all have a productive weekend….

Cathy


----------



## edapp

Based on these types of issues I too would be all over Laguna about the safety hazards. I do not have a lathe (yet) but thought of the Laguna product offering to be very appealing. I took a risk with their bandsaw after reading many poor reviews, and have been happy with it so far… however a tool like a lathe requires significant confidence and the risks of on of these issues happening is not worth taking.

Good luck with your dealings with them!


----------



## GR8HUNTER

well Cathy only thing I can say is call Laguna if they are not willing to help you out with your problems … then always remember the squeakiest wheel gets the most grease LOL :<))


----------



## Redoak49

It will be interesting to hear the response from Laguna. The most troubling issue is the changing speeds on its iwn and sounds like a circuit board or pot issue.

We see on this forum issues with new equipment or shipping pretty frequently. I always am a bit surprised when people post a review like this without contacting the company. IMHO the first thing to do is contacting the company before blasting them on a forum.


----------



## GR8HUNTER

well said RedOak :<))


----------



## cathyb

Good morning RedOak,

I get your point, but if I had not read great reviews about this lathe, I would not have made the purchase. This only contributed to my disappointment. I have had three Laguna bandsaws and liked them all. Admittedly they each had some misgivings, but I sang their praises. I have had two Laguna table saws and I still think my TS is one of the safest table saws on the market. My recently purchased dust collector is pretty cool. 
The lathe is different from other tools. There are so many ways to use the lathe, I don't think the designers considered the many uses when they came up with the design. This could also be said for anything made for children, which always create problems (this is why I do not make children's toys).
From my experience at the Hickam Air Force woodshop, where I worked before I got my own shop, I realized men don't like to complain. It makes them look weak to other men. They did complain to me, because they needed to vent to someone who understood their concerns. I chose to expose these problems for all the men, who will also find this problem, but will not want to loose their high stature among their peers. It is what it is, the lathe has some issues. I am disappointed with Laguna, as I have been a loyal customer for over 20 years.


----------



## Redoak49

Oh, please….you are making this men versus women issue. It is a lathe!!!!! These days everybody complains.

I only said you should contact the company first before writing a very negative review to give them a chance. If I have a problem with a tool, I call the company and then write a review.

With your attitude, I am gone…good luck with Laguna.


----------



## JayT

So sorry you are having these issues, Cathy. It stinks when something doesn't perform to appropriate basic standards. Hope you get a good resolution and can find a lathe worthy of your abilities.



> We see on this forum issues with new equipment or shipping pretty frequently. I always am a bit surprised when people post a review like this without contacting the company. IMHO the first thing to do is contacting the company before blasting them on a forum.
> 
> - Redoak49


I don't see the problem. Cathy is not blasting the company or reviewing their customer service level. She is reviewing a piece of machinery, which obviously failed to make the grade. In this, I feel she did an excellent job of pointing out the shortcomings. How is contacting the company first going to make the banjo stay in place? or keep dust from interfering with the switch function? Even if Laguna comes through with a satisfactory resolution, it doesn't make this lathe safer and shouldn't change the review.

If she had blasted the company without contacting them, or obviously not understood how to use the tool, it's a different story. Neither is the case here.


----------



## Druid

Unfortunate that Redoak49 did not understand that Cathy had already stated in comment #21, that she would "call them tomorrow". I'm waiting to hear how she is treated by the Laguna management.


----------



## cathyb

Good morning John,

I just spoke with Laguna. They were thankfully attentive and appreciative. I told him all my concerns. He offered to have a technician come to look at the lathe, but I told him the issues really suggest a redesign of some elements to make this a great lathe. For example, move the emergency shut off, so you can stop the lathe with your hip. Because on a lathe you can always lean, but usually both hands are engaged. The on/off switch should be on the face of the tool, so it would not collect dust and get stuck in the "on" position. The tool rest should have a cover to prevent chips from entering the open space, which then become dislodged loosing the pressure so the tool rest drops. I also recommended a manual spindle lock for people like me, who carve work on the lathe. We didn't discuss the speed issue, but I told him the lathe increases speed at times without warning. Usually, a turner would just slow it down. For me, when I was trying to pull out my 12" bit after drilling through my lamp body, the increased speed created a real problem. I didn't have a free hand. At that moment, an emergency switch by my hip would have save my lamp.

He told me he would contact Woodcraft, where I purchased the lathe, and discuss a refund. I did not expect this offer, but since I will be buying a new lathe, it works for me. In the end, since half my shop is full of Laguna tools, I want my company to be around for a long time. I have already experienced the loss of General Tools (very sad!). Once my General Tools fail, I know I will not be able to buy parts. I certainly don't want this to happen to Laguna.

No tool is perfect, but my Laguna tools (with the exception of the lathe) is as good as it gets. End of story….

Cathy


----------



## NormG

That will be some trip to the mainland to see other Lathes. In addition to the price you have extra shipping costs to deal with.


----------



## cathyb

Hi Norm,

I spoke with Laguna a second time. They suggested I take the panel cover off the lathe and tighten the electrical connections. Really? When I said there is no way to overcome the design of the tool rest and would be forced to buy an after market replacement, they asked to see my receipt. Will they help me out with the extra cost? Who knows. I've always been such a positive advocate for them, it is shocking to me that they didn't create a better lathe. It has some good attributes, but safety to me is always my number one priority. I noticed Packard will ship to Hawaii. I'll give them a call on Monday. After my experience with the General lathe and now this one, it would not be difficult to explain exactly what I expect in my next lathe. I'll also contact some guys at the Honolulu bowl turners club and ask to see their lathes before spending any more money… It certainly has been a journey.
Have a great weekend!

Cathy


----------



## Dartboy

Hi Cathy, I have been following this and felt the need to add my comments which I normally do not do. As we all enjoy doing things our way…I find it next to impossible to see how an engineer can design something that fits each and every one of our applications or tecniques perfectly…I decide on the machine that I feel "fits me" best within my budget and found that I always seem to tweak the products I purchase to fit my personal needs. "Necessity of invention" and feel you would agree as I read your comments about their bandsaws and the tool rest.

I'm very familiar with this machine and did want to ask you this, during your decision-making process did someone misinform you about the emergency stop buttons fixed location? On their bigger newer more expensive 2436 they have two areas that you can control the machine from, were you thinking this was on the 1836 as well?

I have also added my thoughts below and feel that you would enjoy this unit if it was operating/performing the way mine is.

you wrote;

These are the problems I have experienced so far with the Laguna:

1. If dust or small chips get wedged in the banjo clamp handle it will not lock in place. Take the time to brush off the dust and get the dang thing to hold in position on the bed. Really?

...the banjo clamping lever is fairly long which does provide leverage to clamp it in place. Even if some wood chips made their way up under the bed and settled on the clamping washer that locks the banjo in place…so I'm very surprised to hear that you have experienced this…could there be another reason? Could the banjos locking plate need to be adjusted/tightened up so it clamps better?

2. Same problem with the tool rest handle. Today, for the first time, the tool rest dropped down while I was turning a spindle. For all their bragging of these great locks, my General lathe never lost grip on the banjo handle or the tool rest handle. Never!!
..
This is another surprise as I have never had this happen but I can see why it could. That slot could fill up with wood dust and restrict the clamping action to fully lock the tool rest. Stopping the dust from entering that grove would eliminate the possibility from that happening again…if you're going to keep the lathe, I was thinking of a rubber o-ring with a thickness large enough to fit the grove and an overall diameter that when cut would be long enough to fill the length of it. Push it into the slot so it prevents dust from getting in there.

3. If dust or small chips can get into the shutoff switch, so you can't turn it off without using the emergency shut off switch, which resets the on and off switch. This is a design flaw.

Sorry Cathy, the on/off contacts are inside the headstock and not exposed to the outside of the machine. I feel you simply have a defective switch.

4. The machine at times decides what speed it thinks you should run. I don't want to go faster than the speed set before I chuck my wood in place!

This has happened to me and I was told that it was one of two things; first the simple one. The Var. speed control knob has a rubber o-ring under it which is designed to place some resistance on the control knob preventing it from self-adjusting. There is a set screw that locks it to the shaft if you release the set screw and push it down so that you can confirm its making contact with the o-ring and tighten the set screw back up it might fix the problem.
The other is the optical eye that senses the speed or RPM if it was dislodged in transit it can be picking up false readings and would need to be reset/repositioned.

5. Biggest pet peeve is you cannot work on the lathe, except for spinning wood. It will not hold the LOCK position. This is awful and it is the one failure that would have turned me against this lathe in the first place.

This machine has two methods to control the rotation of the spindle, first is the red button that is "spring loaded", its used to lock the spindle so you can remove your faceplates or adapters.

The other is the indexing system on the left side of the machine, sounds like you are unaware of this feature.

I hope this helps and wish you a happy outcome!!


----------



## cathyb

Good morning Dartboy,

I sincerely appreciate you taking the time to read my concerns and come up with some solutions. It would make sense that the switch is defective. The other day, I noticed no light on the switch to show the speed. Again, once I hit the emergency shut off, the light came on. I mentioned this to Laguna, but they did not offer to send me a new switch. They just said the wires may be loose. 
I will be out there in a few minutes and tighten up the set screw to see if this helps with the random change in speed. I hope so, as I have two more lamps to bore out today. The speed change has added unnecessary drama to this otherwise simple procedure.
I did not know about the option of locking my spindle, it would certainly be appreciated. I'm coming to the end of my 
project to make a series of segmented lamps, fifteen in all. I'll have a reveal next week. They came out pretty nice.

Best regards for productive day!

Cathy


----------



## Dartboy

Hi Cathy, I just looked and the indexing system that allows us to control the spindle rotation incrementally is in the manual and I think on youtube as well.


----------



## Dartboy

Cathy, I just reread your reply and the set screw on the speed control locks the knob to the shaft. You need to loosen the set screw and PUSH DOWN ON THE KNOB then retighten the set screw as you're applying down word pressure.


----------



## cathyb

Good evening Dartboy,

Today got a little crazy. I did get a chance to search for the indexing. When I initially got the lathe, I noticed they were talking about the indexing to set the drive belt to reflect your work pieces. Thanks to your comment, I see there is the option to push in the knob, screw it in place and keep the spindle stationary. To this I a say, eureka! 
I did tighten the set screw, hopefully this will resolve the un-welcomed speed changes.

Thanks again for taking time to help me get through this. I still intend to buy another tool rest, this should not be a big expense.

Best regards,

Cathy


----------



## bigJohninvegas

Hi Cathy, I am sorry to hear you are having so much trouble. I own a Jet 16X42, but have spent 20 plus hours using a Laguna 24/36. I have found it to be a great lathe. I hope Dartboys suggestions can fix the issues you are having. 
The 24/36 that I have used came with a second set of controls that use magnets to attach anywhere you want them. 
Is this an option on the model you own? That was one of the features I liked the most. I do a lot of hollowing where I am standing at the end of the lathe. And not having to reach around a spinning chunk of wood to stop or adjust the speed has been great. 
I am tall, 6'-5". And I have to put my lathe up on blocks to make it comfortable to use. Because of my height, the Laguna controls work well for me. Most other brands, Jet, Powermatic, Grizzly, etc. They all seem to look the same, and have there controls positioned a little lower. 
I agree that you should not be dealing with the issues you have, but I encourage you to check all the connections that Laguna mentioned. No telling what your lathe went through getting to Hawaii. 
Good luck.


----------



## cathyb

This is my final update on this lathe. I have now posted it for sale on Craig's List. It was a disappointment from day one and the experience never got better. I have had three Laguna band saws, two table saws and their dust collector. I should have recognized immediately, maybe I did subconsciously, not every piece of equipment they produce is trouble free. If I think of all the trouble I had with my big resaw bandsaw, which included buying a new motor, problems with the switch and the emergency shutoff, it was leap of faith to buy the new one. I don't use it as much as my old bandsaw, but this lathe brought back some lousy memories. I know this much: if the tool is a problem to start with, it doesn't get any better. 
Maybe the new owner will be thrilled. I will be equally happy to get that thing out of my shop.

I hope you all have a great weekend.


----------



## Druid

Hi Cathy. I've followed this situation with interest, but I must say that I simply can NOT understand why the Laguna staff did not get the many problems with your lathe corrected immediately. Their lack of commitment to supporting this product appropriately, is very similar to my situation with Laguna that I told you about. So, unfortunately, nothing has improved with their lack of REAL customer support.
In your case, Laguna has thrown away a beautiful opportunity to demonstrate good customer support (just as they did with me), and so far there have been over 2,025 views of your situation. When you consider how many times these viewers have told other woodworkers about Laguna's reluctance to support the product that you purchased, that's quite a substantial amount of negative advertising that could have been converted into a positive outcome if only they had taken appropriate care of you, their customer.
I certainly hope that you can find a new lathe to meet both your requirements, and your excellent skill level.

Blessings.


----------



## cathyb

Thank you John.
It is funny Laguna called Woodcraft this week to offer me a tutorial on how to use this lathe. Really? I have been turning wood for 18 years. If I had never owned a lathe, maybe I would think all these issues were to be expected. I just don't like this lathe. I loved my General lathe, it was predicable, came assembled and was my buddy for twelve years. Losing that lathe was like losing a golden retriever. So sad….

Anyway, I am done turning lamps for awhile. My fair is in two weeks. I am ramping up for advertising and staging for this annual event, which is at my home. It should be fun. I hope it doesn't rain.

Cheers!

Cathy


----------



## Druid

So, they want to offer you a tutorial . . . ??? From what I have seen of your capabilities, they should be sending customers to you for instruction on turning. Reminds me of how I was treated by Laguna, and I think that they need to reconsider their approach to customer complaints.
On the positive side . . .
Best luck with your Fair, and I am expecting the weather to be beautiful for you. I hope to see some photos of your finished lamps on here too. 
Blessings,
John.


----------



## RichBolduc

Hi Cathy,

Just saw a link to this from another post. Sucks to hear this about the 1836 as I was most likely purchasing one soon. The other one I was considering is the Nova Galaxi as Teknitool is about 2 miles from my house and I've been there before to get parts for my Comet ii, so I know their customer service is good in person at least. If you have sold this lathe already, what are you planning on replacing it with or have you replaced it already?

Rich


----------



## cathyb

Good morning Rich,

It hasn't sold yet, but is currently for sale. I would definitely consider a Nova, I like their chucks and accessories.

I've been so busy getting ready for my Christmas fair, which is tomorrow at my home. In preparation for the fair, I also refinished my Cuban mahogany mail box. I carved him almost 20 years ago. He still looks great 



















Thank you for you post.

Have a terrific weekend,


----------

