My Christmas gift from my husband finally arrived after being on back order for a few months! It’s Laguna Tool’s new midi lathe: the Revo 12|16. Since the lathe is still fairly new to the market, I wanted to share a few unboxing photos and my first impressions of the machine.

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I purchased the Revo 12|16, the adjustable stand, and the PRO wheel system.

Additional accessories for the lathe include a bed extension/outboard table and a light. I did not purchase either item, but perhaps in the future I’ll pick up the bed extension.

The Packaging

The boxes arrived with minor external damage. Fortunately, the contents of the box were protected with thick sturdy polystyrene foam.

Assembling the Lathe Stand

I built a stand for my previous lathe, and had considered going the DIY route with the Revo 1216, but after checking out the Revo 1216 stand in a store I felt the it was worth the additional cost.

I assembled the lathe stand prior to removing the lathe from the box. Putting it together was pretty straight forward. I assembled it solo, but having a second pair of hands would have made the job so much easier.

Installing the Wheel System

If you’ve installed the wheel system onto one of Laguna’s bandsaws, this step should be a breeze as the lathe uses the same set of wheels.

I felt the instructions weren’t very clear and photos could have made this step easier. Fortunately, Laguna has a video on how to install the wheel system onto their bandsaws. The installation process is the same for the lathe.

Attaching the Lathe to the Stand

Lifting the lathe and resting it onto the stand is definitely a two person job.

Quality of Assembling Instructions

On a scale of 0 to 10, where 0 is no instructions and 10 is SawStop’s Table Saw instructions, I’d give it a 5.

I expected a mediocre instruction booklet based off my experience assembling the Laguna C|Flux 1.5 HP dust collector. (Laguna does make up for the poor C|Flux instruction booklet by having an excellent assembly video.)

Reasons I docked points from the Instruction Booklet quality:

1. There was discrepancy between number of rubber feet included with the lathe stand and what’s mentioned in a step. The first step for building stand called for installing 4 rubber feet. Four feet with matching washers and bolts where packaged in a plastic bag together. I notice a separate bag with an additional pair for feet but assumed it was just spare parts. At later point in assembling the stand I noticed there was two additional holes in the base for installing the rubber feet. No big deal because fortunately, I noticed this before attaching the lathe to the stand.
2. The step for installing the rubber feet called it casters. It was briefly confusing at first. I wasn’t sure if I was missing something.
3. I noticed a typo.
4. Outside of photos depicting the contents of the box, there are no step by step assembly pictures. The text is fine, but having a photo would have eliminated any confusion I had while putting the lathe stand and wheel system together.

ToolMetrix Unboxing Video

Paul over at ToolMetrix has a great unboxing and assembly video. I found myself referencing it a few times when steps in the instruction booklet were not clear to me. I highly recommend you check out his video.

First Impressions on the Laguna Revo 1216

The Laguna 1216 is a beast of a machine. The finish is top notch.* The machine and stand are sturdy. The built in storage is a very thoughtful design. So far, I’m very impressed.

*I say the finish is top notch, but my lathe does have a couple flaws. The stand has scratches in several places like it was dragged on a rough surface prior to getting packaged. The lathe had a few spots on the back side where it appeared it didn’t get a gloss clear coat like the rest of the finish. (Minor things in the grand scheme of things, but when you drop a little more than a grand on a new tool you’d hope for a perfect finish.)

Laguna Revo 12|16 vs Harbor Freight’s Central Machinery 10″ x 18″ Lathe

I’m upgrading from a Central Machinery 10″ x 18″ lathe. I think the Central Machinery lathe is a great starter lathe. It’s a good value for the dollar and is well built.

My main reason for wanting to upgrade from it is to gain variable speed. Belt changing was a chore on the Harbor Freight lathe. Doing the same task on the Revo 1216 is a breeze.

I will admit, I had not use my Harbor Freight lathe frequently enough to really justify the upgrade.

What’s Next?

My greatest area of interest for wood turning is small bowls and toys. In the future I hope to incorporate a little resin with wood turning as well. I think I’ll start “Woodturning Wednesdays” and share what I’ve been creating on the lathe.

Do you own this lathe? What are your thoughts on it? Or if you’re finding this post maybe you’re trying to decide whether or not you’ll become an owner of it too? ;o)

If there’s enough interest, I’ll create an actual product review of the lathe once I’ve had time put it to use. Leave a comment below if that’s something you’d like to see.

The post Laguna Revo 12|16 Lathe Unboxing and First Impressions appeared first on Handmade with Ashley.

How to turn a bowl

Earlier this week, I was in a 3-night class on bowl turning.  I learned a lot of stuff, and I want to share my new-found knowledge here.  That being said, I am no expert at bowl turning, but I do hope you will find this information useful.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.

Tools and Supplies

To create a bowl, I used the following items:

• Lathe
• Bowl blank
• Faceplate
• Chuck (plus Cole Jaw)
• Turning tools (Roughing gouge, Bowl gouge, Scraper, Parting tool)
• A piece of thick leather (for sanding)
• Sandpaper (Grits 220 – 400)
• Bowl finish
• Bandsaw
• Ruler
• Pencil Compass
• Pencil
• Drill and screws

How to turn a bowl

Step 1: Prep the bowl blank for mounting on the lathe.

Find the center of the blank

1. Find the center of the bowl blank.
2. With a compass, draw the largest circle that can fit on the blank.
3. Draw a second circle, this one with a diameter matching the diameter of the faceplate.
4. Cut out the outer circle with a bandsaw.
5. Drill the faceplate onto the blank within the bounds of the inner circle.
6. Thread the faceplate on the lathe.

Cut out the larger circle with a bandsaw

Attaching the faceplate to the bowl blank

Step 2: Shape the outside of the bowl

First, straighten the side of the bowl with the parting tool.

Before the bowl sides are straightened

After the bowl sides are straightened

Next, flatten the base of the bowl.  I used the scraper.

Once the base is flat, cut a tenon for the chuck jaws.  To do this, use the parting tool to create a quarter-inch deep crevice.  Then, bring the inside circle down to the same depth as the crevice.

Creating a chuck tenon

The chuck tenon

Once the tenon is complete, shape the outside of the bowl.

Shaping the exterior of the bowl

Cycle through the different grits of sandpaper.  We used a thick piece of leather as barrier between the sandpaper and our fingers.  The leather absorbed the heat from the friction.

Step 3: Shape the inside of the bowl

Remove the faceplate from the lathe and remove it from the bowl.  Thread a chuck to the lathe, and remount the bowl using the chuck tenon.

In my class, our instructor used a series of Forstner drill bits to create a nice starting point for hollowing out the bowl.

A big hole from the Forstner drill bit

I used the bowl gouge to hollow the remaining portion.

Shaping the outside of the bowl

Cycle through the different grits of sandpaper and apply a finish to the interior and exterior the bowl.

Step 4: Remove the chuck tenon

Remove the bowl from the chuck and remount it with a cole jaw. For added stability, use the tailstock and a small scrap piece of wood.

Scrap away the chuck tenon.

Removing the chuck tenon

Chuck tenon removed (it’s a different bowl)

Step 5: Finish

Sand the remaining portion of the bowl and apply a finish.

A wooden bowl

I really enjoyed bowl turning and I look forward to making more bowls.

A wooden bowl

My son has found a purpose for the bowl

A wooden bowl

The post How to turn a bowl appeared first on Handmade with Ashley.

Last month I found a local wood shop.  They offer a variety of woodworking classes.  I was in their pen turning class.  (Next month I will be in a bowl turning class, eeek!)

I’m so excited I found a local woodshop. So many awesome tools in one place & they have classes #woodworking pic.twitter.com/z3PfhGohTp

— Ashley Grenon (@handmadewithash) August 18, 2016

The Pen Turning Class

In the pen turning class, we worked on making a slimline pen.  Before we turned our tiny pen blanks, we had a chance to get acquainted with the lathe and tools on a larger 2×2 blank.

A practice piece before I turn on the pen blocks. Woodturning is a lot fun. I can get used to this. #woodturning #lathe #diy #woodworking #woodworker #wood #sawdust #penturning

A photo posted by Ashley Grenon (@handmadewithashley) on Sep 7, 2016 at 5:49pm PDT

I practiced on a piece of cedar and gained a new appreciation for the wood. It has a pretty grain pattern that I had not noticed before when I see the cedar boards in the hardware stores.

I selected a couple of walnut blanks for my pen.  (This was my first time working with walnut.)  The instructor walked us through drilling a hole in the blank, installing the brass tubes and prepping it for turning on the lathe.  I made a mistake during the installation of the brass tubes:  I did not apply enough super glue and my tube slipped out.  It was a recoverable mistake and hopefully one I won’t make again.

Pen turning for the first time #penturning #woodworking #woodturning #wood #sawdust #pen #woodenpen #woodshop #wood #lathe #walnut #woodlathe

A photo posted by Ashley Grenon (@handmadewithashley) on Sep 7, 2016 at 5:13pm PDT

Turning the pen to size was pretty easy.  I tried to taper the ends.  The pen was sealed with a couple of coats of Shellawax.

Roughing the pen blank down. This is my first working with walnut. #woodturning #lathe #lathetools #penturning #woodworking #woodworker #wood #sawdust #walnut #jet

A photo posted by Ashley Grenon (@handmadewithashley) on Sep 7, 2016 at 6:14pm PDT

I really enjoyed pen turning and I can’t wait to explore other areas of woodturning.

My first wood turning project very messy but very fun. I can’t wait to tackle new projects! #woodturning #wood #lathe #penturning #pen #woodenpen #woodpens #woodworker #wood #dowordworking

A photo posted by Ashley Grenon (@handmadewithashley) on Sep 7, 2016 at 7:40pm PDT

What’s Next

Woodturning is a hobby that I intend to keep up.  Turning toys and jewelry are the two buckets of projects that interest me the most.  I purchased a Central Machinery wood lathe from Harbor Freight a few months ago during a mega sale. Slowly, I have been accumulating accessories and tools for woodturning.

I picked up a wood lathe from Harbor Freight. Now, I have to figure out how to use it. #woodturning #lathe #diy #woodworking #woodworker #harborfreight #centralmachinery

A photo posted by Ashley Grenon (@handmadewithashley) on Jul 13, 2016 at 6:26pm PDT

(Disclosure: A few of these links are affiliate links.)

So far I have picked up:

• A Nova G3 Chuck
• Rockler Carbide Mini Turning Tool set
• Woodturner’s apron
• Face shield

Goodies from my @rockler_woodworking trip. I need to figure out my dust collection solution and then I’ll be all set to try woodturning. #diy #woodworking #rockler #woodturning #lathe #lathetools #idontknowwhatiamdoing

A photo posted by Ashley Grenon (@handmadewithashley) on Jul 31, 2016 at 2:01pm PDT

I have also (probably a bit overkill) purchased several woodturning books:

• All New Turning Projects with Richard Raffan
• Turning Segmented Wooden Bangles on the Wood
• Segmented Bowls for the Beginning Turner
• Turning Salt & Pepper Shakers and Mills
• Woodturning Jewellery
• Turning Toys
• Woodturning Traditional Folk Toys
• Turning Projects: with Richard Raffan
• Turning Wood with Richard Raffan

Unfortunately, I am not comfortable with woodturning in my garage just yet.  The last piece to the puzzle is dust collection.  I’ve been eyeing the Dust Right Lathe dust collection system from Rockler but I am not 100% sold on it.  Once I finalize my dust safety I’ll be ready to turn all the wood!

If you have experience with woodturning, any advice for a newbie like me? Leave a suggestion below!

The post Pen Turning: Woodturning for the First Time appeared first on Handmade with Ashley.