I Pushed My Laguna 1836 Lathe to Its Limits With This Wood Bowl… | Woodturning
I wanted to see what my Laguna 18-36 lathe is made of, especially since it is the 1.5hp, 110v version. This was one of my last big chunks of elm and once I cut into it, I knew I had to use this piece of wood as my test. The other side of the log had some checks & cracks running throughout most of the wood so this side was the only option as far as turning a large piece but even still you can see I ran into some issues with this bowl. What started off as a 28" bowl finished out around 23" after clearing around most of the bigger voids. All in all, I am super happy with this bowl & love the beautiful colors & grain that run throughout the wood. Even though I didn't break my record of largest bowl turned - currently 24", I am thrilled with how this piece came out & how smoothly the overall process went. I look forward to trying to break my record again here in the next few weeks so stay tuned!
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Tools that I use -
Laguna 18|36 110v Lathe
Carter & Sons 5/8 Bowl Gouge (Unhandled)
Trent Bosch 5/8 Handle
Crown 3/4 Round Nose Scraper
Crown Detail Gouge
Real Milk Paint Co. Tung Oil
Vince's WoodnWonders 3" Sanding Disc
Rikon Slow Speed Grinder w/ Wolverine Sharpening Jig
Canon M6 Mark II
Great work, well done Sir !!
Glad to see you are putting the Laguna through it's paces with the large turning. looked pretty stable to me. Beautiful bowl (cracks and all)
Thank you! Overall the lathe was very stable especially adding in the 2x4 on the end. Given I needed help getting this piece mounted, id say it handled it pretty well! 👍
First time watching your videos, but not only is this bowl huge to me, the Elm is such beautiful wood! Thank you for putting thia "out there" for all to enjoy, and learn!😊
This gives a whole new meaning to "go big or go home!" Beautiful, and beautifully done! 🥰
Had to see what this lathe was made of!
I really like how this one turned out. Good thing you were able to turn past the hollow spot and still maintain most of its size.
Hahaha! Awesome! 😂👍🏼
looks great with just the outside turned!!
Awesome Bowl and video. I looked threw your videos and fell in love with the little feet you created on the "Trying Something Different" video . If you wouldn't mind I would like to steal that idea for one of my bowls. Subbed and bell rung.
I appreciate the kind words & absolutely! I definitely wasn't the first person to do the carved feet & definitely won't be the last so by all means go for it! I just subbed as well!
@@andrewmccarn Thank you
Well done!
Good job. I'll look forward to another video.
Got to love the large bowls.. I turn the laguna 24/36 don't have the extension but have turned 23 inches over the bed and cored a few out of that. I could do bigger but I don't have any neighbors that can help me lift them up. lol.. the laguna 's are good for the price.
Its hard to beat the experience turning something large. It would be something else to be able to core out a 23" bowl! Have you considered putting some sort of pulley system in?
@@andrewmccarn maybe a lift🤣
If you live anywhere near Fayetteville I would let you come over and try my Robust.
Great piece 👌👍
What a beautiful design.👏👏
Absolutely gorgeous! I love elm!
Really nice job! Beautiful bowl!!
Well done!!!
Awesome project! Massive, beautiful bowl. 👏👏👏
What an enormous bowl!! Absolutely beauty!!
Really nice , looks great
Looks great. 😊
Beautiful and massive bowl. Great work and the Laguna lathe was put through the test.
Amazing piece.
Nice work!
Very beautiful Bowl, well done. Thanks for sharing your work with us 🙏🏼
Very nicely done Andrew
wow wow thats cool .
Beautifully shot video. The bowl turned out fantastic too
I only got up to about 12.5 in on my laguna 15 24 lathe.Time to fire up the chain saw!!Nice work!The load sensitive speed control on these modern machines is amazing.
Love your work ethic and attitude with the frustration parts. Great job!❤
Wow! Great job man... That's definitely a piece to be proud of!
Gorgeous
Wow, this is a BIG warp... Amazing work my friend. Beautiful piece.
That's one BIG bowl. Thank you.
I’m impressed.
This is the first video I’ve seen of yours and this was so great to watch because I have been trying to improve my woodturning skills since I started at 12 years old I’m 15 now but amazing work
A beautiful piece of art...I could have some serious fun finding uses for this one. 💜
I love your commitment to this project.... you have a good voice to listen to and you are telling us what you are doing while you are doing it....I've got a black walnut monster log that ive been drying now for 5 years,,,it is time for it to become a big bowl
A huge black walnut bowl is the dream! I just got a large log myself and hoping to turn it soon!
Looks like the Flintstones spare tire... lol.
LOL Would make for a bumpy ride!
I think you did an amazing job. Max out projects are both exhilarating and terrifying. I don’t think you could have done it any better. Beautiful as usual my friend.
Dried, warped, cracked. Looks good.
That would have made a great candidate for a coring system
I would’ve loved to but the last time I tried to core on the extension it caught & bent the only coring knife I have so currently saving for a new one
Very nice LARGE piece, to bad about your coring system. Amazing for a smaller motor! Well done.
Exactly what I thought, and gotten a couple more bowl out of it
Coring systems are great but with all the cracks and checks on the blank, I think he made the right call.
Beautiful
just found you and im so pleased that you talk i cant stand videos when they dont talk i must say you are awesome
Andrew, my complements! Beautiful bowl with very interesting grain.
I appreciate that! Elm is one of those woods that never seems to disappoint. Thank you for the comment!
Nice work :)
That thing really is a beast of a bowl
You know it’s a big one when I needed the neighbors help! 😂
Parabéns, belo trabalho !!!!
That's a bowl. Well made.
Hats off to you Andrew beautiful job God bless from Ireland 🇮🇪 ☘️
I appreciate that Tom, Thanks for the kind words!
Congratulations! Webster's Dictionary is using a screen cap from this video to illustrate the definition of "Insane" lol. Seriously though, this was a great turn. I chuckled when I saw you rolling that monster in at 1:40.
I appreciate that, that made me laugh! I seriously thought I could pick this piece up but I definitely underestimated just how heavy this wood was lol
Mad respect! I can't believe the spindle is strong enough to hold that bad boy straight (I have the same lathe, though no bed extension)--very heartening! Love your big bowls!
Thank ya! The spindle & the screws on the face plate were the real hero here. I was amazed when taking out the screws that none had bent or had any other issues. If youre ever interested in turning bigger pieces, I highly recommend the extension!
really great work... love how your videos are progressing... big fan!
Appreciate that Anthony, Just learning more and more with each video!
This is the best wood turning project ivevever seen in KZhead. I like that the shape changed. I would keep it that way because it looks cool. I have the same setup as you and now I know what can be done with it. Lookout !!!
Thats a fantastic compliment! I appreciate that! Letting the bowl warp and form its own shape is always a fun time & it gives the bowl some unique characteristics. The laguna with the extension is a great setup! Highly recommend trying out a big bowl
very beatifull
Thank you!
What an amazing piece. Your work is incredible
Thank you David! I appreciate that!
wow I thought it was Maple. that is one very nice bowl
Reminds me of the Crocodile Dundee movie where he pulls out the big knife 😊 That's a bowl!
LOL! One of my favorite scenes
Great job man! Love it when a plan comes to gather. That blank was real ball breaker! 😮 think you for sharing your ambitious experience. From Ohio. WALTER 😮
Thanks Walter! Yeah this bowl wasn't as large as I had hoped it would be but still very happy with the final piece!
I really enjoy your shooting and editing style. Lovely work man. I’ll be watching more of your channel. Getting my first wood Lathe this weekend and your video entered my feed. They know what to feed me 😂
I appreciate the kind words! Great decision on getting a lathe, you wont regret it!
One big salad in that!!!👍
Ha!😂 Your yard looks like mine! Lol
Wouldn't have it any other way! Just wish it wasn't so visible sometimes.... lol
The amount of warp is amazing.
Its one of the reasons I love turning green wood! Warp can add so much uniqueness to a bowl
That is an gigantic bowl. Truly exceptional grain Good luck with your next one
Thank you Garry!
Beautiful bowl!👍 I love turning large bowls, they'll be much larger once I get my extension! But I'll have to get a hoist, neighbors got a bad back!😁 I'll can't wait to see your record breaker!
I dont get to turn stuff like this too often but I have considered making a lift or wench system myself lol
Truly unbelievable work. Very well done. The biggest I have turned inboard on my Aussie lathe was about 21+1/2 inches, a piece of avocado which came up very well.
I honestly had no idea you could turn avocado, much less that it got that big! Thats awesome & thank you for the kind words!
WOW no joke on maxing out the lathe brother, the bowl is spot on. Massive turn great job on the finish, what type of oil did you use? You rocked it
I appreciate the compliment, I had to see what this lathe could handle lol For this piece I went with Tried & True's Varnish Oil.
@andrewmccarn I'll put a shout out to your channel on my next video brother
Very nice work Andrew. I was interested to see the movement of the piece as the lathe struggled against the weight. The lathe did a good job with it. Keep up the good work and enjoy your time turning. Blessings.
Thank you very much! The lathe did handle this piece very well. I didnt know what to expect, especially that first time turning it on but it sure got the job done.
CA glue for some of cracks might help out.
I've been using that same lathe for a couple of years. I'm batting around the idea of getting the extension. Thanks for showing it in use with a very heavy piece. A little bit of a sway at first but it didn't seem to be too bad. Thanks for the help. I love those big imperfect bowls.
Absolutely & thank you for watching! I highly recommend the extension if you have any interest in turning bigger bowls.
Amazing to watch. I for one am so glad you did not give up on it. I have 2 elm crotch pieces in my garage I am trying to find time to turn. I bet they will produce 28 or 30 inch bowls. I will have to turn them on the outboard side of the lathe. My Powermatic is only good for around 20 inches on the inboard. Thanks for sharing
Thats exciting! Elm is such a great wood to turn. I think powermatic may make an extension similar to mine if Im not mistaken but good luck on those bowls!
Great video, surprised it only took two to get it on there.
Very nice. I have the same lathe, without the extensions and the biggest I've turned is about 15".
Its a great lathe for sure & 15" is a good size and still pretty big. Thats right around my favorite size to turn overall.
Wow. Great project. Love the warp.! I also have a Laguna Lathe, but not the extension. Thanks for the info on the Simpson screws. I have 4 yrs turning experience. The biggest bowl I've done is 15 1/2 by 5. Thanks. Enjoyed! 🙂
The lathe is a good one & I highly recommend the extension if you ever get the opportunity!
I was thinking of down sizing to an apartment, which I can cope better with in my 70's. No workshop, so would have to sell my two lathes, workbench, etc. I think you have just convinced me that an apartment is a bad idea! Thanks.
I hope you don't! Lathe > apartment lol
Definitely pushed the lathe to the max. That was a lot of weight spinning around on the power head. Hope the bearings & VSD didn't suffer. Nice bowl, though!!! 👍👍👍👍👍
Thank you! It seemed to handle it really well. On my last lathe, when I tried something similar it would squeak and struggle to get going so I was curious if this would do the same but it started right up. Won’t be doing something like this too often since I know deep down this lathe isn’t made for this kind of work but it’s fun to see what it can do especially being 1.5hp lol
Wow!, great work! As a CNC lathe machinist by trade, this kind of work inspires me to stay with it as I lose interest with over 20 yrs of turning out boring (in my opinion) production parts. I’m planning on buying a manual lathe, and I am going to turn stone and wood into beautiful pieces so to do something more creative and artistic. Videos and crafty work like your own, inspires me to make that move. Thank you.
Thank you for the kind words! Go get a lathe and get to creating! Working with stone would be really interesting. It seems sculptural work with stone is a lost art. Its amazing what you can do with such a hard material.
Question for you, sir. I’m currently looking at buying a Laguna 1836 lathe. There is one listed on my local classified. Do you think I could turn small stone pieces on it? Small, bowl sized stone pieces, like alabaster?…i got a hankering to turn out something crafty, besides gears.
Very nice work… I was guessing the bowl is green and a bit of shrinkage will distort the bowl over the next 6 months.. I have turned larger ones but drying time was over two years in my attic..I left the wall thickness at 2 3/4 inches think and was barely enough to have to make it round again. I label the date and weight aa drying progresses in the attic..To prevent bowls from drying out to fast i coast with paste wax used on floors and then shrink wrap them.. This often stops cracks from forming.. Sometimes I keep the bowl in a moist place for 6 weeks then place into the attic.. Have fun😁👍😊
That would make a badass sink in a bathroom
Lovely. Maybe a core or two from the next one?
Would love to but the last time I tried to core on the extension I ended up getting a bad catch and bending the only coring knife I have for my oneway system so I am currently saving up for a new one! lol I was trying to core without stabilizing the end of the extension like I did here which caused too much down force on the knife without the back end to support it if that makes sense.
I'm using the McNaughton sytem and I only core if the piece is worth it. I understand the the downward forces an on a 14' to 16' core, I really have to hang on tight.@@andrewmccarn
@@crackerjack3359 Thats a good system too! If the oneway knives weren't so expensive then I might would give it a go again with using the board to help prop the end but Im a little hesitant to try since theyre like $200 a knife lol
Andrew: a friend of mine, Jim of Sprague Woodturning, does coring on large bowls. Very impressive lathe you have. I would never attempt something of that size bowl. Too scary. Take care and stay safe; from Petawawa, Ontario.
I enjoy his videos! He does some great work! Thank you for the kind words. Turning something this large isn't as bad as it seems. Ive become more comfortable turning something this size than I have smaller pieces lol thank you again!
WOW ,, Huge bowl . I wondered if you was to sell this what & how did you come up with this cost number ?? Great job !! Thanks ..PATRICK
For any beginner turners…stuff this size is best starting off about 1800 rpm
I agreee
That’s really cool. I have a somewhat similar piece of white oak Burl ready for faceplate. I don’t know if I have enough spindle bearing or nerve to try it. Also I think I will turn it wearing a hockey uniform. Nicely done Frsnk
A white oak burl this size would be an awesome bowl! When I first started testing out pieces this size, I would just attach them on the lathe to see how it spun & do a few cuts & then go from there. Once you turn something this size, its hard to go any smaller lol I say go for it!
Мастерство не знает границ и оно вне политики, коллега браво, очень проффесиональная работа, это я говорю как краснодеревщик
My comments from my own large pieces would be 1) good results, 2) its well worth the effort to get the piece balanced before you begin turning - its the imbalance, not the weight that is hard on the machine and operator. It looks like you did a decent job of it.
I'm assuming this piece sat for quite a while to dry (months? Over a year?) Curious why you wouldn't leave more on the bowl and then turn away some of the warpage after it dried. Not a criticism, just genuinely curious.
This was turned to final thickness first time through and then sat for around 5 weeks before finishing. For the warping, Im actually a fan of it & love the look it adds to a bowl. I will do twice turned bowls every so often but for the majority of my work I tend to use the once turned method. & thanks for the question!
i would like to have a lathe like that i bet they are expensnive
In the grand scheme of things, this wasnt TOO terrible. With the extension, it came out to around $3500.
Who ever your camera person is, they doing a great job! fantastic video my friend!!!
Im the camera person so thank you! lol also Go pack, excited to see how Love does this year!
You need a little electric hoist that mounts to your ceiling. Wouldn't have to borrow help anymore!
I would love too but I dont know if my joist could hold that much weight either! lol
Just checked for a lathe like yours. I can get a pretty Nice car for that price😢 Keep on turning
lol Yeah theyre not the cheapest tool! The lathe and extension was total around $3500. I went with the 110v so it wasn't the MOST expensive lol
👍👍👍
Wonderful turn! I'm curious how the epoxy fill will react/hold up with time. An update will be appreciated. Thank You.
Thank you! So far still holding strong with no changes
I am surprised how well that machine handled that heavy wood. I have the same machine without the extension.
I am as well! lol Not because its a bad one but just wasn't sure what the motor could handle. I recommend the extension if youre interested in turning larger pieces!
I have one question, why didn't you use a bowl gouge to do part of the hollowing? It just seems like a waste of beautiful wood. I love the bowl but you might have been able to make several bowls.
Trust me, I would have loved to have been able to core this but there were a few issues that made me not able too. A few bowls before this one, I was trying to core something similar on my extension and I ended up getting a bad catch which bent the only coring knife I had so at the time of turning this, I didnt have the ability too. The other thing, with this piece there were a lot of unseen issues in the wood that doesnt come through on video. There were multiple cracks, voids and knots that wouldve been hard to work around. Thats mainly why the blank started out at 28" and ended up being 23". Alot of bad wood had to be turned away both in and out. But I do wish I could have been able to core some out of this piece but I just wanted to explain why I was not able too! I appreciate the kind words and comment!
I've been enjoying your large bowl videos and i am anticipating going that route when I get my shop finished this year. Would you recommend the laguna 2436 or is the weight of the blanks more of an unanticipated obstacle?
If I had 220v I would definitely get the 2436, have heard some good things about that one!
How did you finish off the Tennon? Big jam chuck or massive Cole Jaws? I’d have loved to have seen that. Great job!
Just a jam chuck! I have one I made thats around 5" diameter and 8" tall with some padding on the end.
Andrew if you intend to turn more that size it might be an idea to find a fabricator and get them to make a Y set of legs that fit with the trunk of the Y under the bed of the bed extension because that constant waggle will stress fracture the join between the lathe and extension
I actually have been looking into getting a small welder & making one myself lol I took some welding classes back in school so I have a very basic understanding but thought it might make for a cool video lol Right now I just have a 2x4 wedged under it to help stabilize it. It does the job but definitely isnt a long term solution
Hi, can you comment on what you're using to fill inclusions? It looks like epoxy fill. Also curious what you sprayed onto the epoxy while it was wet. Thanks.
Absolutely! So I just used normal epoxy tinted black for the larger fills and then black CA glue for the small cracks and any small holes. What you see me spraying is the activator so the CA glue dries faster.
Beautiful piece my friend. Question, is that a Laguna 1836? Have you ever had any issues with your motor crapping out without any symptoms? Also, just how large is that bowl? Thank you. Keep on turning! Thanks again, David.
Thanks David! No issues so far, the motor handled this and everything else with ease. I have had it bog down a few times here and there but that was due to me trying to cut away too much at once. This bowl started off a little under 28" diameter and finished around 23.5" after turning away some problem areas.
Wow, what an awesome sized bowl. Great job, I’d be a bit scared myself to tackle this project. One question, what type/brand screws do you use on the faceplate when turning the outside of the bowl? I have issues with the heads breaking off when screwing then in😅
Thanks! I had the same issue, constant breaking and bending and spending 30 minutes getting them out. I got these at lowes, I believe they are the Simpson Strong Tie Hex Screws. I bought them a few months back so I dont remember specifically but they have been fantastic. I havent had one bend or break so I would recommend them for sure.
@@andrewmccarn Awesome, thanks for the info! Happy turning!