Laguna Revo 12|16 Lathe Unboxing and First Impressions

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.