This Looks Too Good....

[Greg Johnson]

I spotted this http://seattle.craigslist.org/est/tls/1315013791.html this morning on CL. I am in the market for a band saw, but never thought I'd be looking at a Laguna. I don't think I have ever seen a used one for under $1200. Anybody have any advice for hidden "gotchas"?

Greg

[Matt Day]

Would a "gotch" be waiting for responses on SMC and not driving over there with cash in hand? $500, wow! My little 14" was almost that much after a riser block and some blades.

[Greg Johnson]

Unfortunately he did not leave a contact number. I left mine and told him he could call me right away.... (6:30am) here. Hopefully I am first in his email queue..... I am also about 2+ hours and a ferry ride away from where he is located, so I want to make sure I don't drive over there for nothing.

Actually there is a "gotcha" here...... My wife has our utility trailer filled with mulch right now..... :(

Greg

[Dan Friedrichs]

This is an absolute steal. If it runs smoothly, I don't think there is anything that could be wrong with it that would make it anything less than a "great deal". Buy it! Post pictures! :)

[David DeCristoforo]

"This Looks Too Good...."

The seller states that it is an "older" saw and that new ones are retailing for $2,200. But depending on how much "older" it is, he may not have paid more than half that much when he bought it. I have an 18" Griggio that I bought new in '87 for $1,100. If I sold it for half of original price, that would be $550. So the Laguna in the ad, while certainly a good buy for $500 (assuming that it is in "good working condition"), is not necessarily "too good to be true".

[Greg Johnson]

David,
Thank you for the response. I am working on my list of questions and one of them will be the age of the saw. I have no idea what vintage this is because I have not been in the market for a Laguna. This will also be my first band saw. I haven't worked with a band saw since my student teaching days 35 years ago (I was going to be a wood shop teacher until I worked at the Junior High level...:o ), so I my learning curve could be a bit steep here. My questions will be:

How long has he owned it?
Confirm the mobile base in the picture
Age of saw
Motor specs and condition
Tire and guide condition
Overall condition - cosmetic as well
4" dust port?
Ease of blade change and adjustment
Is there a manual?
Is it set up and running now so I can test it?

Any other important questions I'm missing?

Greg

[Mike Cruz]

Does he have a way of getting it on your trailer?
(Seriously. I just bought a 15" planer a couple weeks ago off CL, and the guy didn't have a way to get it on my pick up. Believe it or not, but a 2" X 12" X 8' as a lever with two other guys on the sides to "balance" it while I lifted was how it "got" on my truck...) Don't let this happen to you...

And

Would he be so kind as to drive to your house and help unload the mulch? :D

[Greg Johnson]

Mike,
Good thought ..... him unloading the mulch :D ..... I have been thinking about that issue. I have a hand truck and some planks I could use to load it, but it sure would be easier if he had some way to lift it. I have a tractor at my end, so that part will be easy.

Greg

[Mike Cruz]

You know, if I had thought enough ahead to ask him if he had a way to put it on my truck, I would have found out he didn't and I would have trailered my tractor to his place, used it to put the planer in the bed of my truck and hauled my tractor back home. Would have made getting it on a whole lot easier. To be honest, I don't know how I lifted that thing up. It was one of those "I just had to" moments. I have a bit of a time moving it (sliding it on the floor) in my shop. I'm a fairly big guy, so I'm sure that helped, but I guaranty you, if someone had asked if I could do it, I would have said NO WAY!

Good luck, and if you can bring your tactor with you, do it (assuming he has nothing to load it with).

[Jamie Buxton]

On those big welded-steel frame bandsaws, there's a way to get it in a pickup without too much stress. You back the saw up to the truck, and then you lean it into the truck. It travels on its back, with ropes to prevent it from falling over. If you want to reduce the weight you're leaning, you can take the table off. On an 18" saw, two guys can do it fairly easily.

[Scott Donley]

Well Greg ? What happend ?

[Mike Cruz]

Yeah, Greg...waddup? I wanna know how it went. Or have you not told us cause it was a disaster?

[Greg Johnson]

Well.... Like I said.... It looked too good to be true. It was posted Sunday night at 11:30pm and I responded by email at 6:30am. I had to be at the top of the queue. There was no other contact info. I emailed a second time in the afternoon. I emailed a third time last evening around 8:30 and it came back to me..... Posting deleted by author.:( I can only speculate what was really going on. So.... the search goes on. It sure would be nice to see cashback go back up to 30% and with free shipping on a Grizzly G0513x2.... That would probably inspire me to let a few moths out of my wallet..... One can always dream....:rolleyes: Meanwhile I'll continue to watch Craigslist.

Greg

[Scott Donley]

Wish I had known. He answered mine ( had sent it just after his posting) but did not get the answer till last night. He deleted the post because he had so many emails already. He was going to be showing it today by appt. Still have his number if you want it..

[Greg Johnson]

Scott,
If you're not interested in it, I would like to give the guy a call. Probably a snowballs chance in ...... but it has me curious. Could you PM me with his number?

Thanks,
Greg

[Scott Donley]

Done, included his emai to me, Good luck !

[Greg Johnson]

Thanks Scott.... I just talked with him and it has sold. Bummer.... Oh well, I'll just keep hitting the refresh key on the Craiglist site.

Thanks,
Greg