Roger Myers
01-04-2012, 12:35 PM
I recently ordered and took delivery of a Laguna LT20 Bandsaw and I thought those of you in the market for a larger bandsaw might be interested in my experience and my first impressions. I have no stake in Laguna nor did they or anyone else ask me to post these impressions, however as a bandsaw like this is a major investment you may find some value in my experience. This posting will be the "short version"... if you want the longer version with a couple of more pictures, you can follow the appropriate links to my website.
So, the very short version... I love this saw and the entire buying, delivery, and installation process was flawless.218230
Customer Service - I had heard concerns about Laguna, but entire experience so far has been great. Time from order to receipt was 9 days (west coast to east coast).
Delivery Experience - Had residential tailgate delivery - entire process was flawless..well, bill of lading discrepancy you can read more about, but all parts were delivered and driver was excellent. Machine was well packaged and palletized and received without a scratch.
Installation - This is a very big, very heavy saw... plan ahead. I had access to a tractor and also a walk out to the shop, so I had somewhat ideal conditions. The manual is a weak point, in my opinion. For a little effort, Laguna could really improve things here...but nothing you can't figure out.
Also, plan your wiring...this is a 6HP saw and I put it on a dedicated 40 amp circuit.
I ordered and installed the Driftmaster fence, so I have an unused original fence... would be nice if you could just sub one for the other, but I understand the issues with this. anyone want to buy an original LT20 fence?:)
Motor installation is a two person job. Table and fence installation is straight forward.
Guide adjustment is easy - I love the ceramic guides.
Pleasant surprises... The height in my workshop where I wanted to put the saw is 85 1/2" and the saw is 86" according to the Laguna specs... I had envisioned removing the suspended ceiling above the saw. The 86" is only accounting for the blade guard in the full up position, so the saw easily fits under the ceiling, and only a little hole in the tile is required for clearance (think periscope).
Fit and finish was virtually perfect.
Order to delivery time was a pleasant surprise.
Performance - I equipped the saw with a 1 1/4" Resaw King blade. It resawed 6" cherry effortlessly, as it should. I then put it up against some 13" very dense mahogany...I needed to yield 1/2" and 1/4" pieces from a board just under 1"... I will be doing a lot of this. The cuts were perfect and I was very pleased with the saws performance.
Next up will be resawing some 20" curly cherry, but that project doesn't start until next month. Based on my impressions so far, the saw will be up to the task.
I had narrowed my choices down to MiniMax and Laguna and I am quite sure that either saw would have been an excellent choice, and this posting is not an invitation for the advocates on either side to jump in and campaign for their favorite (goodness knows we have enough campaigning going on in NH right now). I just know that when I was scouting out saws, this information would have been helpful to me.
Hope this helps some...
Roger
So, the very short version... I love this saw and the entire buying, delivery, and installation process was flawless.218230
Customer Service - I had heard concerns about Laguna, but entire experience so far has been great. Time from order to receipt was 9 days (west coast to east coast).
Delivery Experience - Had residential tailgate delivery - entire process was flawless..well, bill of lading discrepancy you can read more about, but all parts were delivered and driver was excellent. Machine was well packaged and palletized and received without a scratch.
Installation - This is a very big, very heavy saw... plan ahead. I had access to a tractor and also a walk out to the shop, so I had somewhat ideal conditions. The manual is a weak point, in my opinion. For a little effort, Laguna could really improve things here...but nothing you can't figure out.
Also, plan your wiring...this is a 6HP saw and I put it on a dedicated 40 amp circuit.
I ordered and installed the Driftmaster fence, so I have an unused original fence... would be nice if you could just sub one for the other, but I understand the issues with this. anyone want to buy an original LT20 fence?:)
Motor installation is a two person job. Table and fence installation is straight forward.
Guide adjustment is easy - I love the ceramic guides.
Pleasant surprises... The height in my workshop where I wanted to put the saw is 85 1/2" and the saw is 86" according to the Laguna specs... I had envisioned removing the suspended ceiling above the saw. The 86" is only accounting for the blade guard in the full up position, so the saw easily fits under the ceiling, and only a little hole in the tile is required for clearance (think periscope).
Fit and finish was virtually perfect.
Order to delivery time was a pleasant surprise.
Performance - I equipped the saw with a 1 1/4" Resaw King blade. It resawed 6" cherry effortlessly, as it should. I then put it up against some 13" very dense mahogany...I needed to yield 1/2" and 1/4" pieces from a board just under 1"... I will be doing a lot of this. The cuts were perfect and I was very pleased with the saws performance.
Next up will be resawing some 20" curly cherry, but that project doesn't start until next month. Based on my impressions so far, the saw will be up to the task.
I had narrowed my choices down to MiniMax and Laguna and I am quite sure that either saw would have been an excellent choice, and this posting is not an invitation for the advocates on either side to jump in and campaign for their favorite (goodness knows we have enough campaigning going on in NH right now). I just know that when I was scouting out saws, this information would have been helpful to me.
Hope this helps some...
Roger