Any experience with new Laguna 14/12 bandsaw?

[Lester Sak]

In the market for my first bandsaw and have been doing a lot of research. This is for a small garage shop (9’x18’) and no access to a 220 line. So, I’m looking for the best quality 14” saw that will run on 110v. This will be for general use – curves, ripping thick stock and re-sawing so I anticipate the need to change blades frequently.

I can get the Rikon 10-325 for $855 locally including tax, but have read many negative comments about their guides making blade changes a pain. I know I can upgrade to Carter guides which would add $200 to the total cost ($1055).

Despite all of the negative customer service posts, I’m looking at Laguna's new saw (http://www.lagunatools.com/bandsaws/1412-Bandsaw) the model 14/12, but I haven’t been able to find any reviews or comments on it. The saw is $1095 + $49 shipping from woodwerks.com (http://www.woodwerks.com/laguna-store-c-878.html). So for $89 more, I get a saw with Laguna guides, an excellent fence and better fit & finish than the Rikon (from what I’ve read). The Laguna has a 1.75 HP motor vs. the Rikon’s 1.5 HP, but the Laguna only has re-saw capacity of 12” vs 13” for the Rikon. As I’ve never owned a bandsaw, not sure if that extra inch will be missed.

Any advice or feedback on the Laguna would be appreciated!

[Mike Tekin]

Lester,

the laguna is hands down as you assumed, the better saw- i have used the rikon and other Laguna saws with the laguna guides and they work fantastic. Based on specs, videos- this Laguna is impressive in the price range and is my choice - Laguna is doing a great job on designing their Asian bandsaws.

[Mike Tekin]

Also,

if you are worried about customer service, I wouldn't be - as you have stated, order through a reseller- Woodwerks, Rockler, or Woodcraft who deal directly with their wholesale division higher up in Laguna's food chain - if their is a problem the reseller will have a better relationship with Laguna than your self.

[Lester Sak]

Thanks for your feedback Mike.

I still do have some reservations about CS. I emailed Woodwerks early today requesting an owners manual for the Laguna and received a prompt response that only included a link to the sales brochure and a link to where I could buy it. I emailed back that I wanted to see the owners manual regarding machine setup, etc. but haven't received an answer yet. I sent the same request to Laguna but no response.

Any opinion as to how valuable the extra inch re-saw capability of the Rikon is over the Laguna?

[Tai Fu]

Probably not that big of a deal.. I've extended my bandsaw's resaw capacity by removing the guide completely, and I just C clamped the thrust bearing onto the back of the blade. Not an ideal situation but the thrust bearing is necessary to make sure the blade doesn't move too far back from cutting force... It's not an ideal situation for sure but it does extend the resaw capacity by a good 2". The saw's original capacity was around 11" (28cm)

[Lester Sak]

Probably not that big of a deal.. I've extended my bandsaw's resaw capacity by removing the guide completely, and I just C clamped the thrust bearing onto the back of the blade. Not an ideal situation but the thrust bearing is necessary to make sure the blade doesn't move too far back from cutting force... It's not an ideal situation for sure but it does extend the resaw capacity by a good 2". The saw's original capacity was around 11" (28cm)

Thanks Tai, I don't think it's that big of a deal either but wanted to ask those who have 12" capacity if they felt they needed more. What saw do you have?

I still haven't heard back from either Woodwerks or Laguna so I'll try calling today. Would really like to see the manual before I make a decision.

Still would like to hear from anyone that has this same Laguna model 14/12.

[Tai Fu]

I have a 18" bandsaw, unknown manufacturer, made in Taiwan. Came with a crappy fence so I retrofitted it with the Grizzly resaw fence for 18" bandsaws (which Grizzly strangely absolutely refuses to sell to Taiwan, like there's an embargo or something, so I had to get a friend to smuggle it here). That turned a lemon into a lemonade for sure.

I normally would never need to resaw 12" or more, because the only thing I will ever resaw is guitar wood and I haven't really found anything worthy of that at the moment. However I was actually resawing a piece of 3/4" baltic birch ply because that is the only thickness I could get it in and I needed 1/2" baltic birch. So I basically resawn the plywood into a thinner piece.

[Mike Tekin]

Lester,Keep in mind this Laguna saw has only been on the market for weeks not months, thus its not surprising that the web or dealers havent received digital copies of the manual. Second, I wouldn't bank on the manual being all pretty and useful - it's just not what the company is known for.

[Loren Woirhaye]

My advice on band saws is usually the same: resawing wide boards is not fun and the capacity is over-rated. Ripping stock to 6" or less, resawing, then jointing is a less stressful, more forgiving way to go about making thin boards.

For straight cuts, tenons, ripping and resawing, the wider the blade the saw can take, the better. Wide blades cut straighter and they don't lead as much as they dull nor do they bow inside cuts as readily as narrower blades.

[Augusto Orosco]

Thanks for your feedback Mike.

I still do have some reservations about CS. I emailed Woodwerks early today requesting an owners manual for the Laguna and received a prompt response that only included a link to the sales brochure and a link to where I could buy it. I emailed back that I wanted to see the owners manual regarding machine setup, etc. but haven't received an answer yet. I sent the same request to Laguna but no response.

Any opinion as to how valuable the extra inch re-saw capability of the Rikon is over the Laguna?

Lester, this link should get you to the manual

http://www.lagunatools.com/bandsaws/1412-Bandsaw_2#

Click on the "Manuals" link on the right (right next to the "videos" link) and you will be able to donwload it. It's 68 pages long. I am too following this bandsaw closely. Hopefully people here who know much more about bandsaws can chime in about the specs and an educated assessment given than probably nobody has yet been able make a hands-on review.

[Lester Sak]

My advice on band saws is usually the same: resawing wide boards is not fun and the capacity is over-rated. Ripping stock to 6" or less, resawing, then jointing is a less stressful, more forgiving way to go about making thin boards.

Thanks Loren, that's exactly what I thought.

[Lester Sak]

Thanks Augusto, I totally missed that.

I was about to let everyone know that Nick from Woodwerks got back to me and sent me the PDF. Looks really good. Planning on making a decision in a few weeks so any additional info anyone can provide would be great.

[Augusto Orosco]

Keep us posted! I am seriously considering buying it, too. Bear in mind, though, that the bandsaw "as shown" in the advertisement comes with the optional mobility kit (+$149) and the optional light (+$99). That's not factored in the $1095 base price (I checked with Woodwerks earlier today).

Even so, it still looks like a good balance between quality and price. My main hesitation right now is that I had my heart set on a bandsaw with a footbrake, but to get that feature in a Laguna quality machine would place it well beyond my budget.

[Lester Sak]

Augusto,

I knew about the options, but will improvise if I get it by either making my own mobile base, or buying a universal one.
I really wanted a footbrake too, but seemed to only be on machines too large (i.e., 220v) for my shop.

When are you planning on getting it if you do?

[Augusto Orosco]

Augusto,

I knew about the options, but will improvise if I get it by either making my own mobile base, or buying a universal one.
I really wanted a footbrake too, but seemed to only be on machines too large (i.e., 220v) for my shop.

When are you planning on getting it if you do?

I do have 220v. available in my shop but after a lot of saving, my budget tops at $1500 and not a penny more (everything included, mobility base, breakers, cord, delivery, taxes, etc.). I plan on getting a bansaw within the next 30 days, since I need it for a project I am working on. I want 12 resaw or larger, every other feature I could live without; although giving up the brake option would not be easy.

[Lester Sak]

I do have 220v. available in my shop but after a lot of saving, my budget tops at $1500 and not a penny more (everything included, mobility base, breakers, cord, delivery, taxes, etc.). I plan on getting a bansaw within the next 30 days, since I need it for a project I am working on. I want 12 resaw or larger, every other feature I could live without; although giving up the brake option would not be easy.

This looks like an interesting way to save $100 on the mobility base: http://www.grizzly.com/products/Universal-Mobile-Base/D3757

[John Lanciani]

My advice on band saws is usually the same: resawing wide boards is not fun and the capacity is over-rated. Ripping stock to 6" or less, resawing, then jointing is a less stressful, more forgiving way to go about making thin boards.

I don't know Loren; I can, and do, routinely cut my own veneer up to 16" wide (and 3/32" thick) and I quite enjoy doing it. The right saw and setup is key, but I would never advocate ripping wide boards just to be able to resaw them. If you're interested search through my older posts for pics and details of my setup.

[Joe Hillmann]

Can either of the saws actually resaw a board that is as wide as its capacity? The capacity they list is the max distance from the table to the top guide.

Are the saws stiff enough to put enough tension on a blade to rip through wood that thick? And also is the saw powerful enough cut through wood that thick? I know with smaller, cheaper bandsaws neither the frame is stiff enough nor the motor powerful enough to cut wood to the full capacity.

[Mike Leung]

Hey guys, I have been using a Laguna LT14SE in my shop for about nine years now. I am still happy using it for resawing and cutting tenons. My saw currently has a 1" resaw king and a 6" tall fence. Cutting 10" white oak boards smoothly is not a problem. If the workpiece is pressed firmly against the fence and i keep a slow and steady speed throughout the entire cut, the results are so smooth. The ceramic guides and bearings are holding up really well. I just wish that it has more well thought out easy to use fine tuning adjustments such as in sawstop table saws. Also if I align the blade correctly, I have absolutely no drift on this saw. You should do well with a Laguna.

[Augusto Orosco]

Lester, I just placed an order with Woodwerks for the 14/12. They informed me the actual re-saw capacity is 13" not the advertised 12". On the flip side, the saw is shipped with no blade; you have to buy your own (which they sell, although I opted to buy a much cheaper woodslicer from Highland Woodworking to get me started: I haven't done enough research on blades yet).

They also indicated that the saw would resaw hard woods at full capacity no problem. I can't confirm any of these statements because I don't have the saw yet, but at least that's what they stand for. They have been very good at answering my questions and making the purchase go smoothly. Plus everything is on stock and ready to ship. Hopefully delivery and set up will go smoothly as well!

There is a 2y warranty on the saw.

[Lester Sak]

Lester, I just placed an order with Woodwerks for the 14/12. They informed me the actual re-saw capacity is 13" not the advertised 12". On the flip side, the saw is shipped with no blade; you have to buy your own (which they sell, although I opted to buy a much cheaper woodslicer from Highland Woodworking to get me started: I haven't done enough research on blades yet).

They also indicated that the saw would resaw hard woods at full capacity no problem. I can't confirm any of these statements because I don't have the saw yet, but at least that's what they stand for. They have been very good at answering my questions and making the purchase go smoothly. Plus everything is on stock and ready to ship. Hopefully delivery and set up will go smoothly as well!

There is a 2y warranty on the saw.

Looks like we're in an exclusive club Augusto, I ordered mine today too :) I spoke to Todd at Woodwerks and placed my order a few hours later for the saw and the mobile base (already let the family know the light would make a great Christmas gift, lol). Todd told me the resaw capacity was something like 12 13/16" (forget the exact fraction), but Laguna just rounded down in all the literature. I requested delivery the week of Sept. 30th as I'll be off from work.

I knew about the blade and had been reading up on what people thought of different brands. I've heard alot of good things about Dimaster blades by Lenox, noting that http://woodcraftbands.com (http://woodcraftbands.com/) was a good fair priced place to buy. Todd's suggestion for a good, all around blade to start with is a 3/8" with 3-4 TPI. I would also like to get a blade for resawing, but wanted to know whether Todd recommended a 1/2" over a 3/4" for any reason with that saw so asked the question in the comments box in the order and I'll wait to see what he says. The 3/8" Lenox blade is $2.75/ft - $27.50 for 115" blade. Here's a link to 1 forum page discussing them: http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?202083-Lenox-Die-Master-Bi-Metal-Blades.

Did Woodwerks tell you the warranty is 2 years? When I spoke to Laguna who gave me Woodwerks as a distributor, they told me it was 1 year and the owners manual says the same thing on page 8.

Good luck to both of us!

[Augusto Orosco]

Looks like we're in an exclusive club Augusto, I ordered mine today too :) I spoke to Todd at Woodwerks and placed my order a few hours later for the saw and the mobile base (already let the family know the light would make a great Christmas gift, lol). Todd told me the resaw capacity was something like 12 13/16" (forget the exact fraction), but Laguna just rounded down in all the literature. I requested delivery the week of Sept. 30th as I'll be off from work.

I knew about the blade and had been reading up on what people thought of different brands. I've heard alot of good things about Dimaster blades by Lenox, noting that http://woodcraftbands.com (http://woodcraftbands.com/) was a good fair priced place to buy. Todd's suggestion for a good, all around blade to start with is a 3/8" with 3-4 TPI. I would also like to get a blade for resawing, but wanted to know whether Todd recommended a 1/2" over a 3/4" for any reason with that saw so asked the question in the comments box in the order and I'll wait to see what he says. The 3/8" Lenox blade is $2.75/ft - $27.50 for 115" blade. Here's a link to 1 forum page discussing them: http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?202083-Lenox-Die-Master-Bi-Metal-Blades.

Did Woodwerks tell you the warranty is 2 years? When I spoke to Laguna who gave me Woodwerks as a distributor, they told me it was 1 year and the owners manual says the same thing on page 8.

Good luck to both of us!

Thanks for the tips! Yes I was told 2y factory warrant, but if it says 1y in the manual and by Laguna, we probably should double check with Woodwerks.

Indeed, good luck to the both of us! I should be taking delivery early next week, but probably won't be able to get to assembling it until the next weekend.

[Michael D. Edwards]

I use the Laguna for resawing. The carbide blade is terrific. I comonly cut 3/16" slices from 10" Wenge, maple and mohogany. When we purchased the saw the blade was included. Ours has the 220 volt motor. I did not beleive it could do the things that we do daily! I recomend spending the extra $$$ if you sell your work.

[Michael D. Edwards]

I have not had issues withe the band saw, but the Laguna cyclone has blown several start capacitors (my assistant turns away when turning on). The customer service has been responsive and comitted to our being satisfied. I don't want to replace the motor, but they are willing to do so. I've asked Laguna to test the start capasitors they have in stock, before sending another. They had me check the shop's voltage. It was fine. Meanwhile I purchased a capasitor from Granger that was similar specification, but too large to fit inside the housing. It functions normally with no heat build up. So I don't think the motor is the problem. Brian answers the phone when I call and knows his equipment. My point: CS is very good in our experince.

[Lester Sak]

Michael, thanks for the info. Good to hear CS is good from someone who's needed it.

I ordered the 3/8" Laguna ProForce and 5/8" Laguna Shear Force blades. At some point I may get the carbide Resaw King, but $200 for a blade on top of the cost of the saw and base isn't an option right now.

Great to hear the positive feedback!

[Tai Fu]

The blade will last a long time and won't have issues with abrasive wood. However I've heard bad reviews about resaw kings, but good reviews about Woodmaster CT. The only downside of Woodmaster CT is the blade doesn't cut as smoothly as resaw king.

[Gus Dundon]

I tried my 201 hardback carbon blade for a small resaw work and worked fine.

[Augusto Orosco]

So, here it is. A couple of very good friends helped me with assembly and taking it down to the basement. Still need to fine tune it, but on my first test cut it worked like a charm. It's very quiet and smooth. I think I am going to enjoy this saw very much!
271796

[Scott Vanzo]

Congrats Augusto. Please keep us updated with your findings.

I saw a preproduction 14|12 a few months ago in Laguna's warehouse. From what I remember it looked very nicely built.

After a summer of waiting, I am now on the fence. For less than a 14SUV, my brother just bought a really sweet (and insanely more massive) used 24" Invicta bandsaw. This has me thinking that I should hold out for a vintage 16" machine (i.e... Walker Turner w. upgraded 110v Baldor motor) to replace my 14" Rockwell.

As soon as I come to my senses, I will probably buy a 14|12...or better yet - borrow my brother's Invicta for resawing.

[Mike Leung]

Good looking saw. Have fun tuning it and resawing.

[Lester Sak]

Congratulations Augusto, my saw arrived last Friday. So far I can't imagine needing any more saw than this. I was concerned that running it on 110v. would be limiting what the saw could do, but so far so good. I've been able to resaw a regular 2x4 paper thin using a Laguna 3/8" blade. I also got the Laguna 5/8" for larger board resaws but haven't tried it yet.

The fit/finish of the saw is really first class, although I had a problem with the table. Tightening the table split clamp would not bring the front and back of the table into alignment. The front (infeed) portion of the table is lower than the rear causing wood to catch when being pushed into the blade. With a straight edge across the split, I was able to fit 3 sheets of paper (.012") in the gap.


272224 272223

I called Woodwerks who sold me the saw and they suggested I contact Laguna directly and ask to speak to Jason (although anyone could help). I called and mentioned the pictures I took which Jason looked at and immediately said that the table would be replaced. I received a phone call back a short time later letting me know that Laguna needs to order the new table and will send me an email when it's shipped. It will include an RA to return the other table to them.

I was initially put off from reading so many negative reviews of Laguna's customer service, and was close to getting the Rikon so that I wouldn't have to worry about it. But Woodwerks assured me that all that has changed, and if I were to have any problems dealing with them, they would call on my behalf. I'm very satisfied with the way this was handled and have no hesitation is recommending both the saw and Woodwerks.

[Augusto Orosco]

Sorry to hear you had issues with the table, but happy to hear they are being responsive with CS. Upon reading your email I checked on the table and fortunately, mine is dead flat.

272246

I haven't been able to do much with the saw yet, and don't have experience with any other saws to compare it, too; but with those caveats, I am very pleased. As you mentioned the fit/finish is great, and everything went easily in place during assembly. The manual could be a little better, though, but it's not a big deal. I also bought the optional light, and although it is very nicely made, I find it's range of motion a little limited.

But I am really nitpicking here. I think it's a very fine machine. Time will tell how it holds up, but all the good signs are there!





Congratulations Augusto, my saw arrived last Friday. So far I can't imagine needing any more saw than this. I was concerned that running it on 110v. would be limiting what the saw could do, but so far so good. I've been able to resaw a regular 2x4 paper thin using a Laguna 3/8" blade. I also got the Laguna 5/8" for larger board resaws but haven't tried it yet.

The fit/finish of the saw is really first class, although I had a problem with the table. Tightening the table split clamp would not bring the front and back of the table into alignment. The front (infeed) portion of the table is lower than the rear causing wood to catch when being pushed into the blade. With a straight edge across the split, I was able to fit 3 sheets of paper (.012") in the gap.


272224 272223

I called Woodwerks who sold me the saw and they suggested I contact Laguna directly and ask to speak to Jason (although anyone could help). I called and mentioned the pictures I took which Jason looked at and immediately said that the table would be replaced. I received a phone call back a short time later letting me know that Laguna needs to order the new table and will send me an email when it's shipped. It will include an RA to return the other table to them.

I was initially put off from reading so many negative reviews of Laguna's customer service, and was close to getting the Rikon so that I wouldn't have to worry about it. But Woodwerks assured me that all that has changed, and if I were to have any problems dealing with them, they would call on my behalf. I'm very satisfied with the way this was handled and have no hesitation is recommending both the saw and Woodwerks.

[Jay Radke]

I picked up one of these yesterday. Rockler has a sale on Laguna but only have floor models. Woodcraft had a boxed one and gave me the Rockler sale price. Rockler said I would have to have Laguna ship saw to my house. Problem is we aren't home during the day so it was easier to pick it up myself. It will remain in the box until I can stand to be in the garage again (temp wise) and have the time to spend on setting it up.

I have a question for both Lester and Augusto, what type of blades are you two using on it?

[Augusto Orosco]

I picked up one of these yesterday. Rockler has a sale on Laguna but only have floor models. Woodcraft had a boxed one and gave me the Rockler sale price. Rockler said I would have to have Laguna ship saw to my house. Problem is we aren't home during the day so it was easier to pick it up myself. It will remain in the box until I can stand to be in the garage again (temp wise) and have the time to spend on setting it up.

I have a question for both Lester and Augusto, what type of blades are you two using on it?

I am using a 1/2"W x 115"L WoodSlicer Resaw Bandsaw Blade from Highland ($29.99). Works pretty well for an all purpose saw. Eventually I will have to get something narrower for tight curves, etc; but so far, it works pretty well for what I am doing.

Congrats on the saw; it is a real beauty and a great performer!

[Lester Sak]

I got 2 Laguna blades - the 3/8" 4T PROFORCE and the 5/8" 4T SHEARFORCE.
Best of luck with the new toy!

[Jill Barnes]

At this stage of the game I would give the Laguna 14-12 bandsaw a miss. I have just taken delivery of my 240V unit, my first bandsaw, and here are the problems:

1. The 240 Volt auxiliary light was a real after thought, with the cable to be loosely draped along the frame attached by stick on cable clamps. Looks terrible and very unprofessional, and you have to be a hand contortionist to fit it, until I discovered you have to lower the upper blade guide holder. Some information in the manual would have been helpful. No shakeproof washers were supplied, so I expect it to work its way loose in time if I don't do something.
2. My new 3/4" bimetal blade with hook teeth won't track properly. It sits in the middle of the top flywheel, but on the bottom flywheel the points of the teeth extend past the outer rim.
3. Probably associated with the above problem, the blade is noisily rubbing against the plastic blanking block just under the table
4. The ceramic guides are very flimsy to adjust. You touch them each against the blade, as per the manual, tighten them up and find they have moved position. I find they have rotated in the horizontal plane, so that one ceramic block is jammed against the blade, and the other has moved well away from the blade.
5. There is no positive micro adjustment for adjusting the guides. On both the left and right side guides there are two ceramic guides, parallel upper and lower pieces. When you put the guides against the blade and tighten, with the guides at a point just below the gullet, the guide swivels in the vertical plane so that the end of the upper ceramic is touching the gullet and the lower ceramic is moved well back from the gullet.
6. the mobility kit front wheel is a real pain to fit. Needs a 150mm long 5mm T bar to reach the holding bolts located behind the wheel - an ordinary Allen key will just not reach
7. The poor quality casting ( to which the fence is bolted) that slides over the chrome fence guide will not travel the full length because numerous dags from the casting hit the fence guide support spacers. So you get a fence with very limited travel.
8. The chromed fence guide projects way past the table boundary, and is a constant source of bruising as you bump into it.
9. It is just about impossible to get the blade, the fence and the mitre slot all lined up, even after using the blade tracking knob. It just won't happen on this bandsaw, and I don't know what to do about it
10. The customer service response is consistent with its reputation - absolutely no response to my calls for help, so my new expensive bandsaw just sits there not being used until the blade tracking and rubbing problem is sorted, if ever :(

[Tai Fu]

If your blade is sitting at the edge of the lower wheel despite your tracking adjustment, you need to adjust the lower wheel. There should be a series of bolts that holds the lower wheel shaft (on Rikon or MM bandsaws) which can be adjusted to control the lower wheel tilt. This will also hopefully eliminate shaking and vibration as well.

[Augusto Orosco]

At this stage of the game I would give the Laguna 14-12 bandsaw a miss. I have just taken delivery of my 240V unit, my first bandsaw, and here are the problems:

1. The 240 Volt auxiliary light was a real after thought, with the cable to be loosely draped along the frame attached by stick on cable clamps. Looks terrible and very unprofessional, and you have to be a hand contortionist to fit it, until I discovered you have to lower the upper blade guide holder. Some information in the manual would have been helpful. No shakeproof washers were supplied, so I expect it to work its way loose in time if I don't do something.
2. My new 3/4" bimetal blade with hook teeth won't track properly. It sits in the middle of the top flywheel, but on the bottom flywheel the points of the teeth extend past the outer rim.
3. Probably associated with the above problem, the blade is noisily rubbing against the plastic blanking block just under the table
4. The ceramic guides are very flimsy to adjust. You touch them each against the blade, as per the manual, tighten them up and find they have moved position. I find they have rotated in the horizontal plane, so that one ceramic block is jammed against the blade, and the other has moved well away from the blade.
5. There is no positive micro adjustment for adjusting the guides. On both the left and right side guides there are two ceramic guides, parallel upper and lower pieces. When you put the guides against the blade and tighten, with the guides at a point just below the gullet, the guide swivels in the vertical plane so that the end of the upper ceramic is touching the gullet and the lower ceramic is moved well back from the gullet.
6. the mobility kit front wheel is a real pain to fit. Needs a 150mm long 5mm T bar to reach the holding bolts located behind the wheel - an ordinary Allen key will just not reach
7. The poor quality casting ( to which the fence is bolted) that slides over the chrome fence guide will not travel the full length because numerous dags from the casting hit the fence guide support spacers. So you get a fence with very limited travel.
8. The chromed fence guide projects way past the table boundary, and is a constant source of bruising as you bump into it.
9. It is just about impossible to get the blade, the fence and the mitre slot all lined up, even after using the blade tracking knob. It just won't happen on this bandsaw, and I don't know what to do about it
10. The customer service response is consistent with its reputation - absolutely no response to my calls for help, so my new expensive bandsaw just sits there not being used until the blade tracking and rubbing problem is sorted, if ever :(


Sorry you are not enjoying your Saw, Jill. As I mentioned before, I had not experience before with a bandsaw, so I can't really comment on how it compares, but for my limited skills, it has been performing flawlessly so far. I had no trouble aligning the blade and although I agree the ceramic guides are "sensitive" when adjusting them, I didn't experience your problems with them moving out of plane. Regarding the casting that holds the fence, I don't have that problem, mine travels well and clears the support spacers easily. Seems that you got unlucky with yours (or I got lucky with mine).

I also didn't have any trouble installing the light (although I am confused about your description of 240V; the one I got is the 12V/50W... did you mean that or are we talking about something else?); but I don't remember if had the upper blade guide holder lowered already. Also, the base (IIRC), has rubber padding, which I would hope would help with vibration and keeping the screws in place.

Anyway, I will try to refrain from defending the saw too much; by now I am probably biased because it's only human to try to defend ones purchase, particularly a large one. The bottom line is that you are not happy with it, which is very unfortunate; moreover when you are getting no help from Customer Service for things such as alignment issues. I hope you can make it work, it really hurts to spend that amount of dough and not be satisfied.

[Jill Barnes]

Hi Augusto, many thanks for this reply. My first bandsaw too. I am in Australia, so they have provided a 240 volt lamp. It should have come with shakeproof washers where it is fitted to the frame. There is no power outlet for this, so I received a lamp with a not so long cord and plug on the end of it.

I am a bit embarrassed about it, but the geared guide post was positioned right up in to the top of the frame on delivery, and I was trying to fit the little nuts to the lamp screws with it in the way. It was impossible. It was only after I dropped one of the washers into the guide assembly that I worked out how to lower the guide post in order to retrieve it, and all this space opened up so I could get at the 4 mounting holes at the top :)

Can you please tell me what size blade you are using, and where it is currently sitting on the upper and lower wheels? That will give me a starting point to have another go. Did you ever measure if the wheels were coplanar or not?

I don't think having coplanar wheels is a big issue (unless of course they are way out of alignment), just something that is nice to have as a starting point, which makes it much easier to track the blade by turning the tracking knob at the rear of the upper wheel just a minimal amount when adjusting to get zero drift. Of course, as soon as you do this, the wheels are no longer coplanar, which is normal :)

[Jill Barnes]

Today I started from scratch again. I removed the guides, removed the table, and untensioned the new 3/4" bimetal blade. Then fully tensioned the blade ( according to the tension gauge on the saw), and the adjusted for coplanar by using the tracking knob on the rear of the upper flywheel until both wheels were perfectly coplanar measured along the centreline of the two axles, and the blade was sitting nicely in the centre of the tyres. GREAT STARTING POINT !!!!

I then adjusted the guides and refitted the table (with great difficulty with the blade in position, much twisting and contortion needed). I then drew a pencil line across the table through the blade line parallel to the mitre slot. I then marked a straight line on a 400mm test piece and ripped along that line until the far side of the table was reached, and then stopped and held the test piece fixed on the table. NOW. THE. BAD. NEWS. With everything all nicely set up and coplanar at full tension, the test piece had veered way to the left by 10mm off the pencil line at the end of the table i.e., 10 mm in just 200mm. That is some drift !!! It indicated , according to Michael Fortune's articles that the blade on the upper flywheel is set too far back. So using the tracking wheel again, I moved the blade forward ( thereby losing any coplanar, but that is normal, coplanar to me is only a starting point), but was unable to get it so there was zero drift, without the blade points projecting beyond the outer rim of the flywheel.

Any suggestions as to what to try next, please? All I want to do is have zero drift and the fence, blade and mitre slot all parallel. surely this is not an unreasonable expectation for a Laguna bandsaw?

[Tai Fu]

Again, you need to adjust the tilt of the lower wheel, or remove/shim it to make it coplaner. If the blade is hanging off of the wheel on the lower wheel and centered on the upper wheel, then the lower wheel is improperly aligned. Either tilt it right or shim it if it can't be adjusted. Most steel spined bandsaw allows you to adjust the tilt on the lower wheel.

If you don't know how look at the back of the bandsaw where the lower wheel axle is. See if the axle is mounted to a separate plate or centered by 4 bolts. There should be set screws on the separate plate (as it was on my bandsaw) that you can manipulate to control lower wheel tilt, or in the case of Rikon/Grizzly bandsaws there are 4 bolts that centers the axle, and you loosen/tighten the bolts to tilt them.

[Jill Barnes]

Thanks for your comment, Tai fu, much appreciated. The current situation is a little different from before in that the blade is now sitting very nicely in the centre of the lower wheel, so I didn't think that there was any need to adjust it.

It is the top wheel where the blade is not centered anymore, even by tracking, with the points of the new 3/4" blade are level with the outer rim of the wheel

regards,
Jill

[Steve Keathley]

Not to drag up an old thread, but just got a 1412 this week. This is also my first real bandsaw. I had a table top Craftsman. I hesitate to even mention it.

I bought a Resaw King blade, and after going through the various setup, squaring and drift procedures (about 2 hours worth of effort), I cut my first ever piece of veneer off a 18" piece of an 8x8 cedar remnant.

It was so thin it only had one side. .031" to .036" thickness across the 8x18 piece. That's good od enough for me.

I can't believe I waited this long to get a real bandsaw. This thing is awesome.

[Steve Keathley]

Jill,

Honest question from a bandsaw newbie... Why is zero drift so important? I realize it is possible, but very difficult to achieve. It's very simple and accurate to adjust the fence for drift.

[Curt Harms]

Jill,

Honest question from a bandsaw newbie... Why is zero drift so important? I realize it is possible, but very difficult to achieve. It's very simple and accurate to adjust the fence for drift.

I guess it's a YMMV thing. I didn't find it difficult at all to adjust my Rikon 10-325 for zero drift. I centered the blade on the top wheel which by happy circumstance also centered the blade on the bottom wheel. Set the fence square to the table and that was about it. A good quality blade - from somebody like Lenox, Starrett or equivalent - goes without saying.

[Steve Keathley]

I guess it's a YMMV thing. I didn't find it difficult at all to adjust my Rikon 10-325 for zero drift. I centered the blade on the top wheel which by happy circumstance also centered the blade on the bottom wheel. Set the fence square to the table and that was about it. A good quality blade - from somebody like Lenox, Starrett or equivalent - goes without saying.
I guess it's a matter of preference. Whenever you change a blade you can either adjust the fence or adjust the blade tracking for 0 drift. It seems to me that adjusting the fence is the simpler and quicker of the two, but I may change my mind on that after living with it for a while.

[Curt Harms]

I guess it's a matter of preference. Whenever you change a blade you can either adjust the fence or adjust the blade tracking for 0 drift. It seems to me that adjusting the fence is the simpler and quicker of the two, but I may change my mind on that after living with it for a while.

Very true. In Jill's case, it may very well make better sense to adjust the fence. Maybe I just got a 'golden' saw. When I switch blades I just center the tracking on top which also centers the bottom, tension and go. My fence may take a little tweaking when using a tall fence. I typically just tilt the table 'til the fence is parallel to the blade.

[Travis Schafer]

Jill,

Honest question from a bandsaw newbie... Why is zero drift so important? I realize it is possible, but very difficult to achieve. It's very simple and accurate to adjust the fence for drift.


Zero drift is important for me because I can turn a 3/4 inch wide piece of cherry into 4 shaker baskets instead of three. It makes me an extra $25-$50 dollars on the same piece of wood.

I also have about two months of usage on the 14/12 and so far I am LOVING this bandsaw.

[Mark Norfleet]

Hi Folks,
I have one of these saws on order and I'm expecting to be able to bring it home soon. Can anyone who has one of these give me an idea of how large the crate or box it comes in is and on which side of the box they would transport it or if it needs to be transported vertically?

Thanks Much!

[Marty Rose]

Lester, I have had my Laguna 1412 now for about two months. At first I was so PO'd because it would not re-saw even a piece of 1x8 pine. I was ready to make the 250 mile drive back to Woodcraft in Montgomery Al to return it. I called Laguna, they were VERY CONCERNED. After a LONG two weeks with Laguna, on the phone, numerious photo's. It was finally determined that the blade was the problem, not operator induced (bad blade stock). I paid big bucks for the blade at the time of purchase, yes I knew about The Timber Wolf,but I wanted to "get started" on some re-sawing ASAP on some Oak for a project. Laguna was overly nice in "fixing the problem" called me everyday until the problem was fixed,sent me TWO of the 3/4,and 1/2 " re-saw blades. Yep I would say I would do it again. BTW , my Wife and I put it together, did have a neighbor help me lift it up, to heavy for just the two of us.

[Augusto Orosco]

Hi Folks,
I have one of these saws on order and I'm expecting to be able to bring it home soon. Can anyone who has one of these give me an idea of how large the crate or box it comes in is and on which side of the box they would transport it or if it needs to be transported vertically?

Thanks Much!

I don't recall the exact sizes, but the bench is broken down so it's not enormous. Laguna's website lists the shipping dimensions as 56"x23"x23" which sounds about right to me (and the gross weight is 312lbs)

It doesn't have to be transported vertically; it is fully enclosed in a cardboard box with styrofoam blocks and can safely rest on either side. The truck dropped it into my garage (the box was resting horizontally on top of a wooden pallet) and I unpacked it myself right there before taking the parts down to the basement. There are a few parts to assemble, but only the largest (the main body) is heavy enough that it required two people to bring it down the stairs. The next heaviest part is the cast iron table, but I brought that down myself no problem (although I am decent shape I am no bodybuilder for sure).

The assembly went by easily in my case. Again, I only needed an extra hand to attach the main body to the base. Everything else could be done by one person.

I love my Laguna; I use mostly hand-tools, but this one and my DW735 are the only two power tools I don't want to give up. Hope you enjoy yours. Good luck!

[Mark Norfleet]

Thanks Much Augusto!
Stupidly, I never thought to look at the Laguna website for that information, just Woodcraft's... It will fit in my vehicle for the trip home just fine. I'm big and experienced enough that I ought to be able to get it into my true walk-out basement and and set up alone with a little assistance from my engine hoist. It too will be one of my very few wood working power tools. Metal working tools are a different story...

[Jay Radke]

i got mine in my Rav4 with no issues. woodcraft near me had a lift and the two guys helped me get in the car in enough time before the snow started to fly. at home i unloaded it myself using gravity unto a harbor freight four wheel furniture roller. that was so i could roll it to the back of the garage until late spring when the weather would be decent to put it together. i was able to assemble and right all alone. this time i used lumber to lift up main body off floor until height was correct to install the mobile base that I had bought. righting it upright was easy alone as well. a second person might help a bit but gravity works well too. it will take a bit to get it moving but again not that hard and i am not a body builder either. you just need to move correctly. they say table is best install with two people but i got the bolts aligned before moving it and got it in place in one move.

all in all much easier than moving my workbench top out of the car and then onto the base after was done making it.

[Mark Norfleet]

Thanks Much Jay! It seems as though I'll have no trouble at all moving it in my Honda Element then. I probably will not even have to take the rear seats out. I planned carefully and my basement/shop door is at ground level so getting it in with a simple hand truck should be easy. As long as I'm smart about it..., and gravity is working well here on the day I move it, all should go well as it will be one of the lighter machines I've moved and set up recently. Thanks Again!

[Jack Tyree]

I have had one of the 14/12's since July and have only had one problem with it and it is not a big problem for me.

First let me say this: before you even set up your saw, watch the You Tube video by the service guy from Carter bandsaw guides. It is a real eye opener about bandsaw set up and drift/blade tracking. When I set mine I had a little trouble with getting the drift corrected. It was solved by setting the blade tracking correctly. I'm sure I will get some argument here but daddy always told me don't try to fix something that works. When you set the saw up, take the table off so you can get to the upper and lower guides. It makes it SO MUCH easier. Before you set your guides get the blade tracking right. And by right I mean you want the teeth of the blade to track dead center on the high point of the upper wheel. once you've accomplished that, you will have absolutely NO problem with drift. You will argue with me on this but no bandsaw that is set up correctly will have drift. After you have the tracking set then you can set the guides and with the table off it's a breeze to get it perfect. Put the table back on, level (square it to the blade) then set your fence square to the table and you're done. I have resawed everything from yellow pine to lacewood and checked it with vernier calipers and it is dead on across 6 inches wide form side to side end to end. It helps a lot if you use those stacking feather guides from Rockler. I also neglected to mention that I use the resaw king carbide blade. When you feed steady and don't get in a hurry, it will almost leave a glass smooth finish.

[Eddie Frois]

Has anyone had experience on replacing belts (tire) on Laguna 14 inch band saw?