laguna 18bx

[mike johnston]

I now have a delta 14" (can't remember model no.) and a 20" Powermatic model 81. would like to sell them and replace with one 18bx. Also thought bout keeping the Delta. I really like the Laguna drift master fence. Both of my bandsaw are American made and trouble free, and makes me a little cautious about trying one of Chinese saws. Any thoughts and input would be appreciated.

thanks Mike

ps: anyone want to buy a used bandsaw

[Jim Becker]

The location of manufacturer is less important than the specifications that the vendor requires from the factory. Most machinery today of any brand is contract manufactured because that's more economical than setting up dedicated production facilities, no matter where they are geographically. Quality is based on what is enforced (and paid for) by the brand name. That's the global economy we live in.

That said, you already have what I think is a "perfect combination" of bandsaws with the 14" for scrolling and general purpose cutting and the larger 20" saw for re-saw height and heavier jobs. So other than maybe space consolidation, I'm not seeing much benefit to you selling them and acquiring a new saw that's bigger than your current smaller one and smaller than your current bigger one. Is there more to this story that clarifies why you are considering this change?

[mike johnston]

Very true about quality tolerances, accepted and paid for buy by the vendor. It's a shame. I would like to free up a little floor space, or maybe that's the excuse I'm using to buy a new machine. Also thought the driftmaster fence may install easier on the Laguna than my Powermatic. Will probably keep the Delta.

[Mike Kees]

Mike,build a new fence for the Powermatic from an old Unifence. You have two good saws,not sure the BX would be better than the 20" Powermatic in any way. I would at least try to examine the Laguna and hopefully try it out before taking the plunge.

[Paul F Franklin]

The laguna is a fine saw, but I doubt you'd save much room over the 20". I mean, I'm the last guy to talk someone out of buying a tool, but most of the space needed at the bandsaw is infeed and outfeed and 18 vs 20 doesn't change that at all. I suppose one other area you might see improvement with the 18bx is dust collection; the two ports do an excellent job. I have only the tiniest amount of dust in the bottom of the saw.

[Edwin Santos]

Personally I think you have a very good setup right now. If both your saws were well tuned and dialed in, I cannot see how you would improve your situation by ditching them in favor of one 18bx.

What I would do is be using the Delta for all my artisan work, curves, contour cutting, jigs, etc, and use the Powermatic for resawing, milling, ripping, veneering and larger tasks. Yes, the more I think about it, the more certain I am that you have a winning combination in the palm of your hand right now.

[Rob Charles]

I tend to agree with Jim in that you have what I would consider an Ideal combination.

[Earl McLain]

Does the Laguna 18bx come with the Driftmaster fence as standard? I was thinking that one had to get into the HD series for the Driftmaster to be standard. Either way, at $400 as a stand-alone item, the Driftmaster may pair very nicely with the PM-20"
earl

[Paul F Franklin]

No, the 18bx comes standard with a more or less conventional high/low fence. It's nice and works well, but doesn't have the microadjust wheel like the driftmaster.

[Randall J Cox]

Some years ago I sold my Delta 14" when I bought a used MiniMax 18" - use a wide blade on it. Was missing a very convenient narrow blade for small stuff so bought an old Delta 10", nice little saw. However, upon reflection, I should have just kept the 14" and put a narrow blade on it. The good thing about the Delta 10" is small footprint and 1/2 hp whereas the 14" was 1/3hp. Randy

[mike johnston]

just ordered driftmaster fence for the Powermatic. Just been a long time since I had bought a machine, had that itch. Even had wife convinced that it was relatively cheap, compared to a Learjet. My budget for either was 3k so she suggested the bandsaw

[mike johnston]

darn wife has offered to buy me the Laguna for Christmas?????????