New Drum Sander Should I be concerned with this?

[Thomas Colson]

How hard is it to replace the drum in these things? Confirmed to be an issue with the drum. My customer service experience continues to not be my expectation for a 1300$ tool. Apparently there are no machines available for warranty replacement, for a very very very very very very long time.

[Thomas Colson]

So here's the conclusion to this. Laguna/Supermax said "Yeah, we're gonna replace it", and never heard from them again except for an email sales invoice for the replacement. Numerous phone calls for explanation go to voice mail, called the 1800 number twice asking for an answer, only to get forwarded to the same voice mail box, which never returns a call. So last thursday I called Woodcraft (where I bought it from) and explained the problem with the sander and the problem with Supermax customer service. Today, tuesday, UPS calls me. They have two drum sanders to deliver......

So this guy in tech support is telling me they have no replacement sanders to send, and "Texas is refusing to answer me". Not to throw the tech under the bus, he's working from home, and I get the impression that Laguna has sorta forgotten about him.

So the person I'm working with at Woodcraft, apparently threw a grenade at Laguna, because as soon as they got off the phone with her, they shipped a replacement. So did Woodcraft. Little curious as to why tech support couldn't accomplish this in 3 weeks....

So I refused the box from Laguna, and took the Woodcraft box home (per woodcraft instruction).

Should have taken the Laguna box! The height adjust handle was broke clean in half, with the other half no where to be found. No problem, I took the handle off the defective machine before I put it back in the box. It was put in the box, broken, at the factory.

So kudos to Woodcraft. They made it right, and did it fast.

I just bought the last Supermax/Laguna tool ever, for the rest of my life. Their tech support doesn't return phone calls, period. I can't imagine if I bought their 4000$ band saw or 2000$ dust collector and needed assistance with this or that. They won't assist you. This was big purchase for me, granted, it's the cheapest machine they make. If they value me as a customer that little, well, I guess I won't be a customer.

However, I will give Woodcraft a bit more of my business from the Amazing Site, as long as prices are close. Straight up good people working at Woodcraft!

So far the replacement isn't vibrating like a Ford Bronco with mis-matched tires.....

[glenn bradley]

Sounds like Laguna's bio rhythm of customer service is heading into a low cycle again :-) They come and go over the years. The folks at Supermax have always been top notch in the past.

[Alan Lightstone]

I gave up on Laguna about 10 years ago due to bad customer service.

Real kudos to Woodcraft. Their local manager had to escalate an issue up to the VP level to get Next Wave Auto@#^%% to replace a messed up unit after they were ignoring me. They got the job done, and earned great loyalty from me, and I'll never buy a CNC unit from that company - they lost a customer.

Customer service matters.

[Robert Hayward]

I can't imagine if I bought their 4000$ band saw or 2000$ dust collector and needed assistance with this or that.

I have one of their dust collectors, a Cflux3. I really like the collector, works perfect for my shop. The remote was sketchy from the beginning and I did not call Laguna. Remote finally quit working altogether, out of warranty by then. I called to order a new one and was shocked at the price of $74.00, if I am remembering correctly, but ordered anyway. My card was charged instantly and it took many phone calls and six weeks to get the remote. Before ordering when I was describing the machine problem to the tech he mentioned several times about how old my machine was so to expect problems. The machine is four years old and used in a hobby shop.

New remote is three months old and being problematic already. Have to push the button three or four times to get the machine to stop. Not going to bother with Laguna again and have already bought the parts to make a homemade 220v on/off switch with remote.

When I bought my SuperMax 16/32 the box arrived without a stand. I called and asked if the stand would come in a separate box. No, it is in the box with the sander, look again. Sorry but it would be difficult to overlook a four leg metal stand in that box. It took a few phone calls to finally get a stand shipped to me.

The sander and dust collector are really nice tools. Would be nice if a different company owned them.

[Larry Frank]

Sad to read about this. I love my 16/32 as it is a well built tool. When I bought it, I had excellent customer service.

I find that customer support from all companies is hit and miss with the COVID causing all kinds of personnel issues.

[Bruce King]

I ordered a Jet 18-36 but they shipped a 16-32, it was wrapped up so didn’t notice the numbers on the box, then on the opposite side when lifting out of the box so didn’t see the numbers for awhile. Going to send it back but turned it on and sort of looked and wondered if everything was working because it was so quiet. It has the coupling too that isolates slight alignment error and slight motor vibrations away from the drum and vice versa.

[ED Budzinski]

I ordered a Jet 18-36 but they shipped a 16-32, it was wrapped up so didn’t notice the numbers on the box, then on the opposite side when lifting out of the box so didn’t see the numbers for awhile. Going to send it back but turned it on and sort of looked and wondered if everything was working because it was so quiet. It has the coupling too that isolates slight alignment error and slight motor vibrations away from the drum and vice versa.

Working as a Machine Tool Repairman for 45 Plus years a Spider coupling is a Cushing to remove metal to metal contact , However the two coupling half's need to be aligned with precision. We always used a 6" steel precision ruler . If an air gap is seen on top or side of the coupling the gap needs to be adjusted out across the length of the two coupling pieces . Shimming may be necessary if no adjustment is present . Hope this helps anyone with a vibration issue with motor couplings .

[Randy Heinemann]

Just set my Supermax 16-32 up this weekend. No vibration with or without sandpaper.

As for Supermax/Laguna support . . . Before I bought my sander I contacted them at least twice with questions about the 16-32 and 19-38 sander and their specs. I called and left a message on a Friday afternoon and got a call back on Monday or Tuesday. The second question was an email and also got a quick response. However, neither of these were warranty issues since I hadn't yet bought the sander.

From other feedback I've seen on the internet, the responses have been mixed; some quick and adequate responses from Laguna and some not. It's unclear whether, when calling the Supermax phone number you are getting a general Laguna department or a separate Supermax specific staff.

[Charlie Jones]

I have a 16-32 and. a Laguna 14-12 bandsaw. Both have been excellent machines with the exception of the chintzy digital readout on the 16-32. It isn’t anywhere near accurate but I never use it anyway.

[Alan Schaffter]

Oh the stories I could tell about Laguna- not from a customer standpoint, but as a designer/consultant. They contacted me about designing widget for them. What I came up with beat the specs of anything similar on the market. I shipped them a very rough prototype with all the qualifiers, which I built on my nickel. They weren't interested in specs, they just wanted something that 'looked sexy.' Oh, and they didn't want to license my design nor pay me anything near what is was worth. I'm glad I hadn't signed a contract yet nor taken any money up front, because I was able to walk away (run as fast as I could).

[mark kosse]

Just for reference for people in the future considering laguna products. The sandpaper clip on a supermax dru sander failed. I called many times and finally got a rep. 8.00 for the part, plus 8.00 for shipping. Not too bad. They email me a receipt and shipping conformation. That was Feb 15. A month later, no part, no tracking number, no response. Multiple calls and emails, nothing. I don't make a living anymore at this but if I did... Sander is OOC because of this 8.00 part.

Lets face it, CS everywhere is pretty much down but this is a bought and paid for part.

[Alex Zeller]

I have an old woodmaster drum sander that's hook and loop. The previous owner just used fiberglass strapping tap to hold the ends down so I've continued to do the same. It may not work well with an open end sander though.

[glenn bradley]

However, neither of these were warranty issues since I hadn't yet bought the sander.

Makes one recall the joke about visiting Hell . .. once as a "prospect" and then as a "client".

[George Yetka]

I just got my 19 last month and it steady as can be. I did however tear a belt 2 passes in. The supermax's have been backordered all year, due to corona and people spending more time at home playing/side hustling. They ship with paper on the drum I would assume they power them up before shipping them out. So either they rush them out the door due to back orders or shipping damage.

Is the paper tight?

Why do they make the motor so hard to attach paper?