DesertRatTom,
Great write-up and has me taking another look at the Laguna.
Have you found any drawbacks on your model? Did you consider a bigger Laguna?
Thanks,
Steve
I didn't like the lack of a downlight, and I really didn't like the Laguna brand light for it. There are four small pre-drilled holes where I mounted a box, plus a goose neck light you saw in the picture. Mounted this in the existing holes (hate to drill holes in tools), with a small microswitch on the box cover for on/off.
I did consider their larger 18 inch model (which my engineer friend bought), but it was more than double the price and its blades far more expensive, the Laguna Resaw King for example was far more than the 14 inch version. Then I watched Laguna's owner cut a Cherry root ball with the 14 inch saw and realized the fourteen/12 was all I'd ever need, given my usage and advaning age.
The other thing that's almost a must is the 3 wheel base for the saw, however, it is tippy. The saw is top heavy (all band saws are) and making a turn on 3 wheels requires going slow and paying attention to balance. I suppose one could make a more stable base for it, but I probably won't get around to it. At my age, going slow is natural.
I particularly like the Laguna's construction. Not only are the bearings super heavy duty, so are the trunions on which the table rests. The insert trough which the blade runs, is rectangular and is easy to replace with a shop-made zero clearance one. The cool bloks wear some and are pretty costly to replace, but that is offset by how easy they are to set properly, vs. the Carter roller guides. But forget to lubricate the Carter guides and they will sieze up eventually.
Carter does make a stabilizer so the blade can twist a bit, which is handy for making BS boxes. Just an FYI worth remembering.
I chose to buy the Laguna brand blades, slightly more expensive but superbly made and properly heat treated for maximum lifespan. When I visited Laguna, I watched their automated Resaw King sharpening machine and realized just how serious Laguna's engineers are about what they produce. For example, although the Fourteen/12 is made in Taiwan, the cast iron in the table "rests" for 6 months before milling in order to reduce the chance of warping over time. That storage adds to Laguna's costs, but is a QC step worth taking.
The table itself is pretty spacious, and their dual height fence is very nice. Low for general use so you can drop the guard down very close to a 3/4 inch workpiece. Flip it and it has about a 6 inch fence for resawing. The heavy, milled cast iron wheels and the slightly crowned tires when the blade is properly adjusted pretty much eliminate drift, although the fence is easily adjusted to allow for it.
I like the blade tensioner, which is below the top wheel housing rather than above. I'm a WW II kid and not very tall, so reaching up to the top is an uncomfortable stretch for me.
They have a model that has a disk brake installed to quick stop the saw. The model I have has such heavy duty cast iron wheels that it takes a little while to run down to a full stop-I don't find this to be a problem, but it's nice to have a choice. You pay more for the brake, of course.
Laguna's Leeson motor is American made and runs on either 110 or 220. You can quickly rewire for the 220, which also increases horse power. I have never had a problem calling Laguna for help or an answer. Their customer service is excellent.
All the Laguna tools I saw have an elegant simplicity about them. The engineers thought out every element so they haven't had to tack on anything to make up for something overlooked. Most band saws are good this way because they nearly all use the same design, but Laguna is in a league of their own by my reckoning.
I looked at and fondled Rikon, Jet and Grizly saws as well and would probably be happy with any of them, so I have nothing bad to say about them, they just didn't feel right to me, and that subjective element is present in all my tool purchases. I also didn't like the fit an finish of the Griz in particular.
I am a fuss budget about sawdust collection. The Laguna has its 4 inch DC port just below the lower guides, and depending on the power of your DC unit, it is very effective. A tiny bit inevitably gets by the port but is contained in the lower wheel housing for the occasional clean out. If you don't attach a DC, you will get a lot more sawdust leaking from below the table. The Fourteen/12 has a built in small brush that sweeps the blade, located in the DC port's chamber.
If you look I think you'll find that Laguna has a special table setup for resawing logs. I don't have hardwood logs available where I live, so I didn't get one. If I lived near a source, I'd love to resaw logs.
Finally, most brands of tools go on sale from time to time, and 10 percent off will just about pay for the rolling base.
Lots of opinions on the Forum and I certainly am expressing one, so I hope you'll let us know what you choose in the end.