Laguna 14 SUV Bandsaw... Pro's and Cons?

[Van Huskey]

Hi folks,
Just quietly watching bandsaw threads, im not sure , I thought it was here but, in one reply I thought tim from laguna mentioned that the 14 suv was from bulgaria, allthe 3000 series from china and the 16's and up from italy. But i have been wrong b4 and sure to be wrong again in the future. Sure wish Laguna would just list country of origin on all their models. ( you there Tim?)
Eric

I do think I was wrong and the SUV is a Asian saw. The SE and SEL are Bugarian and their description shows they are Euro saws. Their price is significantly more than the SUV and the SUV offers more features, larger specs and does not mention being a Euro saw in the description, pretty sure the SE and SEL are the only Euro saws.


I think all the 20" and above saws are Italian, the 16HD and the LT18 are Italian as well. The LT16, 14SE and 14SEL are Bulgarian. All 3 of the 3000 series along with the 14SUV are the Asian saws. I think I have covered them all and correct me if I am wrong.

[Geoff Chapman]

Ordered my SUV 3/1, in their 'March Madness' sale with the 5 blades, shipping, mobility kit all added free. Laguna sales (Chris, I think) was a pleasure to deal with, no high pressure, and even called me back to lower the price when the front office told them multiple add-ins were allowed.

The saw arrived a few days later in great shape - except for three small problems: first, the spot welds on the blade guard mount that Eric also had problems with. I decided to drill and bolt it on again rather than call for a new one - took 15 mins and better than new result I think. The second was that the tensioning guage indicator had popped out of its holder. Took me a bit to figure out how to get it back in. What I liked was that everything comes apart if you need to get it apart - and goes right back together. Everything can be adjusted, etc. Third, as noted, the table is lower, and in my shop my taller workbench is a couple feet away, so the short 6' cord (plug came installed) wasn't enough for me; a friend made me a 5' 12ga extension cord, which gives me the ability to roll it where I need it if I am ripping longer pieces.

Ordered new blades from Lennox, no problems with length or quality. Apparently the SUV will take a 1" blade, though I still wonder about metal fatigue on a .035 thick 1" blade. Watching to see how folks do with those blades in the long run on 14" wheels before considering a carbide. There is certainly no problem with tensioning or tracking a 1" blade! I'm running a 3/4" Lennox at this point.

As many have noted, fit and finish are excellent. Table alignment was spot on. Fence is good. Driftmaster looks great, and I am told it is being redesigned for 14" saws so you don't have to lift the table to open the lower door during blade changes. I don't have it. New ones arrive shortly, I hear. Design and build of the saw are high end. Mobility kit is great, but I'm glad I got it for free. 14" resaw capacity is inpressive, and a few inches more than I am likely to ever need. 3 HP Leeson, very substantial frame, full adjustment mechanisms, foot brake (I use it all the time), gas assist on table, etc, etc.

I've been practicing blade changes, and it is very smooth and reasonably quick.

I am a recreational woodworker, and I don't think I forsee any need to exceed the capacities of this saw. My only other BS experience is with an older 1/2HP Delta 14", and this is a different world with the SUV. I'm a very pleased new owner, and would do it again. Apparently they sold their remaining stock of these in a couple weeks. Interesting!

Geoff

[Eric Sayre]

I bought the LT18 two years ago despite all the warnings of terrible customer service.

I had trouble getting it into the garage; it didn't quite clear, so I had to struggle with it. When I tried to start it, it wouldn't come on. I spoke to a customer rep who gave me some ideas, and in the mean time he said he would overnight a new starter switch. I found that I had damaged the kill switch on top while trying to get it through the door, and had it fixed in just a few minutes. The customer rep followed up to make sure everything was OK.

For the last two years I've enjoyed everything about this bandsaw. Very solid, powerful, and accurate. You won't be disappointed with the quality.

[Rick Markham]

Thanks Ya'll I am talking with Tim now

[Alan Lightstone]

Got mine a month ago. Couldn't be happier with it. Fit and finish seem quite good, very solid. Packed like a tank in crate when it arrived.

Access to bottom guides could be a little better, but the sucker does make a real nice cut.

Not sure if the Driftmaster fence is worth the money at retail, but it does work well. Makes setting up repetitive straight cuts a breeze.

And I had a very good experience with customer service.

I got a bunch of free blades from Laguna with the saw as well as free shipping. Have ordered a few from them since (the easiest way to deal with the 125" size, I figure, is to buy from them.)

[Rick Markham]

Howdy Ya'll I thought I would update ya on the situation after talking with Tim. We spent some time talking, I might add that Tim is a great guy and did everything he could to answer my questions and get everything I needed situated. During the process he realized that the few that he thought were on hand were actually gone out the door already Bummer... right? Well Tim worked some magic with the numbers and I ended up getting an amazing deal on the 16" 3000 series, with free shipping, five blades, mobility kit... and a super duper deal on the driftmaster (will ship in a couple weeks it's on Back Order right now) The saw shipped yesterday, Tim promptly forwarded me the shipping info and now I get to play the waiting game.

While I was speaking with him, I asked about whether they were redesigning the DriftMaster fence, he told me what they are shipping now is a redesigned version (can't recall the details at the moment, and I don't want to speculate and stir the pot). I am going to miss the added 2" of resaw capacity... but a larger throat, bigger table, and hopefully less stress on 1" blades, will definitely make amends for it. I am anxious to try the beast out, I just had my friend (an electrician) come over and give me an estimate on a 220 line. I will definitely let you all know when it shows up and how everything goes! I really cant say enough about how helpful and professional Tim is.

Thanks for all of your input too, ya'll are the best!

[Van Huskey]

Howdy Ya'll I thought I would update ya on the situation after talking with Tim. We spent some time talking, I might add that Tim is a great guy and did everything he could to answer my questions and get everything I needed situated. During the process he realized that the few that he thought were on hand were actually gone out the door already Bummer... right? Well Tim worked some magic with the numbers and I ended up getting an amazing deal on the 16" 3000 series, with free shipping, five blades, mobility kit... and a super duper deal on the driftmaster (will ship in a couple weeks it's on Back Order right now) The saw shipped yesterday, Tim promptly forwarded me the shipping info and now I get to play the waiting game.

While I was speaking with him, I asked about whether they were redesigning the DriftMaster fence, he told me what they are shipping now is a redesigned version (can't recall the details at the moment, and I don't want to speculate and stir the pot). I am going to miss the added 2" of resaw capacity... but a larger throat, bigger table, and hopefully less stress on 1" blades, will definitely make amends for it. I am anxious to try the beast out, I just had my friend (an electrician) come over and give me an estimate on a 220 line. I will definitely let you all know when it shows up and how everything goes! I really cant say enough about how helpful and professional Tim is.

Thanks for all of your input too, ya'll are the best!

Like a kid waiting for Christmas! I think you will enjoy the saw!

[Rick Markham]

Absolutely Van! I have been waiting many years for a chance to get a really nice bandsaw, This one is far more than my needs for my home shop, so hopefully I won't be able to outgrow it. Now hopefully the fellow citizens of my town don't get irate when I am roaming around picking up logs from the local Oak trees that are getting trimmed, or removed LOL. I already have several projects I am antsy to get working on, once it is here and wired up... It's gonna be harder to deal with once it is sitting in my shop awaiting the electrician LOL

[Van Huskey]

Only thing worse than waitng for Christmas is when mom and dad forget the batteries, or in this case the 220!

[Rick Markham]

Ha! True! I have no one to blame, but myself for that...

[Rick Markham]

I thought I would give a little update on this thread just in case anyone is doing some research. I chose the LT16 3000 series, it arrived without any damage in beautiful condition. The driftmaster showed up about the time the electrician did, and I decided to film a video of a nickel test I did. This is essentially the saw out of the box, with the 1" blade I got from Laguna with the saw. I made no major changes to the saw (other than the driftmaster fence) I am very pleased with this saw, and have been pleased with Laguna's service so far. Tim has continued to answer many of my questions. I have had nothing wrong with this saw, only minor "nit picky" things such as the difficulty of adjusting the table with the added 66lbs of the driftmaster fence. However the fence is well worth the money and the required extra force to adjust the table. I can live with that, and will figure out a way to compensate for it

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlM9Z1L0Ykc

Thanks Ya'll for your help!