Anyone use a Laguna 14 bx for resawing?

21incher · January 22, 2018, 08:38:03 PM

Getting ready to upgrade my 1950s delta bandsaw and wondering if anyone has experience with the Laguna 14 bx 220 volt saw. I want the 12 inch resaw capacity in a smaller saw that won't take up much space. From what I have found about it online so far it is one of the few smaller saws that can properly tension a resaw blade and has ceramic guides that work well for resawing. I also like the idea of a brake and the price point. Just wondering if anyone here has any experience with this saw good or bad. Thanks.

rjwoelk · January 23, 2018, 12:10:59 AM

I had a look at it as well. Looks like good saw.

SlowJoeCrow · January 25, 2018, 12:53:32 PM

Sorry, no experience with that saw, have you looked at the new Rikon line of bandsaws? I have heard stuff about them.

21incher · January 25, 2018, 03:37:54 PM

I have read that people have trouble properly tensioning resaw blades on the small Rikon and Grizzly machines.

Battle Ridge · February 06, 2018, 05:11:15 PM

My bandsaw search started with the 14" Rikon, and progressed to the 15" Jet, then the 14" Laguna's. It took some traveling but I was finally able to view the different saws by visiting several dealers and it can help tremendously to actually place your hands on the different machines to view and delve into their individual features. I also spent countless hours researching online (including videos) on a variety of sites and forums, made up charts to compare various features and more. I think that each can be a good machine that a person could be satisfied with and in the end it can likely come down to the features you actually want, but can take comfort that any of these saws could provide satisfaction.

While it was not on my original consideration list, the last dealer I visited had a Laguna 18BX sitting on the floor (interestingly I had previously seen an 18" Jet and thought it looked way too big). With the information I had gathered and after the machines I previously viewed, I quickly became attached. After taking a walk around the store I made a final return to give a final detailed look at the 18BX. Many days of additional research followed and when the dealer had a 10% discount on their woodworking machines (plus had the saw in stock, eliminating the additional $75 shipping charge that other dealers routinely add), I pulled the trigger and made the purchase. Since then, I haven't looked back and while I haven't had the opportunity to wrack up a lot of hours on the saw, so far I love everything about the machine.

The Laguna 18BX seems to be of good quality & build and runs smoothly & comfortably. I like the ceramic guides and thus far don't think I would like a saw without them. Having both dust collection ports come out in the same area is nice and I found the saw(s) that have the dust ports coming out on different sides to be an undesirable feature. The horsepower is more than sufficient and the shut-off / brake pedal is a great feature and it can be surprising how long the blade spins once the saw is turned off. The longer blade length (145") can also provide advantages in lasting longer (requiring less rotations for length of cut), and the larger wheel size (18 vs 14) is also better for the bandsaw blades. The saw is rated for a 1-1/4" width blade but I chose to go with a 1" blade and tensioning isn't a problem at all. My primary concern prior to purchase was that the saw might be 'too big' and that there could be a negative in that, but since having it in my shop, I very much appreciate the size and mass of the machine with the spacious table and overall weight being a huge plus. The only negative I had (which is actually minor) was that there was a small spot of weld splatter on the bottom of the plate that holds the lower guides, but the fix was a simple matter of using my small rotary tool with a sander attachment to smooth the bump away.

While I haven't had the opportunity to do a lot of resaw work yet, I have a one-room schoolhouse (beyond affordable restoration and thus my plans are to repurpose the wood) with full 8/4 thick lumber of various widths that I am planning to resaw, as well as other resaw work I want to do. My choice of the 18BX over the 14" / 15" saws was also made with the desire to allow the saw to work comfortably within it's capabilities and to not work in the upper range of what it will handle.

My blade selection consists of the Laguna Resaw King (1") and the Lenox Diemaster 2 (1/2" - 4tpi & 1/4" - 6tpi).

Good luck in your search and I know it can work pretty heavy on the brain cells.

21incher · February 06, 2018, 06:55:49 PM

Welcome to the Forestry Forum Battle Ridge. Thanks for your input. After watching a side by side video of the 14BX and 18BX on YouTube I am heading towards the 18BX now also. I just missed the 10%off sale they had on it in January and waiting to see if it returns. I have located a dealer about an hour from me with one and will be taking a ride to see it when it warms up. The 16 inch resaw capacity is overkill for me, but the 3 hp motor is a big plus. I have also read that Lagunas customer support has improved lately. Thanks again for your input.

justallan1 · February 07, 2018, 05:29:04 AM

I was looking at the bigger bandsaws a couple years back and liked the Grizzly 17". At the time it was going for right at $1,000, which was a great price. It has a resaw capacity of 12", seems like it was 2 HP, but has great reviews. THEN...I got to looking at the price difference in blades.

I had to rethink how much I needed that big of a saw and ended up buying a Shop Fox 14" that I can put an extra 6" riser block on to get 12" if I ever need it.
For me it came down to how much I would actually use it versus blade prices.

21incher · February 07, 2018, 02:12:56 PM

Quote from: justallan1 on February 07, 2018, 05:29:04 AM
I was looking at the bigger bandsaws a couple years back and liked the Grizzly 17". At the time it was going for right at $1,000, which was a great price. It has a resaw capacity of 12", seems like it was 2 HP, but has great reviews. THEN...I got to looking at the price difference in blades.
I had to rethink how much I needed that big of a saw and ended up buying a Shop Fox 14" that I can put an extra 6" riser block on to get 12" if I ever need it.
For me it came down to how much I would actually use it versus blade prices.

I have a 14" Delta and want a bigger resaw capacity. It only has 1 hp and that is barely enough for the 6 inches it can resaw. I don't see blade cost as a factor because I have only purchased 3 blades for my existing saw in the last 10 years so an extra $15.00 a blade is not a factor. A good resaw blade will cost no mater what size it is. I just want to make sure it is the last saw that I will ever need. I also like the idea of the bigger table and taller fence.

Kbeitz · February 07, 2018, 05:06:45 PM

Quote from: justallan1 on February 07, 2018, 05:29:04 AM
I was looking at the bigger bandsaws a couple years back and liked the Grizzly 17". At the time it was going for right at $1,000, which was a great price. It has a resaw capacity of 12", seems like it was 2 HP, but has great reviews. THEN...I got to looking at the price difference in blades.
I had to rethink how much I needed that big of a saw and ended up buying a Shop Fox 14" that I can put an extra 6" riser block on to get 12" if I ever need it.
For me it came down to how much I would actually use it versus blade prices.

Shop Fox is part of Grizzly. Woodstock international.

21incher · March 30, 2018, 07:27:20 PM

Well finally received my BX18. They were back ordered so it took a while. I was surprised that it shipped laying down.

Couldn't get the box through the door into my shop so I had to unpack it and flip it up on dollies before moving it around. Too tall to make it through the door standing up. I have never seen a tool packed so well. It was encased in custom foam inserts and had a over sized pallet. Even UPS freight couldn't destroy it. This thing is heavy the back wheels on my little tractor were barely touching the ground on the way in. Can't wait to assemble it and fire it up.

21incher · April 18, 2018, 09:03:36 PM

I have to say that I would not reccomend the 18bx at this time after my experience with the one I bought. Had a problem with the table twisting when the clamps were tightened. Finally received a new trunnion to replace the one that was not ground centered and was able to fix that. There is a vibration and still waiting for a replacement lower wheel. Upon disassembly I found the bearings are not spaced and preloaded and the wheels are held in place by a finger tight nut that loosens in the same direction as the wheel turns also the drive pulley has no centering provision only friction to keep it from slipping off center. The vendor in Taiwan says this is acceptable and Laguna is looking into it for me.
Took 2 weeks to get the trunnion. The wheel has not shipped and the whole assembly may have to be reballanced and have spacers added so the mounting nuts can be torqued.
Made a video for Laguna to review My New Laguna 18bx. Starting To Repair It And Some Concerns - YouTube
Used tools are starting to sound good again.

shinnlinger · April 28, 2018, 10:51:30 PM

Sorry I'm late to this party, but I have been in a few shops that run Laguna and every one has reservations about their products. That said, it it a nice feature that when you hit the brake, the saw shuts off...

21incher · April 29, 2018, 08:05:43 AM

I can tell you that their customer support is slow getting parts out and does not know the details of this saw. It seems like the manufacturer in Taiwan just tried expanding the 14 inch saw with no changes. Not American design as stated. Almost 4 weeks now and still waiting for the replacement lower wheel. >:( I will update when it is working properly.

21incher · May 17, 2018, 07:50:07 AM

Well it took over 6 weeks to get the replacement lower wheel. No assemblies in stock so they finally removed one from a good working saw they had and shipped it to me. Turned out just the wheel could not be swapped out because it is reballanced as an assembly after the pulley is added. It fixed all the vibration and it is now running smoothly. I still have some concerns but it is running good now and will easily resaw 16 inch walnut and the dust collection works good.

Larry · May 18, 2018, 09:33:37 PM

Some years ago I bought a new Laguna 12" jointer made in Italy. It was kissed by a forklift when it was unloaded. Broke a mounting bracket for the fence. The buyer never could get a new part and I bought it for scrap price. Bridgeport milling machines can make anything!

Sawing cherry bowl blanks on my 1 HP 20" Delta. As you can tell the dust collection on it does not SUCK.

stobey99 · August 18, 2018, 06:41:43 PM

With resawing in mind, I bought the 2.5HP 14BX about 18 months ago and have been very happy with the purchase. The only negative I've experienced is related to the tracking mechanism. With a 3/4" Resaw King blade mounted at full tension, I cannot turn the tracking knob clockwise (adjust upper wheel toe-in tracking). I have to release the tension, adjust tracking, retension, check tracking and possibly repeat. Bit of a pain at first but I'm used to it now and it only has to be done for blade changes and the blade tension lever makes it easy. I haven't had a need to resaw 12" material yet but have not had any issues resawing 10" purpleheart, wenge, ash, oak, maple, etc... I also purchased the mobility kit which is worth every penny if you ever need to move the saw. It's very heavy.

When I contacted Laguna Canada regarding the tracking issue, they (thank you Patrick) offered to pick up the saw and fully reimburse me for everything including the extra blades and mobility kit. I also considered upgrading to the 14SUV but when all was said and done, I liked the 14BX more than enough to deal with the tracking issue.

I've owned a couple of 14" Delta saws, a 15" General and 14" General International. For the most part each of these saws worked well within their limits but I was never completely satisfied with the resawing results. I did a fair amount of research with some limited hands-on testing and found there are a lot of really decent bandsaws on the market. For the features, the look and feel of the saw and a very competitive price, the 2.5HP 14BX was an easy choice for me.

Larry · August 18, 2018, 08:23:04 PM

Quote from: stobey99 on August 18, 2018, 06:41:43 PMThe only negative I've experienced is related to the tracking mechanism. With a 3/4" Resaw King blade mounted at full tension, I cannot turn the tracking knob clockwise (adjust upper wheel toe-in tracking). I have to release the tension, adjust tracking, retension, check tracking and possibly repeat. Bit of a pain at first but I'm used to it now and it only has to be done for blade changes and the blade tension lever makes it easy.

I think that is pretty normal with wide resaw bands. I run a 1" Resaw King on my Delta 20". When I switch from a narrow band I crank the tension just enough to hold the band on than adjust the tracking. When the tracking is right I finish cranking up the tension.
Done it so many times its just normal procedure.