The replacement lower wheel for my new bx18 finally arrived. This video is about installing it and aligning the trunnion along with some final thoughts about the machine. It is running extremely smooth now.
I was all set to stock my new shop with all Laguna machines. 18" bandsaw, 12" jointer, 24" planer, panel saw, dust collector, etc, etc. Not any longer. This was a great eye-opener and I have found literally hundreds of customers having these types of QC and workmanship issues, both on forums and on RU-vid. The sad part, to top everything off, is there are even more issues with trying to deal with their Customer Service to any of these issues addressed. Resolution of these seems to be more problematic. If it's any consolation, some folks are waiting MONTHS to get anything properly resolved. Thanks for the detailed video. Back to square-1 in my now, much more careful search, for such a significant investment as a shop full of tools.
This was my first and last Laguna tool. They claim that they are engineered in the USA but I had direct contact with the company In Taiwan that designed and owned the documents for this machine. Another problem I ran into was it does not use an overload starter for the 3 hp motor. It's only a cheap contactor with no overload safety's. I do not recommend this saw. Thanks for watching.
Looks like its working great now. Glad to see you finally got the pulley I can tell the new one with less run out is a lot smoother. Have a great week. God Bless!!!
I thought I may have just received one that slipped through the quality control cracks but I see comments from another buyer with similar problems. It seems to be luck of the draw with these offshore products. It's working good now but they took some shortcuts that still concern me. Thanks for watching.
Brian at Laguna was great and kept me in the loop but there was a lack of knowledge about this saw at first that the manufacturer straightened out plus the shipping was extremely slow with a lack of spare parts in stock. It is running good now but I still have concerns about the lower wheel to pulley lack of alignment. Should the bearings go after warranty you can not just change out the bearings. You need special fixtures and a re-balance of the entire assembly. That pulley is just floating on 4 clearance holes fighting 3 hp and the brake. Would have been easy to add a self locating feature and balance the pulley so it could all be swapped out in the field without any special tooling. Also free running nuts holding the preload on the bearings just is not something that I trust in the long term. It sounds like they just told the vendor to stretch the 14 inch saw into an 18 inch version without much concern about the extra horsepower, or bigger heavier table hanging in mid air. Hopefully they will address some of the concerns in the future. It will help if others with the same concerns also contact them. With a couple small changes I think it would be one of the best saws in the price range out there. I am rethinking ordering the cyclone dust collector that I had originally had planned to buy from them.
Watching you true up the table reminds my of all the fun it could to align motors to pump ends after repair when I was in the navy. As you seem to know the fussier you are now the better things will be later. Smoother quieter and straighter cutting that will be. And then after you are satisfied check it all again just to make sure
It can be frustrating trying to align things where every screw moves it in a different direction. But as you say it pays to take the time to get it right. Thanks for your service. Thanks for watching.
Great to know it’s back together and you’re satisfied. You have such a good demeanor, I’m probably more annoyed it was defective than you are, lol. Enjoy the saw, looking forward to what you create with it.
It runs smooth and the table is flat so I can't complain now. That whole wheel reballancing was an educational experience for all of us and they only had a bare wheel in stock so that was the biggest bottleneck. I am just glad to have it all straightened out and hopefully better checks will be put in place so others don't have similar issues in the future. I still have a couple of concerns that I hope Laguna looks into. Thanks for watching.
great review! I watched all 3 clips your a very patient man and i am glad it worked out for you . I am still on the fence so time will tell Thanks for your time and good luck with your new saw.
I definitely would not buy it again after seeing the poor job of engineering they did. Could have been a great saw. I don't use it very much so hopefully it will last a while. Thanks for watching.
So sorry it took so long, but at least you have it all taken care of. That's a beautiful piece of walnut you used to check it. I can't wait to see what you make with it. Of course you're into outside chores now, so it'll be a long wait until winter. Thanks for sharing, interesting as always.
They were extremely slow at shipping the parts out but at least they took one off a good working machine so I wouldn't have to wait for one to ship from Taiwan. One less thing to worry about. The grass is growing like crazy and the garden is going in now. Time for some outdoors videos. Thanks for watching
I had my heart set on an 18BX until I "happened" onto your videos. This saw cost way too much money to have to put in the time for adjustments that you did. Guess I'll start looking at Powermatics or something. Thanks for the great videos.
I wouldn't buy it again. Also had electrical issues and found there is no motor starter or overload protection on mine. I found the design is controlled by the company in Taiwan that builds them and not in by Laguna as advertised. Mine was one of the first ones but I doubt there have been changes from some of the emails I received about issues from buyers. Pretty saw that could have been great if corners weren't cut. Thanks for watching.
Very helpful. I’m shopping 18” saws and the only reviews I can find of the Laguna are how to replace the table and trunions on brand new saws. No thanks. Crossed off my list. Glad you finally got it working.
They are slow at getting out replacement parts also. It works good now but I have my doubts about the pulley to wheel attachment staying aligned over time. Thanks for watching.
I watched the first video. The saw bacamemy first choice. After watching the second and third I agree with Robscubavideo, no thanks to rebuilding a $2k saw fresh from the factory. Maybe I get them to ship the saw to Woodcraft, have them check it out, correct any problems then I'll take possession.
I'm indepted to you, as I was planning on buying either the 14|BX or the 18|BX. Watching your sequence of videos has been a huge eye opener for me. I'm just sorry you've had to go through all that troube. Spending that amount of money on something like this, you would expect to not see any teathing problems. Thank you for the detailed review, I'm certainly going to take my serach elsewhere now for a new bandsaw.
I definitely would not buy this again. Another problem I ran into is there is no overload motor starter for this 3hp motor. It is just a contactor with no overload protection and all the terminals became corroded causing it to stop working. They really cut corners to increase profits on this machine. Don't have any experience with the 14 inch one. Thanks for watching.
You said, "I think it's luck of the draw with any of these homeowner offshore tools no matter who puts their name on them." Right on! Go down the whole list of saw options - - they all have their weak points and some run great out of the box and some, like the Rikon I bought recently, are just like your new Laguna. I sent my Rikon back for a refund and bought the little brother to yours (a Laguna 1412), with fingers crossed every step of the way. Just assembling it now - - will see how it goes. And thanks, "Hillbilly", for your great review.
I think it definitely is. I recently had a comment from a viewer that purchased the same saw as mine and had similar problems with no replace parts available for a long time. Mine is running good now that it has been repaired but I still have concerns about shortcuts taken to save a dollar manufacturing cost. Hopefully you got a good one that works with some minor fine tuning. Thanks for watching.
I just inherited an 18-3000 saw that is missing both guide wheels. Sounds like I might be in a bad spot trying to find replacements! Appreciate your video!
Glad you got some success. Unfortunate that you had to go through all that. You would think high end tooling would be good right out of the box. Happy sawing!!!!
It is working good now. took them a long time to get the parts out, but in the end I am happy and now know how to keep the saw aligned. Thanks for watching.
Nice resolution. Your comment about the fence as a counter weight to the table's weight got me thinking. Perhaps drill a hole on the right side rim and hang a window sash weight with sash chain.
I have a box of them and thought about that. It is a big heavy table and really needs something to help steady it. One of next winters projects. Thanks for watching.
Great videos. I was still under the impression that they were made in Italy. They don't make it easy to figure out where they are actually made now. Looks like they are about the same as all the others now made in the same area. That's too bad.
I thought they were engineered in the USA according to the website but the company in Taiwan completely controls the engineering from the emails that I received from them. If they didn't cut corners it would be one of the best saws out there but after seeing it I would not buy it again. Thanks for watching.
Your answer here answers my question....would you buy this saw again? And I certainly understand your perspective. So if you were buying today at about this price point what would you choose?
Yep i agree, Me being a designer / tool maker and a cnc guy . Im supersized you didn't get the lathe out bud.....iv seen some of your tools. I made a 5' x 48" cnc wood router. seeing you plasma i was think about taking that apart and make it a plasma. I already have a haas mini and a tormach 770. but the router is all .750 plate way over kill for plasma. 80/20 is all ya need..
I have been thinking about building a bigger router someday. The biggest issue with plasma is having a good torch height controller. I would love to have a to smash, maybe someday. Thanks for watching.
It cuts great and runs nice and smooth now. Still a couple concerns but I am happy with it now. I didn't realize Steel City went out of business. Thanks for watching.
Good job of troubleshooting all those issues. Just think if you were not so good at doing that you would have had to send it back. Luckily they stood by you unlike those scoundrels at Ariens.
They were slow at shipping parts but it is a fairly new product and the wheel assembly had not been stocked yet. They had just a wheel in stock but the the assembly is balanced again so it must all be swapped out. The support guy decided to remove one from a good working machine or it could have been a much longer wait for one from Taiwan. It works good now so I am happy. You never know with these offshore machines. Ariens support is a joke and their assembled in the USA machines are junk unlike the old made in the USA machines. Thanks for watching.
After nearly a year using the saw, what are your impressions of it now? Are there any addition tweaks that you had to do? Question-if need be is the saw designed that a replacement motor could be easily installed? Thank you for your videos.
I wouldn't buy it again. Recently it wouldn't start and I disassembled the electronics panel and found a corroded terminal on the main contactor coil. I found there is no overload protection relay in the starter circuit as most 3 hp motors need to keep them from burning up and no reset on the motor, just a 240 volt contactor. I looked for a motor starter with overload protection but all the 3 hp ones are 18 to 22 amps adjustable. This motor only draws 12 amps so it can't be anywhere near the 3 hp it's sold as. I don't like the table tilting, don't like the ceramic guides that could use a replacement already from chipping, and don't use the brake for fear it will shift the pulley throwing it out of balance again. I put loctite on the band wheel nuts hoping they won't spin off. This is my opinion of it and yours may be different. Thanks for watching.
The left hand threaded wheel nut may be required because of the foot brake. The torque applied to the wheel when the brake is applied is in the opposite direction from when the motor starts. Thoughts?
I'm jealous - I've got a 16" Laguna, but it's old enough to have grandkids (back when they were Italian imports). Nowhere near the resaw capacity of this one. Looks like a solid machine.
The Italian ones are a lot better made then these Taiwan homeowners saws so don't be jealous. With all the bugs worked out it is a nice saw and so far works well but could use some improvement in a couple areas. I can't wait to try resawing at the full 16 inch capacity. Thanks for watching.
I agree and still have other concerns about the long term durability. I was originally going to order one of their cyclone but now am looking elsewhere. Thanks for watching.
I think you went well beyond what you should have. It being a new design , to me, means they should already have had all replacement parts on hand. No one should have to work on a brand new piece of equipment . Laguna should have sent you a replacement on day one. I do like how you inspected and assessed the machine. I learned a few things, including that you have the patience of Job(from the bible).
I am starting to think that it is the luck of the draw when you buy a offshore machine online. Waiting for replacement parts was the worst part. They stocked no parts for this machine and shipped by the slowest means possible. The machine also was designed and controlled by the manufacturer in Taiwan, not in the USA as stated. At least it is running fine now and does a very good job resawing. A couple simple design changes and it could be one of the best machines in the price range. Thanks for watching.
It is still working good. There were comments recently from a person that bought the same saw and had table and vibration problems also having a hard time getting parts. I still don't like not having preloaded bearings and finger tight nuts holding the wheels that loosen in the same direction the wheels turn and the table angle adjustment can smash your fingers with no support. Also the wheels having to be sent back to Taiwan for rebalancing if the drive pulley mounting screws slip. I have no experience with any of the other brands of 18 inch saws so can't really recommend any. I probably would not buy this saw again knowing what I know now.
It senses the top of the material then raises to pierce height. It pierces and drops to the cut height while starting to move while sensing tip volts and adjusting the z as it moves for the best cut . It is all in the post processor.
You would have to ask the company in Taiwan that owns the design. Probably without a spacer it would tighten overload the bearings if it moved any. The pulley and disc are mounted with big clearance holes so I don't use the brake. Any problems with that or the bearings that requires disassembly and the whole assembly has to go back to Taiwan for assembly in a jig and rebalancing according to King saws. I don't use the brake for that reason. Also found out there is no overload protected motor starter after having electrical problems. I definitely would not buy it again. Thanks for watching.
Thanks for the set up video's. I just bought one. What's the deal with them not including a blade? I ordered some but I still don't have it running because they didn't include a blade.
That's the least of your problems. What kind of company makes a 3 hp saw without a starter and overload relay protection along with wheels that have to be sent to Taiwan to be realigned and ballanced if you use the brake. I could go on.
One thing I did see that looks promising is a video where the guy switched the guides out to Carter bearing guides that looked to solve the poorly implemented ceramic guide issues. Trying to decide if I should try that or just dump it on Craigslist and move on. Hope you got a good one.
@@unemployedredneckhillbilly2023 Thank you for the feedback, I will certainly take that into consideration. Read interesting things about the Powermatic 1500 was hoping the Laguna was better after those things were resolved. Tough to make a choice. Thanks again and great videos!
One thing I have shown in other videos is the lack of a motor starter or overload circuitry on mine. It is on its 3rd power switch now and just has a contactor on the motor. I don't know if changes have been made since. mine but I doubt it with the Taiwanese company that builds them controlling the design.
I got an old Dayton vac pump here, but due to the weight I don't think it would be worth your while in shipping fees from WI keep your eyes peeled at garage sales( JB makes a nice 2 stage). Have a good one...
I had a Gast years ago that I gave to a friend for AC work, wish I had kept it now. I have seen a couple overpriced ones on craigslist lately and hopefully will find a good used one before next winter.
I am just about to order one of these and now having seen your review and the issues you have had to deal with I am second guessing the decision. My question then is knowing what you know now, would you buy the saw all over again?
I still have it and truthfully wouldn't buy it again if they haven made design changes since mine was delivered. Also had electrical issues and discovered there is no overload protection or motor starter for the supposedly 3 hp motor. Thanks for watching.
@@unemployedredneckhillbilly2023 yeah I’m really stuck as to what bandsaw to buy. I’ve had an old Delta, Rikon and currently a Jet 15. Wasn’t satisfied with any of them except maybe the Delta but I needed more cutting capacity.
It does work good now that the issues are worked out. I still have a couple concerns but I think Laguna will stand behind it long term. If only they were quicker at getting replacement parts out. I think it is luck of the draw with any of these homeowners offshore tools no matter who puts their name on them. Thanks for watching.
I'm dealing with their offshore issues right now, I have one of their dust collectors that fell over damaging many of the parts. They have only one the parts available and I was told they will have to find out how much the other parts will cost and it will take two months to get them! I got the feeling that they would rather that I just went away instead.
I don’t know it was sent to replace the warped one it came with. I would guess it's upwards of $500 for the assembly because it all needs to be sent to Taiwan for assembly and balancing. Thanks for watching.
@@unemployedredneckhillbilly2023 Thanks for responding. I'm having this exact issue with 14 bx. I should have gone with a different saw, but my father swore by Laguna. Also im 90% sure my ball bearing on the bottom flywheel is damaged.
That stinks. I have gotten emails from others with similar issues. Laguna used to be a good brand until they moved things like this to Taiwan and cut every corner they could to increase profit. Good luck with yours and hopefully they have added tech support individuals by now.
It would not be a Laguna. I have not tried any others so I can't recommend one. Look for a true 3 hp motor with a motor starter/ overload assembly. Wheels that don't need to be sent back to Taiwan if something slips from braking or acceleration , properly installed shimmed bearings, ball bearing guides, and a better table pivot assembly that is stronger and won't warp the table. Thanks for watching.
No spacer between the bearing is a problem. This saw is stupid money should be perfect. ceramic is hard an improperly ground weld will chip it . This is why you see bearings on good saws. just my thought..
The lack of bearing preload is definitely a design flaw. It is running great since getting the replacement parts but I still have several long term concerns. There were comments from another purchaser with similar problems to mine about 2 weeks ago so it may be manufacturing issues. Thanks for watching.
