I am in the market for a new bandsaw. The old one I now have is terrible for resawing and that is mainly what I want the new one to do.
I lurk here and there has been some recent discussions about Laguna Bandsaws and unless I am mistaken the consensus is/was that Laguna was one of the best all around saws and is best for resawing.
I'm looking at the Laguna 1412 14" bandsaw -
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and the Resaw King Blade. I also like the ceramic guides...
Are there other, or better, recommendations for a bandsaw in this price range (around $1000) for resawing?
How much resawing do you expect to do? The Laguna that you are looking at has some nice features, especially the guides. Those are going to be hard to beat. BUT that saw is not HD and if you are planing to do a lot of resewing you "might" be disappointed.
Laguna's HD line of BS's are built to resaw. This means that adjustments tend to not have to be checked and readjusted very often. When it comes to band saws capacity is not as important as being built like a tank when being used for heavy operations.
I went through this same thing 8 years ago and bought a $1000 dollar saw and was disappointed. It would not hold an adjustment for more than a few minutes when cutting thick stock. I ended up buying the Laguna HD series Italian built saw, the LT16HD. It is a beast and I seldom make any adjustments on it unless I need to adjust the guides for a wider blade. There are typically a minimum of 9 adjustments that have to be made to keep a BS running true. More often on the $1000 saws and in my case much much less often with my saw.
If you can test drive the Laguna that you are looking at for 3~4 hours and are happy I would say go for it. But if you have to make any adjustments during that period you might think again before settling.
You should really call the manufacturer and tell them how much you intend to use the saw and for what.
Thanks for your input Leon. I would love to have the LT16HD, however, as just a hobbyist I can't justify the cost. Actually, I probably can't even justify the cost of the Laguna 1412 but I do want a bandsaw that is capable of quality resawing on occasion. And it seems that the Laguna is at the top of the heap of bandsaws in the $1000 price point.
If you do get that Laguna I'd appreciate your "review" My son has been wanting my Delta for quite a while. Years ago I gave him a Craftsman band saw and it has seen better days.
As recent as 10-YO ya' think, Leon? (I've not really had any 'speryence with anything recent but didn't the Delta stuff start going to part longer ago than 2005 era?
I'd certainly agree on the assessment for 20+, however, and don't know that the 10 mark isn't ok, just wondering...
Maybe that was 10 years ago, 5 years ago.. ;~) IIRC Swingman got one of the Deltas band saws before the quality changed. I don't recall exactly when he got his but I would venture to say pre2000 would be good.
That or Craigs list or other local ads, etc., if you're in a populous location are always my first choice, yes. My problem is we're a long ways from anywhere of any size so pickings nearby are slim, but I've still scored on a few things over the years...often will make a concentrated search if are making trip to visit the kids who are in metro areas so can make pickups and the visit in a single trip...
Then again, while not w-working, got a JLG 40H 40-ft manlift out of Chicago area for $5K back when began the barn re-roof which was well worth the additional $800 shipping...one just has to judge whether the overall deal is a good one or not.
I'll probably be buying a bandsaw this year, too. I've narrowed the field down to the Laguna 14-SUV or the new Rikon 10-351. The Rikon is somewhat cheaper at ~$1300, vs. ~$1800. I think I'd rather have the ceramic guides of the Laguna but they've gotten a pretty bad reputation for service recently.
Yes, just not as much and mostly closer to home. I got back from a local fishing trip about a week ago. While I was on the road we set a record high temp for the day - 76.8 and two days later it snowed and took three days to melt. And it snowed again before I came home.
There will be several 1-2 week trips to Lake Texoma and other local lakes this spring and summer. I have a trip planned to Colorado for August to get out of the worst of the heat and humidity and 4-wheel the back country.
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