More re newest Grizzly riving-knife saws, same as some Lagunas

Please forgive me if this is old news, I did not see any posting about it... I just noticed in a magazine ad that the new Laguna Platinum Series table saw appears to be exactly the same as the Grizzly 0691. Well, looking more closely and then also watching the video at

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I got confused: Some pictures show the Laguna with the tilt handwheel on the left, some show it on the right like the Grizzly saws... But watching the whole video both showed me nice things about that saw that should also apply to the Grizzly and also explained the confusion. The video never gave model numbers, and it also stopped (in the fifth act, so to speak) just as the host told us something else we were about to see. But there are in fact two models, one with the wheel on the left and one on the right. I THINK the biggest difference between the two Laguna models is that the one with the wheel on the left has a different mechanism, where the blade assembly (and riving knife/guard) go up and down on dovetails rather than pivoting, while the wheel-on-right, like the Grizzly, has that assembly pivoting on a big axle. But continuing with the right-wheel version, what I see (other than price) as differences are: The Laguna is like the 0691, not the 0690, although they did not give the max rip width; the mitergauge has an extra fence with sliding stop (not too relevant to me, I have an 0691 on backorder but I also have a fancy after-market gauge I would expect to use). The Laguna video mentions hooks on the back of the saw for hanging the unused table insert on: The same hooks appear at one place in the photos in the Grizzly manual (figure 10 on page 21), and also in the parts breakdown for the saw body (part #50), but are not mentioned otherwise in the Grizzly literature. The Laguna video shows how you can adjust the foot under the rear of the fence using a hex wrench through a hole in the top of the fence: The Grizzly manual shows the same hole, I had not noticed it, that should make adjusting the fence to be close to the table and parallel very nice. The Laguna video also points out the brushes above and below the blade- elevation shaft, I think they are there to reduce sawdust getting through the hole where that shaft moves when you tilt the blade. In the Grizzly manual the brushes are shown in the parts list but never mentioned anywhere else. The biggest difference so far as I am concerned is that the Grizzly has the quick-release for the guard or riving knife, something FWW loved about the new Delta (that one works differently but both the Delta and the Grizzly require no tools), while the Laguna still requires a wrench. They do share the Leeson motor that Grizzly tells us is on their saws. Maybe all these details don't matter, but if you (like me) are on the waiting list for a Grizzly 0691 (or 0690) you can get some nice views of it at the Laguna site. I just wish others would post their manuals like Grizzly does, I always want to study them carefully before buying something this expensive! Bob Wilson

Reply to
BobW
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Bob the Platinum series is basically entry level for the Laguna brand. IIRC they are like many other brand saws, made in Taiwan. This is not a bad thing but you can buy a better saw from Laguna if you want better. IIRC the other saws the Laguna import are European. the TS and TSS series have been around for a while and IIRC the TSS offers a scoring blade option. Then there are the sliding panel saws where you can slide a whole sheet of plywood in the rip pr cross cut position. The Platinum Left tilt has the tilt wheel on the right side. The saw with the tilt wheel on the left side is also a left tilt but has a more robust dovetail trunion.

You can request a demo DVD from them and these DVD's are quite informative. I bought a LT!^HD band saw from Laguna about 3 years ago and their demo DVD showed all the features of the saw and what to look for when considering a purchase. Additionally Laguna had just begun shipping a "Get to know our new Laguna" with the purchase of a piece of equipment. It steps you through unpacking, setting up and basic operation.

More money but certainly worth a serious look and conservation would be the SawStop. There is probably a better than 50/50 chance it will save you a trip to the ER and if it does that 1 time the extra expense will have paid for itself many times over. Consider also that if you live in the U.S. and Obama has his way with socialized medicine it may save you even more if you don't have to make a visit to where ever you line up to have amputated parts sewed back on.

DON'T even entertain thinking that it could not or will not happen to you!

Reply to
Leon

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