Laguna 1412 bandsaw/Ceramic Guides

[AgGEM]

I enhanced dust control by placing an air hose below the table right next to the blade.

You should look here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ut_tqnqrRww

[Grandpa Dave]

I bought one in 2015 and love how well it performed out-of-the-box. I still did a little tweaking to it to make it work even better.

I created a web page with some of the modifications here...

http://www.afterness.com/woodworking/laguna/

Thanks Bill for the tips. Good stuff...like the idea of painting the table edge red although I would probably go with yellow. I too have limited space and likely will put it on some type of mobile base. Not sure yet if I'll go with the Laguna or after market.

[Grandpa Dave]

First, thanks to the three of you who responded.  I've been doing pretty much what AgGEM does.

No problem Grandpa Dave.  As I mentioned, this is the first bandsaw I've used, but I'm able to fairly easily resaw boards up to 10" using a 1/2" blade.  Here's a link to a review that helped convince me to buy the 1412.

https://www.wwgoa.com/article/laguna-141...nt-3720702

Thanks Steve for letting me "butt in." I had previously read that article too, but a good refresher. There are several You-tube videos on the 14/12; most all favorable. I'm about to run out of excuses why I shouldn't spend the money and go for it.
  It'll be a major leap from my old 12" Craftsman which I plan to keep for now.  Glad you started this thread.

[fredhargis]

 I've been considering a 14/12 for a while and believe I have line-of-sight budget wise to take the plunge late spring to mid summer if our weather ever returns to normal.

You realize that will never happen?????

[TadMcD]

A few thoughts:

When I got it, the table wasn't level where the opening is (on the right, where you insert/extract the blade). A quick call to Laguna fixed the problem (I was instructed to tighten the trunions and the little table handle in a specific order and the issue was resolved). [Aside: not all that pleased with the trunions and how difficult it is to tilt the table...the movement is very awkward...not at all smooth...kinda disappointing. Then again, how the hell someone manages to cut something at 45 degrees on a bandsaw defies my spatial awareness.]

I've had one of the ceramic blocks from the upper guides (side guide) fall out. Another call to Laguna; they told me to super glue the ceramic back in place. Truthfully, I was a bit disappointed the ceramic fell out to begin with, but I guess they need to be "removable" for replacement purposes. Still, didn't expect one to fall out with [relatively] limited use. Of course, my "tuning" could have led to the failure; I'm always the first to point a finger at myself when things are less than jake.

I got the Laguna wheels after my initial purchase (eschewed placing the unit on one of the usual carts I retrofit due to the weight). Cautionary note: that thing is not all that stable when you roll it around...be careful.

The cost for the Laguna work light is ludicrous ($99?). I put a sewing machine light on:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07G2Z...UTF8&psc=1

On the plus side, with a sharp blade, it cuts very consistently and quite well (I had a LOT of trouble/frustrations getting it to cut after a while; a friend who has the same unit came over and said, "Your blade is dull, you dope.")

Other than my Dewalt planer, the Laguna is the only machine I've bought new. Given my very (see: very) limited experience and skill level, it probably corrects for a lot of my ignorance/stupidity and is more than I'll ever need. I'm certainly not qualified to render an opinion about its value/performance when compared to other machines in the genre; I still get a thrill when I manage to cut something square and I leave the garage/shoppe with all my fingers (you know, like, so far).

Bon chance!

[Stwood_]

Steve, What's an MM? Jeff

MiniMax

I enhanced dust control by placing an air hose below the table right next to the blade.

MM puts their 4" tube right there where you did from the factory.

[MVWoodworks]

The cost for the Laguna work light is ludicrous ($99?). I put a sewing machine light on:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07G2Z...UTF8&psc=1

Thanks for the link to the lamp. It's exactly what I've been looking for - just placed the order.

Jeff

[Grandpa Dave]

You realize that will never happen?????

Now that I know where you live, I keep sending it on over to you but you must be bouncing it back.

[Grandpa Dave]

A few thoughts:

When I got it, the table wasn't level where the opening is (on the right, where you insert/extract the blade). A quick call to Laguna fixed the problem (I was instructed to tighten the trunions and the little table handle in a specific order and the issue was resolved). [Aside: not all that pleased with the trunions and how difficult it is to tilt the table...the movement is very awkward...not at all smooth...kinda disappointing. Then again, how the hell someone manages to cut something at 45 degrees on a bandsaw defies my spatial awareness.]

I've had one of the ceramic blocks from the upper guides (side guide) fall out. Another call to Laguna; they told me to super glue the ceramic back in place. Truthfully, I was a bit disappointed the ceramic fell out to begin with, but I guess they need to be "removable" for replacement purposes. Still, didn't expect one to fall out with [relatively] limited use. Of course, my "tuning" could have led to the failure; I'm always the first to point a finger at myself when things are less than jake.

I got the Laguna wheels after my initial purchase (eschewed placing the unit on one of the usual carts I retrofit due to the weight). Cautionary note: that thing is not all that stable when you roll it around...be careful.

The cost for the Laguna work light is ludicrous ($99?). I put a sewing machine light on:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07G2Z...UTF8&psc=1

On the plus side, with a sharp blade, it cuts very consistently and quite well (I had a LOT of trouble/frustrations getting it to cut after a while; a friend who has the same unit came over and said, "Your blade is dull, you dope.")

Other than my Dewalt planer, the Laguna is the only machine I've bought new. Given my very (see: very) limited experience and skill level, it probably corrects for a lot of my ignorance/stupidity and is more than I'll ever need. I'm certainly not qualified to render an opinion about its value/performance when compared to other machines in the genre; I still get a thrill when I manage to cut something square and I leave the garage/shoppe with all my fingers (you know, like, so far).

Bon chance!

Thanks. I appreciate the honest insight from your experiences. Good point on the Laguna mobility kit versus after-market. regardless, I suspected there might be some instability when trying to move. Agreed the light kit is way over priced. Thanks for the alternate option.

Your point (in bold-italics) describes me to a "tee" so only reinforces why the saw appeals to me.

[Robert Hazelwood]

I have the 14bx, similar to the 1412 except has a bigger motor and a full lower cabinet instead of a stand.  I love the ceramic guides, miles better than bearings and the main reason I bought this saw over its competitors.  I set them by just gently pinching both side guides onto the blade and then tightening, no fooling with trying to leave a specific gap between the guides and blade.  They actually smooth the sides of the blade and keep it clean.  The rear/thrust guide is backed off just a hair.

The dust collection seems like it would be good on paper with two 4" ports.  While it does a good job of keeping dust out of the lower cabinet, dust accumulates badly under the table because there is no substantial passage to allow airflow into the lower cabinet from above.  Honestly there isn't much point to putting the second 4" port on the saw except to give Laguna something to add to their marketing.  What I did was remove the hose from the lower port and just leave that port open, so it actually becomes an air intake for the lower cabinet.  I took that hose and created a magnetic fixture that hangs under the table, so that it draws air from between the trunnions and the blade opening. This keeps the under table and lower guide area very clean, and the single hose to the lower cabinet is enough to keep that area clean.

I have some other minor quibbles:

Trunnion action is not as nice as I'd thought it would be.  The base casting you see when you look under the table is a nice beefy part, but the parts that actually attach to the table are cast aluminum.  

While the fence will lock down reliably square, it moves a bit as you lock it.  This makes setting a very precise cut (like a tenon cheek) more tedious than I would like.  I'll bet most bandsaw fences do this however.  The fence is also a bit flexible, good enough for 90% of tasks but I think you'd want to build a specific resaw fence to do a full height resaw.

The knobs that tighten the ceramic guides are unbelievably chintzy, Harbor Freight would be embarrassed to put these on a machine.  That said, they do their job fine.

 
Overall I think its a nice saw and I'd recommend it for someone shopping in this price range.  I don't have any experience with the competitor models, I imagine they are all pretty similar nowadays but the ceramic guides are unique to Laguna.