Laguna 14BX Bandsaw
#8
I made it 25 years without a bandsaw, but figured it was probably time. I researched a lot on the topic of 14" bandsaws, ignored all that research and fell into a torrid infatuation with the Hammer N4400, and then common sense slapped me in the face and suggested I start with something more moderately priced and see if I actually liked band-sawing first. After reading many threads and posts on Woodnet from satisfied Laguna BX owners, I decided to go with it. And now I've decided to add my own experience to that collective wisdom, in the hopes it will help the next guy contemplating a similar decision. So with that, my Laguna set-up story:

This was a fairly large box, and while not very heavy compared to other tools I own, it very much reminded me of my age and limitations. At about 300 pounds, it was at the limit of what I could manhandle myself. I pushed it from the truck bed to my adjustable table with a lot of swearing and limited grace. Then I leveraged it off the table and onto the floor. If you're the next guy researching this on Woodnet, I'd recommend having a friend to help.

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Once on the floor, there wasn't a lot to it. The bandsaw came mostly assembled and very well protected in bulky but fitted styrofoam.

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The written instructions were typical Laguna quality, by which I mean written by somebody for whom English is their 8th language. But fortunately, they have several excellent videos on YouTube which make much more sense. I had watched the video about the mobility kit in advance, which is the wise way to go, because it will tell you what parts of the mobility kit are meant to be left-over, which in the case of the 14BX, included a fairly stout bracket meant for other versions of the saw.

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Also useful is the idea of installing the mobility kit while the saw is still laying down. When you do, the back leveling feet are not used. Also helps to have a fairly long-reach Allen key.

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With the back wheels installed, I stood it up and mounted the front wheel. Left-over pieces should be the two front leveling feet and the bracket for the other saw:

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Next up, seat the table on the mounts and mount the steel rule and the fence bar to the table. I did the fence bar wrong, twice, which is why it is very helpful to watch the assembly video. First up, one side of the bar is longer than the other, and goes to the back. Secondly, even though the bushings fit perfectly into the larger holes in the bar, they are meant to go on the smaller holes on the opposite side. This becomes real apparent when you try to mount the fence knuckle to the bar.

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Math is tough. Let's go shopping!
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#9
The 14BX comes with a cord that is about 3-4 feet long. Decided I might as well knock out an extension cord for it. Because I live in oilfield country, my local Home Depot sells SOOW really cheap. It is three wire with a fairly dense rubber jacket that is abrasion and oil resistant, and rated for 600 volts. They also carry SJOOW, which is rated for 300v and about the diameter of a conventional extension cord. But the SOOW is cheaper here by a fair margin, and I find it coils easier and stays flexible in the cold better than the thinner SJOOW. Anyways, it was 78 cents a foot for the 12 gauge, which is just fine for the length of the run and the rating of the saw and the circuit. That plus two off-the-shelf Nema 6-20 plugs and I was off to the races. As with other things in life, the right-sized stripper makes the difference. I made do with the one I had, but put a 10-12 AWG stripper on my shopping list.

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Anyways, here she stands in all her glory:


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Bearing in mind I have zero other experience with a bandsaw, tune-up seemed relatively easy, with one exception I will unpack in a moment. The Laguna video gave some fairly good advice about installing the blade, where to check for deflection, and adjusting the magnetic decal that serves as a tension indicator. I slapped a Starret 1/4" blade on it, and it centered and tensioned easily with minimal tracking adjustment.

It was also fairly easy to set the stabilizer blocks. I have heard the right amount of clearance for the stabilizers is a dollar bill, but I have kids so those disappear quickly. I used a playing card, and it seemed to work well. The bottom stabilizer was hard to get at until I realized I could loosen the table and tilt it backwards. With the stabilizers adjusted, the blade tracking well, and the right amount of blade deflection for the tension, I powered it up. Ran very smooth. So smooth and quiet, in fact, that it scared me. With the dust collector going, I accidentally left it running twice, and couldn't tell. I have now developed the habit of hitting the brake every time I stop a cut.

Love the brake. Step on it lightly, and it kills the power and slows to a gentle stop. Step on it hard, and the blade stops with authority. Without the brake, the wheels have a lot of momentum, and it takes a good long while for them to coast to a natural halt.

Fence is decent. Adjusts for drift fairly easily with a couple of evident socket screws on the fence knuckle. Moves freely across the table, locks up tight. What took me forever to figure out, however, was how to make it perpendicular to the table and parallel to the blade. No mention of this in the instructions, and I did not immediately find a video about it, although I am sure it is out there. Eventually, with the fence off the table, I realized there are two set screws on the side of the fence that control the tow angle. They are black and blend in really well with the casting. They are set flush initially and Loc-Tite'd into place. Once I found them, it was very easy to adjust the fence to square with the table.

Having never had a bandsaw before, I hadn't felt like I had missed out on one. I was pretty good with making due with a coping saw, a spindle sander, and a router. And my first couple of uses, I was ambivalent about the experience at best. However, the more practice I got with cutting curved and small parts on my Cub Scout Pack's pinewood derby cars, the more I grew to appreciate it. By the 10th car, I felt pretty confident cutting curves to the line, and I had picked up a couple of techniques on cutting small parts safely. Being able to stop the blade instantly made for easy stopped cutting exactly to the line. I've since resawn a couple pieces of rock maple with it, and it never hesitated or bogged down for a moment. The resawn cut is not finish-ready, but I have a feeling that is a combination of blade and technique as much as anything else.

Anyways, if you are in the market for a mid-grade 14" bandsaw that can handle most of what you can throw at it, I think the Laguna 14BX is an excellent choice. But watch all the YouTube videos before you try to put it together.
Math is tough. Let's go shopping!
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#10
Thanks for the great write up.  It looks like a very nice saw, and makes me wish my 2 older cheaper saws had breaks.  

I just had to pass on 2 damaged box 18" Laguna band saws this week at my local auction house, as I couldn't justify the funds.  It was very difficult, and I fear if I had seen this post first, I wouldn't have been able to resist.
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#11
Johnny, great write up and photos.   I often go to a lot of work researching a ww buy, and I am sure your write up will be helpful to future buyers of bandsaws.
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#12
Wait... That's your SHOP!?!! Wow. 
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#13
I have the same saw and have been happy with it.  Only issue I have had was the microswitch on the brake failed.  As a result the saw would not turn on.  I tested all the connections with a multimeter and discovered where the issue was, found a $9 switch on Amazon and was back up and running.  I find I use that brake a lot, I like to stop the blade when I walk away from the machine instead of letting it wind down.
"Oh. Um, l-- look, i-- i-- if we built this large wooden badger" ~ Sir Bedevere
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#14
I got one about a month ago. The table is warped. If you slide a board from the front to the back it catches on the cast iron on the far side of the split in the table. It sits .004" high. Laguna is sending a new table but it's taking awhile
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