I just got the Laguna LT 14 SE band saw. I needed one with a small footprint as my shop is very small but I wanted a good one that would require minimal tweeking. So far I have been very happy (I have not had to contact customer service yet…) I am a bit confused on blade tensioning. There seem to be two schools of thought – low tension (as in Michael Fortune’s approach in his widely recommended FWW article)and high tension (the Laguna guy who sold me the saw said to just max out the tension for resawing with their Resaw King blade.)
First question – does the blade itself dictate which route to go? Are some blades designed for low or high tension? Are there some that can be used either way? (OK, that was three questions.)
Second – which do people prefer for resawing and for other types of cuts?
Thanks for the help.
Chris
Replies
I did not even finish reading your post yet but must say:
YOU DO NOT NEED MAX TENSION I would go so far as to say the guy that sold you the saw is not your friend, has not read the manual, has not seen the bandsaw presentation video that the owner of the Laguna company has put out and only wants you to wear out your bearings as fast as possible.
There ! I got it out ! now i will go back and finish reading your post.
By the by I have this saw, resaw highly accurate cuts in very hard wood such as bubinga and purple heart up to ten inches and a bit more, in lengths on the order of eight feet and do not use any where near max tension with the resaw king blade.
roc
Edited 1/16/2009 1:31 am by roc
And we are back
Some how people who sell stuff don't actually know very much about what they are selling I find. Though their best trick maybe sounding like they do. Other wise they would be using the tools and making money from that. 9619 (Mel) at Wood craft excepted but generally I find this to be the case. I have stood there and had them tell me all sorts of silly stuff that I knew from experience was nonsense. I used to buy local but I am a bit ashamed ( very little bit ) (getting littler all the time ) to say I buy more mail order because of the door stops I have to deal with to buy local.
A case in point. Before I bought my Laguna I was considering a Jet from our local Woodcraft. They advertised a bandsaw "demonstration". I showed up along with at least twenty other people. The guy that was giving it was so worthless he never even set up the bandsaw or cut anything with it before hand so as we stood around for ever he was looking for allen wrenches etc to adjust the saw, never was able to find what he wanted and never even turned on the saw ! ! ! !. Gotta love it |: |
You can watch the Laguna presentation video by the owner of Laguna on line now; you do not need to get a DVD in the mail
http://www.lagunatools.com/bandsaw.lt14se.aspx#
Click on the above link, wait a while. Once you hear his voice click on the "Video" menu in the middle of the page just bellow where it ways " view larger picture " which should be just under the picture of your bandsaw
Worth seeing even after you have bought his saw. He says to make the blade tension enough but no more. At no point does he say use max tension. Actually just the opposite.
Be sure to read the manual and reread it. I find it a good source.
Every time I use my Laguna it makes me smile. My bandsaw. One of my favorite subjects. You pulled my chain
roc
Edited 1/16/2009 1:49 am by roc
Edited 1/16/2009 1:50 am by roc
roc,
Thanks much. I was skeptical of the advice to simply max out the tension but I hoped that someone selling such high end specialty tools would be a little better informed than the average sales person. I did find the manual fairly helpful and the video that came in a package before the saw arrived was even more helpful. It showed two guys from Laguna unpacking the exact saw and setting it up. It would have taken me easily twice as long to get the saw up and running if I had not seen the video first. I will check out the on line video you recommended.Any other thoughts or tips on the LT 14 SE? I have made some basic curve cuts and been very happy so far. The first attempt at resawing will be this weekend.
Chris
>other thoughts or tipsSome people ask can the rip fence be removed without removing the blade ?
yes. I rotate the fence clamp block around the round guide rail (fence in situ) until the slots in the block align with the bolts that hold the rail to the saw table then slide the assembly to which ever side of the blade that I need or take it off. Some one wrote a review for a magazine and said you had to remove a fence bolt to get the fence off the saw. Not true on my Laguna.A side note: I drilled and tapped my Laguna fence and bolt my very tall resaw fence right to the Laguna fence.For blades narrower than 1/4" get cool block accessory.Definitely worth running it on 220 Volts rather than 115vIf you develop a squeal when you turn on the saw after some use it is the belt. It has worn in and the tension needs setting.I found the little plywood guard bellow the table that you slide down to open the lower wheel housing with the wing nuts did not slide easily. Once I took the time to see where it was running into the metal parts of the saw and rasped the plywood a bit it is quicker to slide the guard into position.The plywood square that closes off the vacuum port comes un sawn. If you haven't dealt with cutting the slot i just held it with some channel locks and slid it into position with the saw running.Besure to cut the dirty ends off planks before resawing them to preserve the sharpness of this fantastic blade.I would say forget about resawing logs that have dirty bark still in place like some articles show. Too hard on blade. Strip all bark with a big draw knife first.Ball drivers with handles can be handy to set blade guides etchttp://www.bondhus.com/products/screwdrivers/body11.htmThis is one of the coolest things ! I use my drillpress as an out feed table for my bandsaw.
I must say I learned this in another mag. Joshua Ballard of Wilmington, DE (my files are close to hand so I pulled the torn out page ) said when he resaws long boards his roller stand is too unstable when up high so he turns the drill press table and raises it to the same hight as the table on his bandsaw and now he has a perfect out feed table. This is what tipped the scales for me to get a big floor model drill press. The drill press table is still parallel to the floor just rotated around the column to clear the drill head.I will post again if I think of anything else.
roc
Edited 1/17/2009 12:16 am by roc
roc,
I Like the Woodcraft story, seen this type of stuff many times. It is very difficult for me to watch someone, who is totally unprepared, louse up a demonstration. I was trained as an Industrial Arts Instructor and can remember spending many hours preparing for and rehearsing lessons for my methods class. Even with all of the practice, the other students and I were able to note that some people are naturals at explaining and demonstrating; these are the people you want demonstrating and selling your products. By the way, I am considering retirement in April of 2009; would love a gig traveling around demonstrating tools and machinery:)
Bob, Tupper Lake, NY
Bob,Yes I have taught some mechanical work so can relate to preparation. I enjoy teaching.
Edited 1/17/2009 12:20 am by roc
Chris,
Read Michael Fortune's article on setting up and adjusting a band saw. It's the best advice you can get.
http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/ToolGuide/ToolGuidePDF.aspx?id=24093
He explains blade selection and blade tension.
Rich
Rich,
Thanks. That copy of FWW with the article tabbed is right next to the saw. I will re-read it again tonight.
Chris
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