Replies

1. 
   purduedan | Sep 07, 2006 05:33pm | #1

   I have an lt-18.  When I got it I was a hobbyist and didn't use it much for a year.  Then I began making furniture for a living and realized the European guides were bent causing the blade to wobble horribley.  I called Laguna and they said they had no record of me buying a band saw.  They suggested I buy the new ceramic block guides for over $200.  I did.  They are very poorly engineered.  Adjustment is next to impossible due to poor placement of set screws.  I will not buy Laguna again.

    

   Dan

2. 
   acornw | Sep 07, 2006 10:53pm | #2

   We replaced the Laguna guides with Carter on the upper and lower guides and the saw runs much better. Go to the Carter site and you will easily find all you need to convert.  UPS and in 3-4 days, you'll wonder why you didn't do this a long time ago. Do go thru the saw's overly hardwared guide supports and check for straight, square and plumb. The Laguna folks took what should be a simple design and added more bolt-on hardware than Rube G. woulda used.

   Those Laguna folks that spec'd those original guides have a mean sense of humor!

   Dave S

1. 
   bufun | Sep 08, 2006 01:46pm | #3

   acornw, will the carter set-up you use handle blade widths from 3/16'' to 1"? and I agree with you observation concerning lagunas overencumbrence of different hardware. However on mine the upper and lower guides attach using a solid steel cylynder. The lower bolts directly to the saw body 90degrees and the upper is fastened in a frame that is in turn attached to the height adjuster for the upper guide, Is this what you have? and finally going to timberwolf blades was the first step in overcomming lagunas chicanery and allowed me to utilize the saw in a more craftsman-like manner. thanks for your insight and experience. GoodWorkings- bufun

    

1. 
   acornw | Sep 08, 2006 03:06pm | #4

   We have the Carter on the Laguna and typically use a 1" heavy gauge blade for resawing. We liked the Carter so much we also put them on the 14" Delta that is used for general curved work, with a 3/8" blade.

   The Carter website is excellent. They have it all thought out as to what parts you need to order to fit the guides. It will clean up some of the excess hardware.

   Chicanery is a good word for Laguna's strategy in both machine design and marketing. Overly defensive has always been my word for their marketplace behavior. The other Laguna thread mentions going to the manufacturer of the Laguna equipment for parts/satisfaction/resolution. In most cases, these are unknown, small East European foundries.

   Dave S

   http://www.acornwoodworks.com

1. 
   bufun | Sep 09, 2006 02:05pm | #6

   acrornw, been perusing the carter web-site. question(?) My bar stock that the stock guide brackets mount to pulls 25/32". What model # caret and or conversion kit sounds feasible??-bufun

2. 
   dukeone | Sep 09, 2006 05:20am | #5

   Dave: Are you saying that the Laguna ceramic guides are not worth the ? they are baked on? I'm just a beginner, almost, and thought they have been working fine, what am I missing? It takes me time to adjust them but isn't that par for any bandsaw?

   Duke