My workshop had only ever seen a 14″ bandsaw but one month ago, I upgraded to an LT16-3000 from Laguna Tools Inc. While setting up the saw, I ran into a few problems with the Chinese-made saw but once it was operational, it worked as I had expected. (For the record, I believe that the overall quality of product is determined by quality control, not the country of origin.) (Fellow blogger Paul-Marcel reviews his new Italian-made LT18 on his blog, Half Inch Shy.)
Overview
The LT16-3000 is a 16″ bandsaw (16″ diameter wheels) that weighs approximately 450lbs. The weight comes from the heavy, welded steel frame, cast iron wheels and table, and big motor. The Leeson motor is rated at 3hp and runs on 220V, single-phase power. Though the motor is rated at 16.5 amps and the label on the bandsaw’s frame states 12.8 amps, the saw peaks at a much higher number during startup due to the weight of the cast iron wheels and tension of the blade. For that reason, Laguna recommends running it on a 30-amp breaker. The motor is controlled by a magnetic switch and there is a microswitch on the foot brake.
The 132″ blade (131-1/2″ fits as well) is tensioned by a levered knob on top of the cabinet that is easy to grip. Inside the top cabinet is a tension gauge. The gauge is unlabeled and Laguna instead recommends that the blade be tensioned by feel, looking for 3/16″-1/4″ of deflection 6″ from the wheel’s tangent. Once the blade is properly tensioned, the tension gauge can be marked to reference the blade being used in order to properly reset the tension when changing blades. A large lever on the back of the saw releases the tension in a controlled manner. Tracking is adjusted with two knobs on the back of the saw as normal.
The two doors that cover the cabinets are on lift-off hinges, allowing unrestricted access to the guts of the saw. There are windows in the upper cabinet and door to track the blade or view the tension gauge. The lower cabinet has a sliding cover at the top right corner. It is the gray part with two slots in the front. When extended, it seals the cabinet to increase the effectiveness of the dust collection.
The sliding cover needs to be lowered so that the lower door can clear the knob used to lock the table in place. The 16″ x 19-1/2″ cast iron table has two T-slots in it (though no mitre gauge is provided). To assist with tilting the heavy table, it is equipped with a hydraulic strut and rack and pinion adjustment.
Also controlled by a rack and pinion is the upper guide post. (One thing about my last bandsaw that constantly frustrated me was that every time I adjusted the upper guide post up or down, I also needed to adjust the guide blocks. That is not necessary with this saw.) If the guide post isn’t quite inline with the blade, adjustments can be made.
Laguna’s ceramic guide blocks are well-known and have a good reputation. They provide a lot of support for the blade, preventing it from moving laterally or backwards and twisting. The new Laguna guides use convenient plastic knobs to lock their position. It’s a great convenience that most of the adjustments on the saw require no tools; however three extra-long, ball-end hex keys are provided to make the few adjustments that do require tools. They can be stored in the on-board tool holder.
Setting Up
Setting up the saw was not difficult but it didn’t go as smoothly as it could (should) have. The most obvious problem was the half-machined trunnion support bracket. The dealer replaced the part.
A less-obvious problem was that the anodized aluminum throat plate had a set screw in a mis-tapped hole. Unfortunately, the replacement provided by the dealer was warped and needed to be straightened with my vise.
There was a third problem that could not be easily detected until a blade was installed. Part of the upper dust chute located just below the table protruded too far and could have easily come in contact with the blade. I solved that by grinding it down with a rotary tool.
The last problem I had was driving some small machine screws that secure a tool holder to the frame. The holes had been drilled and tapped before the machine was painted so the threads were filled with paint. I thought that I could use the machine screws to clean out the paint but ended up stripping the machine screw’s head. I should have first used a tap to restore the threads in the frame of the bandsaw.
The accessory DriftMaster fence without difficulty. With the saw fully assembled, the next step was to hook up the dust collection by running 4″ flex hoses from each of the two 4″ diameter dust ports and connecting them with a wye. One port is located to the right of the saw frame just below the table and the other at the bottom left corner of the lower cabinet.
When hooked up to a dust collector, dust chips are adequately contained. The upper port is well positioned and a 3/8″-thick piece of plywood run into the blade (while hand-turned) creates a sort of zero-clearance insert to keep the majority of the dust from getting into the lower cabinet. The bottom port keeps the lower cabinet pretty clean.
My Useage
In the month I’ve had the saw, I transformed a large stack of small logs into lumber. I’ve been running a 1″ carbide-tipped Resaw King blade and used it to mill green (freshly cut) apple, holly and yew as large as 11″ diameter. All three are quite dense but green wood does tend cut more easily than dry wood. I’ve also resawn dry hardwoods as thick as 8″. Nothing I’ve cut has slowed the saw down.
I press the “ON” button and the saw smoothly powers up, reaching full speed in about two seconds. Throughout the cut, the saw has plenty of power and cuts predictably straight. When the saw is shut off it takes about 15 seconds to coast to a stop, due to the inertia of the wheels. If the foot brake is applied, the blade stops in fewer than three seconds. At the end of each day, I relieve the blade’s tension with the quick release lever.
Conclusion
This saw is well-designed and sturdily built. Between the Laguna ceramic blade guides, carbide-tipped resaw blade, easy-to-align DriftMaster fence, steadiness of the machine and smooth power of the 3 hp motor, the cuts are reliably straight and clean. There isn’t much else that I could ask for from a bandsaw. With this set-up, the LT16-3000 has the ability to handle any resawing tasks I may have. Above all, it is easy to use and I know that it won’t let me down. From now on, my table saw will see much less use.
Read about my experience with my local Laguna dealer, Canadian Woodworker, Ltd. HERE.
Sculptural Woodwork by Chris Wong 
The only thing that concerns me is the workmanship errors on such an expensive machine. I really kind of expect more of Laguna. That was surprising. I haven’t gotten to Paul-Marcel’s review yet. Thanks, Chris.
Hi Vic,
My next article details the customer service I received and how those issues were handled.
I had fun watching you run this beauty, thanks for creating some beautiful veneer for inlay work. Felix
Excellent! I look forward to the post. I hope they performed better than their reputation.
Hello Chris:
Thank you for such a thorough review of the Laguna bandsaw. This is exactly the saw I’m interested in getting and your review was excellent. It must have been disappointing however to have these minor issues with the saw, when you spend $2K or so you expect better quality.
regards
Bob Jennings, Calgary
Hi Bob,
I’m glad you found my review helpful. Although I would have liked the saw to be ready to use straight out of the box, I have been happy with it since.
Recently, I had the opportunity to use Paul-Marcel’s LT18-HD and one thing I noticed, which surprised me, was how much more effective the foot brake is on his saw.
Chris
Looks liked a great saw let down by poor workmanship from China.
The obvious quality control problems are unforgivable – in particular it should not be up to you the purchaser to resolve safety issues….. ie the the potential blade interference problem.
Sorry, but in my opinion the Country of origin does make a difference ……. It costs time and money to have quality control processes that reject marginal or faulty components. This is in conflict with the high volume low price philosophy of Asian producers. I have had similar QC issues with my 18 inch Jet bandsaw.
Clearly corners have been cut with the production of this Laguna machine which is disappointing.
I am a great fan of the design of the Laguna bandsaw – the Italian version has proven superior to most of the competition ……. If they are all now all made in China I’ll settle for an Aggazzani.
I just replaced the 5 hp motor on a friend’s Laguna MJ0 6400 16″ jointer planer.
The old motor looked brand new and the machine has very few hours but the motor was irrepairable (at least economically so). As I installed the new motor and buttoned up the sheet metal I noticed that the cooling air from the motor is dead-headed against the sheet metal cover with no, or very little, way to get any air circulation in and out of the motor chamber. The machine seems fine otherwise but for long, heavy jobs the heat has got to build up inside. Wonder if anyone else has seen this problem.
I’m in the process now of cutting louvers in the sheet metal cover to allow air from the motor fan to escape and elsewhere to allow fresh air in. Dan M
Would you buy this saw again and have you used it much on cutting curves? Thanks for a great review!
Jim,
I don’t know if any of the issues I saw with this saw have been addressed, but if not, I would not buy this saw again. Although I bought a 3/8″ blade with the saw, the only blade I’ve eve used was a 1″ Resaw King, which I do really like. I’ve used the saw for cutting mild curves but never for scrolling cuts.
Chris
Chris,
I also wanted to express my gratitude for your review. In one of your responses you state: “I don’t know if any of the issues I saw with this saw have been addressed, but if not, I would not buy this saw again”. What other alternatives would you consider if you were not to get this saw again?
Thanks,
Andy, Long Beach CA using a 14″ Jet
Andy,
Some other options I would look at are the offerings from Agazzani, ACM, and Grizzly.
Chris
Chris-
Thanks for the review. I am considering the Laguna LT18 3000 and the LT 18. A few questions:
1. Do you still have this saw and if so, have you had any issues since the review?
2. You said you tried Paul-Marcel’s LT18-HD. Do you have any other observations that would help justify spending the extra money for the Italian saw or are you convinced the 3000 series is the way to go?
3. Once you worked through the initial issues, do you think the Italian saw has any advantages other than the known stats ( table size, resaw height, motor)?
4. I’m considering the Minimax mm16/20, Powermatic PM 1800/1500, and Laguna’s I mentioned above and outside possibility of the 24/17 Laguna. Out of those or the brands you mentioned (Agazzani, ACM, and Grizzly) how would you look at the purchase if doing it again? I didn’t know if you had any opinion changes since your latest post.
Thanks,
Robb
i had a lt 18 the guides were junk the motor ran hot .It was the Italian model they may have improved over the years . I allways regetted buying it instead of the delta 14 inch which was still made in the usa at the time If you got the $ look at the 20 in northfeild which is made in the usa or grizzlys lineup You are best to go to their showroom in bellingham and look at their different models There heavey duty 16 inch is about as good as it gets for a small shop A lot of guitar buiiders use them .When i got the lt 18 I purchased it after watching their video which was a mistake I will never buy machinery unless I see it first .Chris can add about 250.00 to the price of his bandsaw for time lost gas to go back and forth happy bandsaw shopping John
Thank you for your review and comments regarding Laguna Tools. I am in the market for a table saw and they produce a 10″ saw with lots of great sounding specs, details, and price, but I don’t know anyone who has one or has used one. Anything I can glean from someone’s experience is a great help.
I purchased a Laguna 14 band saw a 19 months ago. The micro switch has gone bad. Aside from the fact I had a difficult time getting to customer service AND getting someone to call me back, the switch is welll over $200. This seems excessive. Is //are there any alternatives for micro switches for Laguna saws? It is the Chinese version. Thanks for your review. Wish I had read it befor I purchased mine.
The manufacturing QC for these seem pathetic, and I’ve had similar issues with Jet and Delta- also Asian made. (I like how Delta has a big US flag decal on their jointer, of which only the tin cabinet was US made) I’m in the market for a BS, but will continue my search for older, used, heavy, ugly ones. Built in the US or Canada.
Hi Stephen,
You might also consider European-made machines. I believe the Laguna HD models are out of Italy, and there are other European manufacturers such as SCM and Felder, too.
Good luck on your quest!
Chris