Laguna Resaw King - Worth it?

[Huxleywood]

[member=62712]Huxleywood[/member] 

We would also appreciate your opinion of this new bandsaw blade tension gauge.

Monarch Tension Gauge

The problem with this gauge is it essentially only gives you a relative tension.  By that I mean there is nothing in the manual the correlates a specific number on the gauge to a specific strain in PSI on a blade.  The manual gives you a range for different widths but that is it.  Now, if you had this gauge and could borrow a Lennox or Starrett et al and determine the actual number on the Monarch that corresponds to the PSI you need for each of the blades you normally run then it would be useful. 

As I have said before I know most people won't spend the money on a strain gauge since most people get good results from playing around with the tension but it is the easiest most accurate way to determine correct tension.  There is always the caliper method which is a little cumbersome but normally means you can do it with things in your shop or at worst if you need both some small clamps and a set of (cheap) calipers less than $40. 

BTW I haven't been spending much time here lately so if you are interested in a reply from me use the @ again so I get an email to come back by. 

 

[J0hn]

Sometimes it's a small world...

I checked eBay for the Lennox tension meter, and sure enough, there was a listing and it was ending in less than an hour.  (what are the chances of that happening)

So for $165 + $15 shipping, I will be the proud owner.  Looks to be in pretty good shape, I would think it would be pretty hard to abuse something like this.  The only other completed listing was one that sold for $200, so I am happy

 

[J0hn]

The Lenox Tension Meter was delivered today and is in really good condition.  Very pleased with it

Even more so when I checked the tension on my 3/4" 'Wood Slicer" blade from Highland WoodWorking.  That blade should be anywhere in the 15,000 - 25,000 psi range.  My pointer gauge on the bandsaw was almost maxed out and the Lenox indicated with that setting I was putting about 9,000 psi on the blade which is way under where it should be.  The only negative about the Lenox Tension Meter (and I knew this going in( is the colored scale on the gauge is really designed for metal cutting blades.  Overall, very pleased with it and it is very easy to use

[attachimg=1]

 

[John@Fisharply]

While this is an old thread, I needed to create an account to thank the authors for it. It has been incredibly informative! I'm glad to have found it at the top of my Google search and grateful for the contributors.
I have a 3/4" RS King on my Rikon 10-326 that I'm quite sure I'm not able to tension properly. As my business is now becoming reliant on my resawing, I also feel that the right choice is to get a tension meter.
As J0hn stated - Sometimes it's a small world. I just found this thread and an accompanying Lennox meter on eBay with a Buy it Now with Priority shipping for $48.50. Without a thought, I had to purchase it. Here's hoping it shows up - I see that they're currently selling at nearly $400 USD on Amazon.
I'm looking forward to see just how far off my inexperience has my operations so far.
(Title states 1000 PSI, but the actual gauge photo matches that shown by J0hn...Fingers crossed.)

 

[Bob D.]

Nice find on eBay. Some times you get lucky, but that is very lucky.

I also looked at Matthias website to see if the info about
the tension gauge he built was still there and it is.
https://woodgears.ca/bandsaw/tension.html

 

[lwoirhaye]

My first 1.25" resaw king fell apart after less than a year of leaving it tensioned.  There's a substantial argument  that this shouldn't matter but in the case of this blade it developed cracks in the gullets.  The second one held up for several years but I didn't leave it under tension. Laguna replaced the first after I sent it in.

 

[Mini Me]

My first 1.25" resaw king fell apart after less than a year of leaving it tensioned.  There's a substantial argument  that this shouldn't matter but in the case of this blade it developed cracks in the gullets.  The second one held up for several years but I didn't leave it under tension. Laguna replaced the first after I sent it in.

What saw do you have?

 

[lwoirhaye]

It was a 20" Delta.

 

[smorgasbord]

The Lenox Tension Meter was delivered today and is in really good condition.  Very pleased with it

Even more so when I checked the tension on my 3/4" 'Wood Slicer" blade from Highland WoodWorking.  That blade should be anywhere in the 15,000 - 25,000 psi range.  My pointer gauge on the bandsaw was almost maxed out and the Lenox indicated with that setting I was putting about 9,000 psi on the blade which is way under where it should be.  The only negative about the Lenox Tension Meter (and I knew this going in( is the colored scale on the gauge is really designed for metal cutting blades.  Overall, very pleased with it and it is very easy to use.

Re-opening this thread since I just got my own used Lenox Tension Meter, supposedly light usage, which seems believable for the gauge, even if the box outside is worn.

I tensioned up a ½" Wood Slicer blade and was surprised that to get to 25K psi I had to go with the almost Max "35mm" setting on my 22" Bridgewood bandsaw. That should be the proper tension for a 1&⅜" blade!

Am I doing something wrong? I attach the fixed end, then move the movable end about ¾" of a turn on the gauge, then tighten it, then turn the dial to zero. Then tension the blade until the needle moves to 25k (maybe that's too much for this blade?).

Do these tension meters ever need calibration? Any other pointers? Note my bandsaw is pretty big as far as home bandsaws go.

 

[Mini Me]

Sadly you just found out that most bandsaws available in the hobby sector do not tension blades to anywhere near what the brochure says. 

 

[smorgasbord]

My saw isn't they typical 14" hobby saw. It's got 22" wheels and is made by the same Italian company that made Laguna and Hammer/Felder bandsaws back in the day. This isn't mine, but it's the same model:

It should be able to tension a ½" blade to 25k psi.

I get slightly different readings each time I mount the meter. I also find the tension mostly doesn't increase smoothly, but rather in steps. Assuming the meter is fine (it appears to be and movement of the arm is very smooth), then perhaps I have a worn tension spring in the bandsaw? Tension has always been taken off the saw when not in use for more than a hour or two.

 

[Mini Me]

You could ask the question who specs the tension for blades and how did they arrive at the figure for the blade. Then looking at the saw it is the frame rigidity and not the wheel size that controls the maximum tension available but for a 22" saw you would expect to tension blades somewhere near what is needed. I laughed when I read in the manual that my Minimax 18" saw was specced to tension a 1" blade but a 3/4" seems to be somewhere near its capabilities even if the tension is nowhere near enough which I am sure is the case. I bought a stronger spring from McMaster-Carr many years ago and that helped but I still don't believe it is anywhere near what MM reckon.

 

[smorgasbord]

I bought a stronger spring from McMaster-Carr many years ago and that helped but I still don't believe it is anywhere near what MM reckon.

I guess that's something I should look into as well. Not having ever gone into the bowels of my bandsaw, and assuming they're all built essentially the same, is there some guide I could read or watch to get me started? And then, how to know what to spec to upsize the spring? Bridgewood went out of business years ago.

 

[Peter Kelly]

The spring on a Bridgewood PBS500 should be right above the tensioning handle behind the upper wheel assembly so you'll probably need to remove the wheel to get to it. Measure the existing one with a caliper and order an appropriately sized replacement "gold" colored die spring:https://www.mcmaster.com/products/die-springs/color-coded-die-springs-6/color~gold/

ACM still makes this saw, just has a slightly larger 540mm wheel now:https://www.acmitaly.it/bs-540-1-p21

 

[smorgasbord]

ACM still makes this saw, just has a slightly larger 540mm wheel now:https://www.acmitaly.it/bs-540-1-p21

Mine is a 540. Bridgewood PBS-540 was the model number.

Thanks!