Which Bandsaw

[Sparky]

I am looking at buying my first bandsaw. I have been looking at the laguna 14 suv , laguna 18lt 3000, the hammer 4400. The hammer is at the top of my budget but have heard that both it and the laguna 18 3000 series have problems with the tension spring and can't properly tension a 3/4 for the hammer and 1" for the laguna. For the guys who have these machines what's your experiences especially doing the occasional tall resawn work. Is there much of a difference between them and the 14suv?

 

[BMH]

I have been looking at these same bandsaws and looking forward to this thread. Why didn't you consider the Laguna 14-12.

 

[Sparky]

For myself I eliminated it based on that it's a 1 3/4 hp 110v I always try to get my bigger machinery in 220. The suv laguna is 3 hp . The laguna 18 is 4hp, the hammer is 3.5 hp. Next I don't like that it is only 258 lbs. the heavier the better for eliminating vibrations.the hammer is 374 the laguna 14 suv is 340 and the laguna 18 is 525 lb quite a difference. For resawn the 1 3/4 is a little underpowered in my opinion not that I am a expert but I do a lot of projects out of maple and want to be able to resaw. So based on those things I think it isn't for me.

 

[Sparky]

I told my wife for her thirtieth birthday she was getting a bandsaw. Can't say it went over the smoothest since for mine I bought a sawstop pcs. I thought it was only reasonable for her to get a bandsaw.

 

[irishman]

I looked hard at the Hammer (felder) before I bought my Laguna LT16HD used.

For me it came down to price, and I found my saw used on ebay (plus shipping) for cheaper than a new Hammer N4400.

I realize my saw is larger than the Laguna you're considering, but I wanted to comment on the guides.  I've used all types of guides, and while I like the ceramic guides on the Laguna, they are almost useless for blades below 3/8".  Typically I don't think that's an issue for most people getting a saw this size, but it's worth noting.  I will at some point purchase the guide adapter to be able to use 1/4" blades on mine as I'm a one-bandsaw shop and that takes less space than another dedicated smaller saw.  On the flip side, I love the ceramic guides on the larger blades.  I think they do their job well. 

I chose my saw based on the many reviews out there.  Some say the mini-max has a flatter crown and it doesn't track small blades as well.  I did note though, that some mini-max owners didn't have that problem.  The Felder (or Hammer) saws and the Laguna saws seem to be aimed more at the woodworker who will occasionally resaw, but also wants a bandsaw thats good at everything else too.

I would not go with a 1 3/4 hp motor if you want to resaw.  I think you're right to aim for something in the 3+HP range for resawing.

If you're buying new I'd go with the 18" if its in the budget.  It doesn't take much more floor space for the extra cut capacity, and one day you'll be glad to did go bigger.  The Laguna 18" is in my opinion built much better than the 14" SUV. 

As a side note about blade size.  I think too many people get hung up on blade size.  My saw will tension a 1-1/4" blade properly with around .003" deflection as measured at the guides.  Sure, it can properly tension it...but have I ever had a need to go that big?  Nope.  I typically only need a 3/4" or 1" blade for most operations in larger stock.  Check out the blades on Timerwolf's website. They have a great blade selection guide that will tell you what size blades you can get away with.  My blade inventory right now consists of about four 3/8" blades, six 1/2" blades, two 3/4" blades, and a few 1" blades.  I think I've got a 1-1/4" resaw king somewhere too. 

It isn't a direct comparison for you, but I hope this helps a little.

 

[Sparky]

Forsure it does help. I had already looked at the Carter's bandsaw stabilizer ment for the small blades. Yeah I can get the 1800 for a little less than the hammer and that's what I am leaning towards. Totally agree about blade size I am sure I wouldn't need bigger than 3/4 but want to make sure that if anyone had that saw that they had no problems tensioning one. I would love the 16"had but the price here is a lot more and no used saws currently that I have found.

 

[Iceclimber]

The 14/12 was my first big tool purchase.

While it is a great saw and i cant complain about one thing about it knowing what I know i would at the least got with the Hammer machine.

To be honest i would skip right over the Hammer and go Felder.

 

[Sparky]

Yeah would love to but unfortunately it's 4000 here so a but more than I was looking at spending.