# back of split table higher than front when clamped down



## RichT (Oct 14, 2016)

Not sure why this is a review. You'll get better feedback in a forum like the Power Tools Hardware and Accessories forum.


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## 280305 (Sep 28, 2008)

In the photo, it looks like it is not that the two pieces of the table are misaligned. It looks like the front portion dips down starting about 2 1/2" in front of the slot. What do you see if you put the straightedge completely on the front portion of the table?


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## mdhills (Mar 12, 2011)

Is there a pin to align the table halves?

or can you shim between the table and trunnion?


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## LittleBlackDuck (Feb 26, 2016)

> Is there a pin to align the table halves?
> 
> or can you shim between the table and trunnion?
> 
> - mdhills


In keeping with *md*'s question, this is not that rare an ocurance… my table has a pin,








that aligns the table… it has to be hammered in "lightly" and some effort to extract for blade change.

I'm guessing Laguna's option 1 is a more practical work-around, unless you want to fight a legal battle for a refund/replacement.


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## dschlic1 (Jan 3, 2013)

Please note that cast iron is not a stable medium. It will warp and distort. Most of that warping occurs during the first few years after leaving the mold. That is why you see cast blanks setting out side machine shops. They leave the blanks out in the weather for a year or two to get most of the warping out before machining.


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## Redoak49 (Dec 15, 2012)

The idea that cast iron is not a stable media is an often repeated comment. I know that this is a commonly believed and stated many times.

However, according to Wayne R. Moore in Foundations of Mechanical Accuracy it is rarely the fault of cast iron. More likely due to bad design, uneven cooling or other foundry ptactices. With uneven cooling, when one surface is machined the part is likely to warp.


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## jbmaine (Nov 8, 2019)

Actually cast iron and heat treated tool steel can move for some time after casting and or heat treating. Leaving the blanks sitting for a while before final machining is called seasoning. Buying precision tooling ( angle plates and the like), you would look for the manufacturer to state it was made out of" seasoned steel".
In this case it looks like the BS table was rushed. I would demand it be replaced .


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## Redoak49 (Dec 15, 2012)

Can someone provide a technical reference concerning seasoned steel?

Improperly cast of heat treated metals can have significant internal stresses. When machined they can warp.

At room temperature, it is difficult to understand the mechanism for stress relief.


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## CL810 (Mar 21, 2010)

I have this same band saw and had the same, but not as severe, problem. I was fortunate that the problem went away after a week or two of having the saw.

Mehlo, I suggest that you give Laguna's advice a try.


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## mehloyellow (Jan 14, 2018)

Appreciate all the interest as I have now learned about cast iron and the need to be seasoned/stabilized. Never realized that was an issue. Yes i have taken Laguna's advice and took the table off the band saw a few days ago and placed it upside down on my table saw table. Will leave it a few more days and then report back. Thanks again.


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## mdhills (Mar 12, 2011)

Did setting the top upside-down help?

Matt


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## mehloyellow (Jan 14, 2018)

I followed Laguna's advice and laid the table upside down on my table saw for a week. I put it back on the saw this morning and but it didn't make any material difference. Talked to Laguna support this morning and Laguna is going to send me another table. Thanks again for all the replies.


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## benchtopper (Jul 3, 2020)

I had a similar issue with a new Rikon 10" bandsaw (10-3061). After tightening down the wing-nut/bolt designed to bring the two table "halves" together at the split, I measured 0.020" deviation from the left/right far edges to the split. Both halves were not co-planar, dipping down at the split. I was at first quite alarmed since the table top is cast steel and ground to a nice finish. I continued setting the saw up, and left the nut/bolt in place overnight. The next day I checked it again, and the two halves were nearly perfectly aligned, and co-planer. I wouldn't have thought an overnight shake-down would fix the problem, but it did. Did Laguna's recommendation work for you?


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## mehloyellow (Jan 14, 2018)

Laguna's recommendation didn't work. They sent me a new table about a month ago. New table was better-only about 2 thousandths of a difference. It's still that way but can tap it lightly with a mallet after changing a blade and it evens out. What's odd is that both tables were perfectly flat before installed.


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## JasonMak (Jun 5, 2020)

I also recently purchased this bandsaw and am experiencing the same issue and so far Laguna support has been terrible. The two sections are pretty much coplanar near the bolt that holds them together but as you get near the blade there's a huge discrepancy that the wood hangs on.
Have you checked the flatness of the aluminum fence? The fence is 5.5" tall and mine is off by .019" top to bottom. Trouble call has been over a week and they don't have a solution for me.
Also, I noticed when setting the table at zero there's flex in the table & trunion and when you set a board or weight on the outboard section of the table you can see it flex and if you look under the table at the zero adjustment foot, you can see it lifting off. I found I had to loosen the two adjustment handles and push down on the inboard side of table with left hand, use shoulder to push up and outboard on the underside of table and use my right hand to tighten the two adjustment handles - then it wouldn't flex outward and away from zero.
Not impressed with the quality of the bandsaw or their customer service. I feel like this is pretty much the state of all these large shop tools these days. Little to no innovation and shoddy quality controls.


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## mehloyellow (Jan 14, 2018)

That's exactly how the table was when I first got the saw. The replacement table is much better, but still coplanar at the bolt for tightening and about 1-2 thousandths at the throat. But a slight tap on the table with a mallet evens things out and I expect (hope) it to get better with time. The fence seems fine. I haven't experienced flexing of the table yet as haven't put much weight on it. But it does seem like it could be more rigid and it does seem to be lighter model than I expected. The saw it self runs smooth and quiet but then I was using an old craftsman where the blade tilted rather than the table for 25 or so years. I was really looking forward to getting this saw after all the favorable reviews. Maybe should have opted for a bigger model. I had good luck with customer service. Before sending me a new table they asked me to take the table off and lay it on a flat surface. But that didn't help so then sent me a new table. I did it all over e-mail. At the time laguna was in the process of moving from Irvine, California to Texas.


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## Herbb (Feb 16, 2021)

So many complaints about these Laguna band saws. I'm looking to purchase a band saw within the next few months, but I believe I have eliminated Laguna from my list of potentials.

The Harvey units sound nice, but there are very few reviews available out there. Plus, i am still a political junkie at my advanced age, and I struggle with supporting the red china regime. Would prefer something from Taiwan.

Right now i'm thinking i may need to break the bank and go with Powermatic, that is, unless i find the right Grizzly unit.
I like the larger tabls, and definitely want a foot brake, with microswitch cutoff. Grizzly seems to have an almost fanatical following by their customers.
Wish Grizzly's web site had better pics. Tough to distinguish between their 185 band saw models


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## ic3ss (Oct 19, 2010)

I had the same problem on my Laguna 18BX I just bought late last year. I found that the truniuns are not smooth enough. The surfaces were very rough. I took a file and ran it around the mating surfaces and that fixed my problem.

The other problem with the saw is vibration, I can see the top assembly bouncing around when it runs. Laguna support was easy to get ahold of and work with in the beginning, they sent me a new upper wheel, new tires, a new resaw king blade, nothing made it better. So far the only thing that has made an effect of the vibration is de-tensioning the blade made it slightly better, but not recommended. The other thing was I bought a smaller blade and that made a difference. But now I'm trying to reach Laguna support and no call back over the last two days.

I'm really sick of it.


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