Popular Woodworking 2006-11 № 158, страница 27
gator's Ovo\ceI LAGUNA LT14SE We've come to expect a lot from Laguna (a larger Laguna is a mainstay in our shop); maybe we're expecting too much. The LT14SE was designed as a smaller version of larger Laguna machines, with the intention of retaining capacity and performance. To be sure, the capacity is there, but the performance fell short of what we expected. During the 7"-board test the saw did OK, but started to slow in the cut. When we stepped up to the 11" board we were able to stall the machine. For $1,200 we were a bit disappointed. There were also ease-of-use issues that surprised us. To change the blade, upper and lower blade guards need to be removed entirely from the saw (requiring a wrench). The throat insert is a mix of good and awkward. Alignment screws allow it to be leveled flush to the table, but a spring clip mounted below the plate (to hold it tight to the table) makes you fumble awkwardly under the table to release the clip. The ceramic guides are unique and of Laguna's own design. They do a nice job of guiding the blade, but adjusting the side guides required finesse (balancing the spacing) that seems more complicated than necessary. The table height (measured from the floor) is the highest in the test and when the mobile base is added (a little tippy and an extra expense), it's a little too tall for comfort. ■ 800-234-1976 or lagunatools.com RIKON 10-325 This is a brand-new version of the 14" saw from Rikon and the designers have done a great job on the upgrades. The saw includes a stable base (assembly required), a worklight, and windows in the side of the upper case (for adjusting blade tracking ) and in the front to view the tension gauge. Rikon (along with Craftsman) uses a superior edge-bearing thrust-guide design. The guides are pretty easy to adjust, but different enough in design that there is a learning curve. Another shared feature with Craftsman is the user-friendly front-of-table slot for blade changing. A unique feature on the Rikon saw is a rack-and-pinion table adjustment that feels better, though in reality functions about the same as the usual gravity adjustment. Because the saw is pre-wired for 220-volt power (which is good for performance in our opinion), it does cause a slight power issue. The included light is a 110v fixture, so you'll need to run both 110v and 220v power to the saw (or rewire). In testing, this saw was impressive. It moved through the 7" oak without a problem or a hesitation. Even more impressive was that the performance in the 11" oak was just as smooth. This saw's performance beat out that of the Laguna. That earned our respect - and our Editor's Choice award. ■ 781-933-8400 or rikontools.com YORKCRAFT YC-14WBS The Yorkcraft comes with a decent five-piece base that is quick to assemble, but offers no storage. The saw uses decent bearing guides that are easily adjustable with thumbscrews. We found the visibility difficult when adjusting the lower guides because of the position of the trunnions and trunnion handles. While running the Yorkcraft during testing we found it had good power for resawing, but we also experienced the most vibration of all the saws tested. The vibration was not just in the table but throughout the entire machine. Our supposition is that the clever base design actually provides much less stability than the other bases in the test, exacerbating the vibration issue. This saw required the motor be installed after delivery (as with the Grizzly), but we found the process easier on this machine because the motor installs on the base, not on the lower wheel housing. One person can handle the task on the Yorkcraft, while the Grizzly requires a friend. The included fence was adequate to the task and adjustable for drift, but not remarkable. While the overall performance of this saw was good (but for vibration) and the price is also good, when compared to the features, performance and price of the Craftsman, it fell short. ■ 800-235-2100 or wilkemachinery.com popularwoodworking.com i 43 |
