Laguna F3 3hp (with 52 in preferred$

[SBeaudrot]

Good morning
Seeing if anyone has purchased a Laguna F3 saw. Looking for good bad and ugly.
I am comparing it to the Sawstop with same specs. If the safety factor was not in play. Thx

 

[Oka]

I think Harvey makes the Laguna saw for them. Might want to message @tvrgeek (Scott) he recently bought a Harvey, but did a bunch of research on the various saws. He probably can provide additional insight

 

[SBeaudrot]

I think Harvey makes the Laguna saw for them. Might want to message @tvrgeek (Scott) he recently bought a Harvey, but did a bunch of research on the various saws. He probably can provide additional insight

Good morning,
I am Steve B. looking at upgrading my table saw. I am pretty much sold on the Sawstop 3hp w/ the 52 inch compasity> also looking at the Laguna F3 with same things. Seeing if had some insight.

 

[cyclopentadiene]

Good morning,
I am Steve B. looking at upgrading my table saw. I am pretty much sold on the Sawstop 3hp w/ the 52 inch compasity> also looking at the Laguna F3 with same things. Seeing if had some insight.

I have the 52 inch and it takes a lot of shop real estate. The space on the extension wing becomes my junk storage space as I rarely (possibly have never) need it. If I were to do it again, I would have opted for the 36”.
No regrets on the Sawstop choice as it is an excellent saw.

 

[smurg]

Good morning,
I am Steve B. looking at upgrading my table saw. I am pretty much sold on the Sawstop 3hp w/ the 52 inch compasity> also looking at the Laguna F3 with same things. Seeing if had some insight.

I had a Jet 10" that had like 70" rails and it was mostly junk storage (however I wasn't cutting a ton of plywood then). Just bought and setup my 36" Sawstop PCS and figure if that isn't enough, then I need a track saw anyways. The Sawstop 3HP PCS was only like $700 more than the F3 and is a lifetime saw imo. Totally worth it for the resale value (if necessary), safety, fit and finish, and the setup manual/instructions/packing is second to none.

The real cost of the saw will include oopsie brake use, dado break, etc. but shouldn't amount too much more than $1000 all in. I'd saw a worthy investment if it saves you from a single lapse of memory on a cut. Can't pay to put those fingers back like they came!

 

[tvrgeek]

No idea who makes the F3. I will say, the reason I did not look at it seriously is the very short distance from blade to front edge. Otherwise, very good reviews. Of course, there are several ways to make clamp on front extensions or for that matter, move the fence rail and add a spacer for a couple inches.

If you can afford the PCS, by all means. A very good saw. I hope I never regret ( by an oops) buying the Harvey. I do like it very much. I too went for 36 inch and a track saw. I can't handle a 3/4 inch sheet of BB by myself anyway. The F3 was said to "run as smooth as a Powermatic" Did not saw which one though. The only performance gripe I have with the Harvey is I wish it had a multi0rib belt rather than 3 v-belts. They do run smoother. I have not swapped the Chinese OEM belts for good Gates AX series yet.

All the prices have gone up, so what is a good deal, I no longer know. Harvey is not as cheap as they were relative. Maybe the others had more margin to start with so did not have to jump as much. Shipping is a much bigger deal than it was.

I had an idea on how to modify ( or supercooltools) fence to gain about another 6 inches or more. Convert the "T" to an "L" Same overall stability, just further over. Maybe one of these days. One could also make additional fences with a longer "L" just for wide sheets. But really, if I can reach the center of a 60 inch Birch ply, I guess I am good.