Initial Impressions: Harvey AMBASSADOR C14 3HP 14" Band Saw

[Shane Jimerfield]

Shipping and packaging: Super, not a complaint at all. Eleven days from order to it sitting in my garage. Make sure you get yourself a new roll of paper towels as they are very liberal with the grease. For obvious reasons, that’s fine with me.

Unpacking and setup was straight forward. Instructions were good. Lots of grease needed to be removed before power up so as to not spread it around anymore than it already was. Did a quick check on the mechanics, aligned the blade and guides then turned it on. It powered right up. Everything seems well balanced as there is no noticeable excessive vibration. I did not have a nickel on me, but I’m sure it would have just stood there.

Impressions: I paid $1,690 including shipping. I could have ordered a Laguna 14|BX delivered to my local dealer for $1,500. I lost my 14|BX in the fire and liked that saw very much, it was nearly flawless, IMHO. There are some features of the C14 that drew me to it. The 3HP motor being the first, and 14” resaw being the second (I like veneers). The 14|BX running on 110V was under powered in a few resaw situations, but other than that it performed well power-wise. The table sizes are comparable. I like the C14 bearing guides, the Laguna ceramic guides were OK, but kind of a PIA to adjust. The 14|BX fence is superior. The C14 fence seems like it will be fine and is certainly decent, but as a comparison, Laguna wins that one. There is one thing about the 14|BX fence that was a PIA, the locking mechanism was always in the way of the lower door. The C14 won’t have that problem. Laguna also wins on the breaking mechanism. The C14 break works fine, but the 14|BX was much smoother and more responsive. The 14|BX uses a disk, the C14 uses a pad against the lower wheel. The C14’s finish is decent, but I think Laguna’s is probably a bit better.

I need to run some thick, hard boards through it to get a real world test to determine if the increased HP was worth the other tradeoffs. There are other differences, like the C14 having aluminum knurled knobs on the doors, where Laguna uses plastic. I didn’t spend a lot time under the table on the 14|BX, but my impression is the trunnion on the Laguna was a bit bigger, so it’s a little bit of a guess. However, the trunnion on the C14 seems quite adequate for a 14” saw.

If I was not wanting to resaw wide, hardwood veneers, I think I would have gotten another 14|BX.

Overall though, the Ambassador C14 seems to be a decent saw for the price, and I think it is going to serve me well.

EDIT: I removed my comment about the switch being mounted facing the rear of the saw. It ships that way to reduce the footprint and protect the switch. I simply had to remove the screws and flip it around. 

[Chestnut]

I really like the ceramic nature of the laguna guides vs the bearing alternatives (i don't know what Harvey is using). The knobs on the laguna do suck i replaced mine with bolts and or screws.

I have the 2.5 hp 14BX and the 1.5hp 14|12. I haven't pushed the 14|12 hard enough to determine if the 2.5 hp is worth it either because it's all I know.

[wtnhighlander]

Glad to hear the Harvey seems to be good so far. I looked at that saw long and hard, before admitting I don't have floor space, nor enough power, to use it. Please keep us posted!

[pkinneb]

8 hours ago, Shane Jimerfield said:

WTF is that the C14’s power button is on the back. Hmmm, why? I don’t think I’m gonna like that.

Power button on the back? Looks like it’s to the left just like the Laguna what am I missing?

[Shane Jimerfield]

12 hours ago, pkinneb said:

Power button on the back? Looks like it’s to the left just like the Laguna what am I missing?

Good catch. That's on me. Turns out the switch is mounted backwards for shipping. It reduces the width. All I had to do was take it off flip it around and screw it back down. I'll edit the post.

[pkinneb]

1 hour ago, Shane Jimerfield said:

Good catch. That's on me. Turns out the switch is mounted backwards for shipping. It reduces the width. All I had to do was take it off flip it around and screw it back down. I'll edit the post.

Awesome that's definitely an easy fix. Seems like Harvey is putting out some nice stuff! I sure love their miter fence.

[Coop]

3 hours ago, pkinneb said:

I sure love their miter fence.

+1

[Mikell Todd]

Good morning, I’d really appreciate your current views on this saw now that you’ve had it for 18 months. Anything particularly bad or good ? Would you buy it again ? 

Edited September 18, 2022 by Mikell Todd
Error

[JohnG]

@Shane Jimerfield hasn’t been on in a while but maybe he’ll reappear to respond. I think someone else on here has the same saw?  I have the Alpha and like it. I’d buy it again.

Make sure you watch the price for a while, never pay full list price for it (currently $2499). $1750-1800 seems to be a good target these days. It has dropped lower but is uncommon.