I wanted to incorporate a variable speed capability onto my Laguna 14 SUV bandsaw so that it could be used to cut steel, brass, aluminum, and plastics in addition to wood. Originally, the saw was equipped with a single speed 3hp 220V single phase motor providing blade speed suitable for woods only.

I retrofitted the saw with a 3hp three phase 2 pole motor and installed the Lapond SVD-PS2.2GB 2.2kw 220V 3hp Variable Frequency Vector Drive that I purchased through Amazon to provide the variable blade speed capability I wanted. I also purchased an external potentiometer and case to provide higher speed setting resolution than the pot installed on the VFD could provide.

The total number of VFD parameters required to be modified for this installation is relatively few as the attached image shows. These modifications include those which provide direct display of motor rpm on the VFD. It should be noted that the value in parameter P7.06 needs to be 0.6 for a 2 pole 3ph motor (3600 rpm at 60Hz), and 0.3 for a 4 pole 3ph motor (1800 rpm at 60Hz). I verified motor rpm versus the displayed value using a hand held tachometer on the motor shaft.

Research suggested that a typical 3phase motor can be oversped by about 25% which corresponds to 4500 rpm at a frequency of 75Hz. I opted for some margin and so I set maximum frequency to 72Hz which corresponds to 4320 motor rpm.

I did not attach an external start/stop capability as the controls on the VFD are easily accessible and the saw is equipped with a brake/kill switch pedal that controls power being supplied to the VFD in the event of an "emergency". Otherwise, the RUN/STOP buttons on the Lapond VFD panel are friendly to use.

With some simple calculations, I generated a plot of blade speed vs motor rpm for my bandsaw which is shown in the attached image. Recommended blade speeds for various materials is shown in the last attached image. Setting the motor rpm, and hence the blade speed, is very simple and precise employing the external high resolution potentiometer.

As of now, I am very pleased with the Lapond VFD. The cooling fan is on only when the motor is being driven and even then the fan is very quiet and can't be heard above the noise being generated by the motor and saw/blade system. The VFD brings the blade to a complete stop in about 3 seconds from 4320 motor rpm even though parameter P0.17 is set to 2 seconds. I don't know if the inertia of the 14 inch cast iron wheels and 125 inch long by 1 inch wide Laguna Resaw King blade overwhelms the internal braking system of the VFD, but it definitely takes longer than 2 seconds for the blade to come to a complete stop when the motor rpm is set to 4320 rpm.

I did not require technical assistance from Lapond and hence cannot comment on their customer service.

I do not know the longevity/reliability of the Lapond VFD yet because I haven't used the saw very much since installing this system. If any issues arise I will update this review.

Update: February 20, 2019
I installed a braking resistor (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07GXHMJF8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1), purchased through Amazon, which significantly improves braking performance. The bandsaw with its heavy 14 inch cast iron wheels and substantial blade now stop within the time set by Parameter P0-18. Prior to the installation of the braking resistor it would require upwards of six seconds for the system to come to a stop from 3600 motor RPM. Now it will stop within one second from that speed. With repeated stops from 3600 motor RPM the resistor does become quite warm to the touch.

I had not specified in my original review the high resolution potentiometer that I had installed. The potentiometer I purchased from Amazon provides 0 to 5K ohm in about 300 degree rotation of the dial. The pot can be found at https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074KCK7X9/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1. The pins on the potentiometer are labeled 1, 2, and 3. I connected Pin 1 of the pot to GND, Pin 2 to AI1, and Pin 3 to +10V lugs of the Lapond VFD. This provides near 0 frequency at pot position 0 and whatever maximum frequency is specified in P0-08, P0-10, and P0-12 at pot position 100.

I installed the potentiometer into a case, also purchased from Amazon, that can be found at https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07BPQHCH7/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1. It was necessary to drill the case to accommodate the potentiometer. The case is made from plastic. The cover is transparent and the base of the case is a tan color. I used brad point drill bits with the drill press set to a very slow speed (~200 rpm) and backing blocks of wood to prevent cracking.

Update: August 21, 2020
I have used this Lapond VFD on my Laguna 14SUV Bandsaw for over a year and half (about 40 hours of actual operation ... this is for a hobby, after all!) with excellent results. The VFD continues to perform flawlessly. I am very pleased with it.

I am using it for a lathe refurbishment project. It works well and I recommend it. I had an issue with what I thought was the drive but turned out it was my overcurrent protection device. I contacted the company for support and they were VERY helpful and responsive given the time zone differences. They even helped with configuring the drive for future external i/o I want to implement. 4 stars because the manual is printed in tiny font and is quite complicated for someone not familiar with this type of control. Also, there is not a built in fwd/rev button on the remote keypad which to me would be a basic function. you can program the direction but that is cumbersome. I will be adding a remote fwd/rev switch and is one of the items the tech support helped with. Overall a nice unit and I hope it holds up over time.

I needed to power an old 5hp, 3 phase radial arm saw. Connect the two 120V hot lines and ground coming in from the panel, then connect the 3 single phase lines on the output side, just as it shows in the picture, and your done. I still need to optimize speed and acceleration but need to get a tachometer to do this first. Setting parameters in the firmware is easy and the instructions are simple to follow.

I got this VFD for a Bridgeport 1 1/2 horse power milling machine. So far it works very well. I will admit that my install may not be pretty. I had a deadline to meet and needed to get the machine running in a residential garage. There are hundreds of settings, the majority of which I will never use. But there are some that I really like. For example the ability to jog the motor at 2 hz. I used a breakout box for remote control and some momentary switches. Since the machine is variable speed I haven't used the variable frequency but its a great feature. There is no noticeable loss in torque when using low frequencies.The process of machining requires hundreds of on/off cycles, and so far this VFD has performed flawlessly. Do not be intimidated by the 200 page manual. I had this VFD working right out of the box. I did not find the settings difficult to program. Tech support is only an email away and I got a very fast response to one question that I had about setting up the remote control. Using the breakoutout feature was a choice and wasn't a necessity. I made a 1/2 inch deep hogging pass on solid aluminum and the VFD had no trouble maitaining spindle speed. Also you can monitor the current load from the VFD readout, I love this feature! Anyone who has operated a bridgeport knows that changing the spindle gear from low to high is not always smooth. This why I set up a jog control. If the High/low lever does't mesh a very slow jog will allow the gears to drop in effortlessly without grinding. Love it!
I feel like I got a lot of performace for $120 and solves the problem of not having 3 phase in a residential setting. This worked very well on my new to me Bridgeport mill.

It was fairly easy for me (a non electrician but familiar with basic electrical) to install. Customer support was great. I did have a couple questions that were answered within 24 hours.

Manual is too small to read without a microscope, but customer support sent a pdf version that was word searchable. Ask for one, it makes life much easier.

Customer support can also provide some simple setup instruction to control the on/off and speed from a CNC controller. It's all in the manual, but their instructions were easier to follow.

The VFD on my previous VFD was on all the time. The fan on this vfd comes on as needed. This may seem minor and it certainly doesn't matter when the CNC is running, but it is nice to not listen to a fan between runs.