Hi,
I read with interest the review in the tools and shops issue of the new rikon 10” bandsaw (10-306). It looks like it would fit my needs perfectly, as I have a really small shop space and a 14” saw would eat up a large amount of it. I am a hobbyist so I am looking for a good combination of quality and cost, and don’t mind if it works slowly if it works well. My main use for it would be re-sawing smallish boards for grain-matched boxes (like those in the 52 boxes book), and for cutting leg blanks to rough profiles (such as cabriolets).
I went to a local store today and looked at it and superficially it looked perfect, but the salesman was really negative about it, seemed to think that it was useless for my applications, and that I should just get a 14” saw instead.
so, let me know y’alls thoughts. If 14” is the way to go, I guess I can stomach that but I was really hoping not to need to. Thanks!
Replies
If I wanted a bandsaw specifically for resawing, I would get the biggest bandsaw I could stomach. Tight tire radii equals thin blades which equals bad resawing.
The salesman was right, a larger bandsaw will give you better results for resawing... generally speaking
I have a 10-326. I just bought it a few months ago after battling a cruddy Craftsman benchtop unit I had for years. Something tells me the Rikon 10-306 is better than my old Craftsman was.... I love my 10-326. I have a relatively small shop and it's worth every square inch it takes up.
I always wanted a larger bandsaw, but never had good shop space. I was always working on jobsites... So, I scaled my jobs to the tools I had. Nowadays, I'm working most of the time in the shop and avoiding the jobsite jobs.
I don't have any specific experience with the 10-306. But, if it's just small stuff, I dunno. I can't see it really being a bad choice. But, I will also echo the sentiment that you should go for the biggest you can afford and make space for. My big 14" bandsaw cuts small stuff really nicely!
When the word "resaw" is used it creates images of huge lumber standing on edge. If your application is small 3-4 inch boards for boxes and you don't think your needs will expand the Rikon tested well enough to make it your initial choice, so you're probably fine.
The danger is that when resawing opens your eyes to options you might want more. I went from a 12" delta to a laguna 14"SUV through the same steps you are taking now.
thanks mj, I'm not envisioning opening a sawmill in my garage. I have plenty of access to people to do that kind of work for me. but I would like to make some little boxes, which would require precise rip cuts through pieces about 3-4" thick, mostly walnut and other hardwoods. most of the lumber I get is big fat slabs from a local urban wood rescue guy, but then I end up with some leftover chunks that would be great to turn into boxes, and hand-sawing them is ... tedious. I also make handles for knives, and cutting knife scales by hand is also not the most fun. if the testing is to be believed, this thing should be perfect, I just got scared off by the salesman, who quite frankly I'm not sure I really trust.
First off, rikon makes great tools and I'm sure the 10 inch is a great machine. If it suits your needs that's great and I'm sure it will work wonderfully.
However, at 10 inches you're going to be pretty limited and I would hard a guess that someday you're going to have the need for a bigger bandsaw. I hummed and hawed and ended up going with a 14 inch. Could I have made due with most of what I do on a 10? Yes. However I've already encountered lots of instances where I wish I had an even bigger saw.
As far as space goes, just throw that notion out the window. Realistically if you've got room for a 10 inch on stand you've got room for a 14 inch. You could almost certainly get a good 14 inch (especially with something like a Laguna 14/12 ) and have a bandsaw for life. I can't imagine that youre going to be forever happy with a 10inch.
Long story short... Yea always be on guard with sales people, but chances are if he works where Rikons are sold he probably knows what's up, and in this case I'd be inclined to agree in the long term. For the money you're paying for that new rikon you can find tons of rock solid used 14 bandsaws out there.
I have two bandsaws. My first was the small Grizzly bandsaw, I think they call it a 9”.
To be blunt, it kinda sucked. The fence is garbage and it’s noisy. That said, I do use it with a home made fence for cutting small pieces (like banding for inlay).
But last year I bought a 14” Laguna, and I have never regretted the expense of floor space. I have a small work area, about 13x24 (the end of our garage) so floor space is important. But having a tool that does it all is far more important. I can resaw 14” pieces (and have), small logs, veneer and made curved cuts as well as ripping boards that don’t really like my table saw. My smallest blade for it is 3/8” and the biggest is 3/4”. Again, no regrets.
The smaller machine will do exactly what you want with a sharp blade and will also handle smaller blades for fine work in the future, whilst not taking up much space. You could reasonably expect to be able to cut up to 4" thick timber up to 1m long with no problems.
You would struggle to run a very fine blade on a 14" machine. Mine will take nothing smaller than a 1/4 inch.
You won't regret the smaller machine unless your work pattern changes. Bear in mind that that size machine is not going to handle cutting up longer pieces of timber as the table is too small, or damp timber (such as you might need for making things for the garden) as the motor is not powerful enough. Nor will it handle thicker hardwood well, even if the throat size is large enough.
My 14" machine easily handles wet 6" timber up to 6m long with roller stands. It's built to take the weight and has a big motor so only bogs down if I really try hard. It's not so good for really fine work so I'll probably end up buying a smaller machine in the future anyway.
as far as space savings, there is a very significant difference between the 10 in saw in question and the various 14 in and larger saws. specifically, when I am using it I could clamp it to the workbench or bolt it to a piece of plywood, and then when it's not in use, it goes in a corner under an existing garage shelf. it weighs 77 lbs, as opposed to 200+ for many of the big saws, meaning I can lift it by myself. will I eventually want bigger? I actually doubt it, but I dunno, I've been wrong about that kind of thing before. my main concern is can it actually handle cutting pieces of hardwood about 4" thick, and I think the answer is yes. As such, I anticipate getting it once it goes on sale in a few days. I'll let y'all know if it lives up to expectations. any advice on which particular blades to buy? it comes with one general purpose blade but I am relatively certain that I will need at least a few others, right? something skinny for curves and thicker for resaw?
Hey if it works for you that's great. Rikon makes great tools
Id really advise you to NOT use it as a bench top saw tho. Sure you can but a bandsaw is such a useful tool that realistically you could be using it on a daily basis. Also, weight is good when it comes to tools! I love having the bandsaw set up and ready to go and I use it alot more than I ever thought I even would.
As far as blades go, 3tpi is good for pretty much anything and thickness is gonna be determined by what you find works best for your work. On that saw one guessing you're not able to go above much more than 1/2 inch. Which is perfectly fine for resawing. As mentioned the benefit of a smaller tool is you can go with narrower blades.
Again I think you're not going to go wrong with any Rikon tool , I just think that the benefits of having a heavy floor model with larger capacity far outweighs benefits of a small saw (weight, mobility etc). Those really aren't benefits at all in the long term in my opinion. But that's just my opinion.
best of luck in the shop and please do let us know how it works out!
I have not used the Rikon 10 inch bandsaw. I did have a Delta 9 inch saw many years ago, and it was worse than horrible. It didn't matter what blade I used. It wasn't worth the space in my shop.
I used a generic 14 inch saw for many years, and it was ok. I bought a Laguna 14-12 4 years ago, and it is on a whole other level. My best advice is to sell some plasma and make some space for the Laguna. You'll never need to upgrade again.
I love my 10-305 and it will resaw , slowly, up to it’s working height. I would not want to resaw on it very often. Like others I use this saw as a second saw for quick cuts and curves in smaller stock.
I do not know that the salesman is simply trying to up-sale you. If someone walked up to me and said re-sawing for small boxes . . . I might start my recommendations at a 14" saw as well.
Shop space is frequently at a premium but, the 10" saw on a base that would be stable is not really larger than a 14" saw's footprint in actual use. I often rely on good old blue painter's tape to help me visualize operational footprints.
Pretend you are doing an operation at the saw and tape off the area required to do this. Now look at the footprint of a 14" machine in that outlined space. How does it look now?
I wouldn’t want to try cutting 4” thick hardwood (thinking white oak, maple, cherry) with a 10” saw. Two inches it could do ok but more than that I think you’ll overload it. JohnC2 and I have the same 14” Laguna and it’s great, like driving a Cadillac. Rikon makes a 14” that is a little less expensive that may suit you too. Having used both (and I still do use both), the 14” is my default saw.
Update: just got the saw. The same store but a diff salesman who really knew his stuff and was very helpful. Also got ¼” 10tpi, ⅜ 6tpi, ½” 4tpi blades. Easy assembly and setup. Made a set of knife scales out of walnut with no difficulty, and also did a 5.5” test resaw in spalted maple...slow and smooth with no problems. So bottom line, it’s perfect for my needs, and I’ll be able to tuck it in a corner when I’m not using it. Yay!
Congrats on the new toy!
I was four years old when I was introduced to woodworking by my playmate's father a German furniture maker. He gave me a Stanley block plane, taught me how care and use it. When we moved he told me to remember, "A good craftsman never blames his tools." I retired at 70 and wife let me build a wood working shop in our townhouse basement the size of a one car garage. A friend gave me his Rikon 10 inch Bandsaw 10-305 with a Wood Slicer blade. It has been three years now and I have cut many board feet of shop resawn veneers and thin stock from 4/4 & 8/4 walnut, red oak, maple, and other woods. Yes, I have to advance slowly and be patience, finish with a drum sander, planer, or hand planes.
While I can afford a Laguna 14BX 2.5HP bandsaw, space and health temper my desire, so the Rikon 10-305 will suffice. After-all it's the design, building, and giving that is the joy of my woodworking. I hope this provides you with some food for thought.
Scott - I need to resaw 3.75” tall white oak on my Rikon 14-306 - nervous but your post gave me some confidence. I will use a 1/2” 3TPI blade. You mention you resawed 5.5” - did you get the 10” or 14” bandsaw?
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