All,
I just sold my old bandsaw and am going to get one which will allow me to re-saw. I have read some of the old threads on Knots on Bandsaws.
I work at Woodcraft so I can get a very good deal on the Rikon Delux 14″ bandsaw. I realize it is not an 18″ Laguna or Grizzly.
I have read the FWW review which included this Rikon. It said “… it dropped in the rankings because of its overly complicated and poorly machined guide mechanisms.”
I examined the saw in the Woodcraft store, and couldn’t see any problems with the guides. I adjusted the bearings, top and bottom. I had no trouble. Maybe I am missing something.
Do any of you have this saw or know first-hand of any problems with the saw?
Thank you.
Mel
Measure your output in smiles per board foot.
Replies
I have had this saw for going on two years now and don't find it hard at all to adjust. It can get a little close quartered setting up the guide bushings but it certainly isn't a deal killer IMO. I would buy this bandsaw again in a heartbeat.
Mel,
I also have this saw and am very satisfied overall. The only problem that I have experienced is that some guide hardware came loose and fell off. That could have been caused by me, but I don't know for sure. Their warrantly and repair people responded very quickly in sending me replacement parts at no cost.
I bought the saw just prior to building a set of chairs that required resawing cherry for bent laminations. I resawed over 130 strips at a thickness of .075", width of 4" and length of 44". The saw performed very well. (Boy, did I learn a lot about resawing!)
I think you will be very satisfied with this saw. By the way, I think there was an error in that article and they printed a correction in a subsequent issue.
Good luck, Tom.
Edited 9/28/2009 10:04 am ET by Tom77
Mel
It is a nice change to see a 14" Bandsaw that isn't a Delta or a clone of there 14" design. I like allot of the features that the Rikon Website shows for this saw " quick release blade tension, 2 speed, 13" resaw capacity without adding a riser block, windows to set blade tracking and the price". Working at Woodcraft I would assume you get some amount of feed back about this saw. I've read some positive reviews on Rikon bandsaws in the past, for what thats worth most people don't post negative reviews on a piece of equipment that they just dished out there savings on. If you end up purchasing this saw you could post a review, I would be interested to read your comments on the saw after you had it a little while. Best of luck with your bandsaw shopping.
Mike
Mike,
You are a guy with a lot of wisdom. You pointed out that it is difficult to get "negative" info on something that a person has bought. I believe you are correct. But sometimes you get lucky. That is why I posted here. I think the two original responses, which were positive, were VERY USEFUL, especially the one in which the man said how much he had used it, and that it worked well. Great info.You asked if I had gotten feedback on the saw in my job at Woodcraft. I have. I know a few people who have them, and they are happy. BUT remember what you said. That is important. So far ,everyone I have asked at Woodcraft is happy with whichever saw they have. I guess that means that one can't go wrong. Ha ha. I have a phone call in to Thomas McKenna, who wrote the article on evaluating 14" bandsaws, and he wrote the negative info on the Rikon. I only talked to an operator who said that Tom is too busy to talk to me now but will call me back later. I am looking forward to that. However, Tom did take the time to tell the operator to tell me that the problems of the Rikon are so bad that they are a dealbreaker and I would be sorely disappointed if I get it. So I can't wait to talk to him to find out what is causing him to say that.I have changed the blade on the saw, and I have done the adjustments on the top and bottom bearings, and I had no trouble doing it. Maybe this is because I used to have the cheaper 14" Rikon bandsaw, and was used to changing blades and adjust the guide bearings. Working at Woodcraft gets you $8 an hour, which is not a living wage. I don't do it for the pay. I have fun at it, and I get the discuont on buying items there. The discount is SUBSTANTIAL. So rather than buy a Laguna or a Grizzly, which the store doesn't sell, I would like to go with one of the ones they do sell. If I get the Delta, Jet or Powermatic, I will have to get the riser block. THat is not a major issue, but they are a good deal more expensive than the Rikon and you still have an old style saw, not the newer style which is designed for resawing.Sure is hard to get good info, isn't it? Thank god for Knots. This is a great place to meet folks who are willing to help each other.By the way, I have looked at other Rikon products at the store, and I have not been impressed. Yesterday, I squared up the fence on a Rikon jointer, on the outfeed side. Then I checked for square on the infeed side and it was way out of square. That's not a good sign, since it is all the same fence. Also, there were a few problems with my older Rikon Bandsaw. On the positive side, when I called their service line, I got VERY PROMPT, very good and very courteous help. They sent me new parts and also threw in the fence, "for the trouble that I had." I have called Rikon a few times, and their service couldn't be better. I will report back later on what I have learned. Thank you for your great response.
MelMeasure your output in smiles per board foot.
While I have nothing to say about the Rikon (positive or negative), I do start to wonder when manufacturers decide to add fluffy adjectives to product names, instead of just specifying a different model.
Ralph,
"I do start to wonder when manufacturers decide to add fluffy adjectives to product names, instead of just specifying a different model."You bring up a VERY GOOD POINT. In general, I might hold that against Rikon. However, I bought their 14" Bandsaw before they came out with the 14" Delux version. I can tell you with great authority, that comparing the two, the Delux version is really Delux. No joke! If you put the two side by side, and call one the normal version and the other the delux version, you would be spot on. Their normal version is much like the Sears Craftsman that I had for 30 or more years. Not much horsepower. No frills. No quality above what was needed. It just did simple bandsaw stuff - eg curves on relatively thin material. I rarely cut anything more than 2" thick with either machine. When I got the regular version, I couldn't get the table flat enough to meet their specs. I called them. The man apologized and said he would put another table in the mail to me within the hour and would throw in a fence for my trouble. I had trouble with one of the guide bearings. He sent me four more. Very professional. Good to hear from you.
MelMeasure your output in smiles per board foot.
I'm glad the new model lives up to its (adjective-rich) name. Of course, that begs the question of why they didn't call the original design the Crappy Bandsaw. Well, maybe that question sort of answers itself. ;-)
MEL.. Get the saw..
You are married with children and I think two grandbabies now? You can adjust to anything! Not that adjusting to family is hard in any way.. Sleep may be an issue!
Why not just call Ricon Technical support before you purchase it. I have only called once for a broken par (MY FAULT). I think a very young man that was NICE to me.. He made a Home Run off of First Base to me.. Even if he said nothing I can do for you.. He was nice and I'd blame his boss! I was honest with what I said to him.. I still got a free part. Maybe not next time.., Nice man in my opinion!
OK.. So I had to do Phone support from out in the field... After a few calls, I seemed to recognize the 'Good, Bad, and Ugly'!~
Mel.. If ya lived closer I'd give you my 18" Ricon! I use it but not that often.. Still a good buy at the time.. It really is a nice saw...
.. am going to get one which will allow me to re-saw..
Some wood will Re-Saw..Many will not! Whatever your saw or skills. Maybe a old steam driven 200 horse power can!
Edited 9/29/2009 8:06 pm by WillGeorge
WG,
I believe I am going to get the Rikon. Thanks for the offer of the 18" but I don't have 220 in my shop and it is more than I need. The 14" will do it. Thanks for your advice.
MelMeasure your output in smiles per board foot.
Sorry, I like my Ricon but then a gift from my middle daughter and her husband.
He is a smart ####. As in a PHd something. A really smart man and never spends money if he can get away with it, I'd bet my daughter talked him into it.
I really like my Ricon saw. I should use it more than I do.. But when I do use it..IT WORKS!
EDIT: windows to set blade tracking ?
I think I have one but when the blade gets moving as fast as will, it is way to late to look at it's movement!
Edited 9/30/2009 9:39 am by WillGeorge
I purchased this Bandsaw at Woodcraft about a year ago, overall I'm very happy with it. Two issues to bring to your attention. I can understand why the the FWW article saw the guide adjustments as complicated. I find the adjustments above the table to work fine, the guides below the table lack the knurled adjustment mechanism that the top guides have, making them different and more fussy to get right.
I also had issues with blade tracking. Initially I had to make considerable adjustment to compensate for blade drift. I called Rikon, the person I spoke to was of no help. Later I found a post on another web site where a person who had the same problem spoke to a more knowledgeable person at Rikon. Using this post I found the tracking on the lower wheel to be off and based upon the post found the adjustment mechanism on the rear of the saw to get it in line. None of this is covered in the manual.
Gboot,
great info.
Thank you.
Can you tell me about the tracking problem on the bottom wheel, and the adjustment for it? I want to know what I am getting into.
Thank you.
MelMeasure your output in smiles per board foot.
Mel,
The blade was tracking on the forward portion of the bottom wheel with the blade in the center of the top wheel. On the rear of the saw, the lower wheel shaft has four bolts at 90 degree intervals to adjust the shaft up/down or left/right. It was simple to let off on the bottom bolt and tighten the top one to get the blade tracking correctly. My only gripe is that this adjustment should have been in the manual or at the least the Rikon support staff trained.
Gene
gboot, thanks for that info. I have that saw and wasn't aware of that adjustment feature either. I don't have a tracking problem with my saw but I printed out your response and put it with my Owners Manual just in case I ever do.
Gene,
Someone else is very pleased that you posted this info. Thank you. I will print it out and put it in with the paperwork for my saw when I get it. I have four questions for you. 1) Were you able to verify this when you talked to someone at Rikon? I believe I read that you talked to one person who wasn't helpful and one who was. 2) When you made your adjustment, was it a small amount that you let off on one bolt and tightened the other? I guess you just keep doing it until the blade tracks on the center of the bottom wheel while it is tracking on the center of the top wheel.3) what size blade were you using? Did it make more of a difference with a narrow or wide blade? Based on your answer, I will test my saw out with the size blade you were using when I get it. 4) What size blade do you use for re-sawing? If you don't mind, I will keep your name handy in case I run into any other problems. I am glad you responded to my question.MelMeasure your output in smiles per board foot.
Mel,
1. Check out this thread - http://www.forums.woodnet.net/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=UBB2&Number=4378184&fpart=&PHPSESSID=2. I made very small adjustments. Maybe 1/8 turn at most.3-4. I was using a 3/4" Timberwolf blade for re-sawing - the wider the blade the more pronounced the drift angle.Hope this helps - good luck with your purchase whatever you decide.Gene
Gene,
Excellent info. Especially the part about the wider blade having a bigger drift angle.
Thank you very much.
MelMeasure your output in smiles per board foot.
Look into the Laguna 14 SE. I have one and it resaws beautifully. I like the ceramic guide blocks and the saw cuts true without a lot of fussing. Also look into their re-saw blade. Its well made and solid.
Jabe
Jabe,
I agree that the Laguna is the top of the line. However I work at a woodcraft store and get a great discount on the stuff they sell, and they don't sell the Laguna. So I am either going to go with the Rikon or the Powermatic.
Thank you.
MelMeasure your output in smiles per board foot.
Did Thomas McKenna ever get back to you? I'm really curious to find out what he disliked so much about the 10-325. As I said before, I love this bandsaw and for the life of me I can't come up with any reason not to at least recommend this bandsaw let alone tell someone not to buy it.
Hi,
Tom just got back to me a few hours ago. He was VERY nice. It has been a few years since he did the test, but he remembers it well. He said that there were a number of problems with the Rikon. So much so that the president of Rikon came to the FWW facility where the test was being done. At first he was quite upset, but then he saw what they had found. Not all of it made it into the review. One thing was the motor. It took a long time to start, and it popped the 20 amp circuit breaker. Tom said there was something "funky" about the motor. Then there was the part of the saw (I can't remember the name of it) which you raise and lower depending on the thickness of the wood you are cutting. It was not square to the table. Since it was welded, it could not be modified. So every time you changed the height of the cut, you had to readjust the guide bearings.While he didn't like the lower guide bearings, he didn't think they were a showstopper. He didn't recommend the Delta or the Rikon. He liked the Laguna, the Grizzly and the Powermatic. Tom is not a "mean" guy. He was not out to get any maker. He just told me what he found, and what he recommended. He was quite fair. He said that it has been two years since the test, and the makers could easily have corrected the problems by now. He said that Rikon is a small company and can easily make corrections to manufacturing problems. So he said that I have to take the test for what it is -- two years old, and it might not represent how things are today. There you have it. Let me know if you have any questions.Your recommendation, based on real, hard use, is VERY powerful, that things have changed and the problems have been solved. When did you buy yours? Do you notice that you have to adjust the guide bearings when you change the height of the cut?
Thanks,
MelMeasure your output in smiles per board foot.
Mel, thanks for the quick reply.I have to say that I haven't had the situation where the 10-325 has tripped my breaker on start-up when it was the only machine running at the time. I have tripped the breaker a time or two when I've had other things running on that circuit when I've fired up the bandsaw but I don't blame that on the bandsaw. I'm not sure if the motor is slow to start or not as I really don't know what is considered normal and what's considered slow. I doubt if it takes my saw more than 3 or 4 seconds to get to full speed so if that's a long time then I'll agree that the motor is a slow starter but it is certainly well within my patience level.It does seem like I have to adjust the guide bearings fairly often. Although I hadn't associated that with the changing of the height adjustment mechanism it seems that that could be the case. I just went and played around with the height adjustment on my saw and I'll have to agree with him that the mechanism is a little sloppy and doesn't lock back down square every time. About half the time when I moved the height adjustment mechanism it didn't lock back down into the same position and an adjustment was necessary. Obviously, the other half of the time there was no adjustment needed.Both of these issues may be a concern to some but I haven't found that either one of them effects the performance of the 10-325, IMO that is.
Id go with the powermatic. I have the PM66 & their 8" jointer.
Very satisfied with the customer service but didnt need it much.
Jabe
Good Morning Mr. 9619:
I have not used the Rikon, so I cannot comment on the saw. I do have one observation. The Rikon has the most resaw capability of any 14" saw I am aware of, even more than the 19" Grizzly. I would asked how they are able to do that when other manufactures can't. If there is extra bracing -- fine. But if not, that could be a problem down the line.
Dennis
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