any reason not to get the Rikon 14 deluxe 10-325?

[endacoz]

I have sold a few tools from my shop and had some $$ come in from some wholesale orders. I have about $950 on hand.

Sears has this item listed at $799 and my local Woodcraft agreed to match that price (no other discounts on top of the matched price).

http://m.sears.com/productdetails/0...1x000001&kpid=00921061000&kispla=00921061000P

Does it come with wheels? Other than some good resaw blades what else should I / do I need to purchase with it?

Anyone think this saw is not worthy or another is a better deal?

Will this saw really resaw / cut through 12+ inches of hard wood or burls without issues?

If I buy this saw it will be the first new tool over $100 I have ever purchased! Very exciting! But I think Sears sale ends Saturday so I need to make a decision.

Thoughts, comments?

 

[TonyL]

That saw has been sold for that price before as equipped. My friend bought the same over the summer from woodcraft (during one of their specials). I set it up for him.

 

[ToddM]

I bought that same saw a few weeks ago at woodcraft for that price. So far I love it! I cut some walnut crotches into bowl blanks, they were 11-12 inches thick and it cut them with no problem at all.

 

[LeeR]

Everything I've read indicates that saw is a good one. I have a Powermatic 14" which I paid $799 for a few years ago, but they have since gone up by $400. I think the Rikon is a pretty good deal.

Not sure it applies across the line, but I have a Rikon lathe I really like. I think with Rikon you get a good product at a decent price.

 

[JD Combs Sr]

I have the older "green" version of it, same model number. Been using it for about 4-5 years with no notable problems. Had to replace the guide bearings once is the only problem I have had with it. I cut 8" thick bowl blanks with it on a regular basis plus lots of odds and ends stuff. Recommend it highly.

Edit:BTW I believe I paid $799 for mine also.

 

[Edgar]

I bought one last year for $799 when WC had it on sale (also the newer blue version). I really like mine and have no complaints at all. It definitely has a throat large enough to cut 12" or 13" thick stuff, but the largest thing I've put through it so far is a log that was about 10" in diameter & I had no problem with it at all.

I don't think it will come with casters as a standard - at least mine didn't. I bolted mine to a wooden mobile base that's a little wider & longer than the base of the saw. Personally I think that's a little more stable than trying to put casters directly onto the saw base. Bandsaws have a high center of gravity, so you really need to be careful moving them around if you put casters directly onto the base.

 

[The Penguin]

I would contact your closest WC store and ask them to meet or beat the price.

you'll have much better service after the sale as well.

 

[endacoz]

Do you buy your blades at woodcraft or other?

 

[endacoz]

I would contact your closest WC store and ask them to meet or beat the price.

you'll have much better service after the sale as well.

My local Woodcraft said they would match the price. They also have it in stock Sears is a 8 day delivery...

 

[Edgar]

So far I have only purchased a few Olson brand blades from WC. I've been satisfied with them, but I have learned to check the weld at the store before buying them.

The first 3/4" blade that I bought didn't have a nice, smooth weld - it looked like the blade wasn't aligned perfectly when the weld was made. As a result it didn't run or cut true. It took me a while to figure out what was wrong & I probably should have returned it, but I just bought another one and made sure to check the weld at the store. This one works great.

I may try some other blades down the road, but these are relatively inexpensive & work fine for what I'm doing now.

 

[Edgar]

Here's the mobility kit made specifically for the 10-325 that WC carries

Buy Rikon Mobility Kit for 14" Deluxe Bandsaw 10-325 at Woodcraft.com

Mine is just slightly larger than this & I was lucky enough to pick it up for almost nothing. There's a commercial cabinet shop next to our office & I check their dumpster area from time to time. About a week before I bought my bandsaw, I found a wooden mobile base that they had thrown out - everything was fine except for one broken caster, so all I had to do was buy one caster & I was in business.

 

[endacoz]

I'm as giddy as a school boy!

Bought the saw, a universal mobile base and a 3/4 resaw blade. They even gave me next month's sale price on the blade plus 10% of the blade and base for being a member of the Minnesota Woodturners Association!

Can't wait to set it up!

 

[Edgar]

I'm as giddy as a school boy!

Bought the saw, a universal mobile base and a 3/4 resaw blade. They even gave me next month's sale price on the blade plus 10% of the blade and base for being a member of the Minnesota Woodturners Association!

Can't wait to set it up!

Woo-hoo! Congrats on the buy and good for your local WC giving you that club discount.

For some reason unknown to me, the Texas WC stores recently stopped giving those discounts.

 

[pfbarney]

Ethan,

Congratulations on your purchase!

Like a lot of the others, I have the older version of this saw in green and have not had a single complaint. I picked it up a few years ago at the Woodworking Show in Atlanta. Bought a General mobile base to go along with it and that works really well. I use it to cut bowl blanks out of big, dirty, bark covered chunks of wood and have not had any issues. My favorite blade so far has been the Highland Woodworking Woodturner's Blade. It's designed for green wood and it absolutely rips right through it without a problem.

If you hook a dust collector up to it, you will be amazed at how little dust there is inside after cutting. That may sound obvious to some, but for the longest time I ran it without a dust collector and just cleaned it out after I got through and it would be filled up. Now, if I'm processing a lot of blanks, I'll wheel it over close enough to hook it up and save a lot of time later. One of these days I'll pipe in the dust collector so I don't have to do that.

 

[endacoz]

Thank you guys for the positive feedback on this saw!

 

[alankulwicki7]

I buy my blades from Twin City Saw on University Ave in St Paul. They have a wide variety of blades and will custom make them to length. They even make them while you wait....

Congrats on the saw. I hope to upgrade my band saw in the future. Just don't have the cash right now

 

[LeeR]

Ethan,

Congrats on the purchase. I highly recommend watch the Alex Snodgrass video on YouTube that covers bandsaw blade alignment and tensioning. Another helper for me on his video was the commentary/demo on setting the blade guides. I am getting flawless resawing now that I've followed his recommendations.

His demo of cutting band saw boxes and other items is pretty amazing. However, he goes so fast I was nervous watching ...

Here is the link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGbZqWac0jU

 

[Edgar]

+1 on the Alex Snodgrass video. I have watched it many times and it has really helped me to properly set up and align my saw.

 

[TellicoTurning]

I don't know anything about the Rikon, but it has a bigger motor than my Delta(I'm pretty sure I only have 3/4 horse motor) and I've had no problems with cutting bowl blanks of about any size that will fit on the table... as for blades, I usually buy all of my blades through Packardwoods... I get the 105 Olsen blades in 1/2 and 3/8 widths and 3 or 4 tpi.. you'll go through blades pretty quickly if you are cutting lots of wood... somewhere I read that even the Timberwolf blades are only good for a few hundred bdf... just remember, a dull blade is an accident about to happen.

 

[Woodlvr]

I would closely check the trunnions alignment, when tightening mine shifts out of level and I have a very hard time squaring the table to the blade. Also my blade will not line up in the middle if the track so when cutting a board the blade cews away some of the metal from the insert. Sounds like the upper bearings are bad when it is running. My Ridgid is quieter and it is 10 years old. I am not bashing the Rikon but letting you know of my issues. Also check the availability of saw blades, mine uses 99 3/4" and are hard to find.

 

[Edgar]

I would closely check the trunnions alignment, when tightening mine shifts out of level and I have a very hard time squaring the table to the blade. Also my blade will not line up in the middle if the track so when cutting a board the blade cews away some of the metal from the insert. Sounds like the upper bearings are bad when it is running. My Ridgid is quieter and it is 10 years old. I am not bashing the Rikon but letting you know of my issues. Also check the availability of saw blades, mine uses 99 3/4" and are hard to find.

Mike - have you had those problems from the outset or did they develop over time?

I haven't seen anything like that at all (at least not yet) with my 10-325, but I presume you must have a different model if it uses a 99-3/4" blade.

I'll certainly keep a watch for any problems, but so far everything works great.

 

[Woodlvr]

Mine is only one week old and is the 10-321, as I was mixed up about a couple of things. When I try to square the table to the blade the trunnions twists slightly enough to move the table. The trunnions are made out of cheap pot metal it looks like so I will probably return it and get the 10-325. I got mine on sale last week so I hope that I can return it and get the better one. Thank you.

 

[Edgar]

Mine is only one week old and is the 10-321, as I was mixed up about a couple of things. When I try to square the table to the blade the trunnions twists slightly enough to move the table. The trunnions are made out of cheap pot metal it looks like so I will probably return it and get the 10-325. I got mine on sale last week so I hope that I can return it and get the better one. Thank you.

Woodcraft is usually real good about returns, so hopefully you won't have any problems other than the hassle of hauling it back.

I think you'll be much happier with the 10-325. Besides the heavier duty trunnions, it has a better table leveling mechanism, larger resaw capability, enclosed base and includes a rip fence.

Good luck & keep us posted.

 

[endacoz]

I had little adjustments needed for the table to be perpendicular to the blade on different sides. After seeing it all up I ran it for over 2 hours with the factory blade and it ran better than I could have imagined!


Cuts like butter.

14 10325 is a 111 blade