leehljp
Member Liaison
I know that Eagle did a quick review of the Rikon last fall here and gave it a mixed review at best. I recently purchased one and will give my opinions on it.
I started looking for a lathe in mid January and was leaning towards the Jet VS when I read about the Rikon. About the only place I could find one was online with Woodcraft. They were out. I was headed to Louisville, KY for a meeting (from the Memphis area). I called Nashville WC, Louisville, WC and even called other WCs within 400 miles of me. No one had one. I found a dealer in Jackson, MS, but he did not have one.
The point behind this is that one of the dealers said that they were out because they were releasing a small upgrade soon and the company would be shipping in early February. I don't know how true that was, but it was released in early Feb. I ordered mine online from WC and got their 10% off order for a cost of about $225.00. I do not know what the upgrade was, if there was an upgrade or if they fixed some of the things that Eagle did not like.
I also cannot tell how this one compares to a "real" lathe of several hundred dollars; nor can I compare it to a Delta, Jet, PSI or Grizzly. I can compare it to a Taig metal lathe that has been modified to a pen lathe, but that won't help you guys. It is a very different machine from a Taig. I fill like I have stepped up to the big leagues - well maybe at least the minors!
I ended up buying the Rikon for three primary reasons:
1. 12" turning diameter vs 10 on the Jet
2. Indexed head. I want this to experiment with in the future.
3. With the 10% sale at the time, that made it about $130 less than the Jet VS.
Using it: Setting up was easy. No problem and no surprises EXCEPT that I learned quickly that I needed a 60° live center. (2MT)
One dislike: I had to make a minor modification to the tool rest. It had a very sharp edge. First time I laid a skew on it and used it, I caused a little nick there. I pressed a little too hard or just barely bumped it. I took a file to the sharp edge of the tool rest, rounding it over a tad. Works great now. My chisels slide/glide smoothly.
It has plenty of power for pen turning as compared to my Taig.
Small Warning: I have two MT2 mandrels and they work fine. I ordered the MT 2 Precision Mandrel System from BearToothWoods. It did not fit in all the way. It gets just to the point of seating and does not go back in any further. The BT Precision Mandrel System is about 1 1/2 inch longer than the standard MT2 mandrel holders. The 1 1/2 inch of extra length fits back into the hollow part of the indexed head - through which the ram travels. The Rikon will not accept it as there is something that prevents it from going in all the way. The hole seems a tad too small for the Precison Mandrel's extra length.
I am not the kind to send something back just because it does not work right the first time or if a screw is broke, loose or out of adjustment. So with the BT Precison Mandrell, I ground the back 1/2 inch down, about 1/16 inch and tried it. It worked fine. Let me make it clear that the back 1 1/12 inch of this long mandrel holder is not machined to be precisely fitting. It is intentionally smaller than the machined part that fits snug. As stated, it fits fine now.
For some reason, it does seem to have a different feel as they state on BearToothWoods.com. I have not turned a pen yet with the new mandrel, but the mandrel fits up against the live center and turns smoothly.
Other features of the Rikon: the ease of belt adjustment - easy. The tool holder on the back side is great too. The tail stock moves easily and the Tool rest is very easy to adjust.
For a little more reading go here:
http://www.rikontools.com/images/70-100_WorkbenchFeb2006.pdf
I started looking for a lathe in mid January and was leaning towards the Jet VS when I read about the Rikon. About the only place I could find one was online with Woodcraft. They were out. I was headed to Louisville, KY for a meeting (from the Memphis area). I called Nashville WC, Louisville, WC and even called other WCs within 400 miles of me. No one had one. I found a dealer in Jackson, MS, but he did not have one.
The point behind this is that one of the dealers said that they were out because they were releasing a small upgrade soon and the company would be shipping in early February. I don't know how true that was, but it was released in early Feb. I ordered mine online from WC and got their 10% off order for a cost of about $225.00. I do not know what the upgrade was, if there was an upgrade or if they fixed some of the things that Eagle did not like.
I also cannot tell how this one compares to a "real" lathe of several hundred dollars; nor can I compare it to a Delta, Jet, PSI or Grizzly. I can compare it to a Taig metal lathe that has been modified to a pen lathe, but that won't help you guys. It is a very different machine from a Taig. I fill like I have stepped up to the big leagues - well maybe at least the minors!
I ended up buying the Rikon for three primary reasons:
1. 12" turning diameter vs 10 on the Jet
2. Indexed head. I want this to experiment with in the future.
3. With the 10% sale at the time, that made it about $130 less than the Jet VS.
Using it: Setting up was easy. No problem and no surprises EXCEPT that I learned quickly that I needed a 60° live center. (2MT)
One dislike: I had to make a minor modification to the tool rest. It had a very sharp edge. First time I laid a skew on it and used it, I caused a little nick there. I pressed a little too hard or just barely bumped it. I took a file to the sharp edge of the tool rest, rounding it over a tad. Works great now. My chisels slide/glide smoothly.
It has plenty of power for pen turning as compared to my Taig.
Small Warning: I have two MT2 mandrels and they work fine. I ordered the MT 2 Precision Mandrel System from BearToothWoods. It did not fit in all the way. It gets just to the point of seating and does not go back in any further. The BT Precision Mandrel System is about 1 1/2 inch longer than the standard MT2 mandrel holders. The 1 1/2 inch of extra length fits back into the hollow part of the indexed head - through which the ram travels. The Rikon will not accept it as there is something that prevents it from going in all the way. The hole seems a tad too small for the Precison Mandrel's extra length.
I am not the kind to send something back just because it does not work right the first time or if a screw is broke, loose or out of adjustment. So with the BT Precison Mandrell, I ground the back 1/2 inch down, about 1/16 inch and tried it. It worked fine. Let me make it clear that the back 1 1/12 inch of this long mandrel holder is not machined to be precisely fitting. It is intentionally smaller than the machined part that fits snug. As stated, it fits fine now.
For some reason, it does seem to have a different feel as they state on BearToothWoods.com. I have not turned a pen yet with the new mandrel, but the mandrel fits up against the live center and turns smoothly.
Other features of the Rikon: the ease of belt adjustment - easy. The tool holder on the back side is great too. The tail stock moves easily and the Tool rest is very easy to adjust.
For a little more reading go here:
http://www.rikontools.com/images/70-100_WorkbenchFeb2006.pdf
