This is my first newsgroup post so let me know if I muck something up. :)
The Rikon 10-300 10" bandsaw looks like a good deal for someone on a budget or just getting started. Anyone have any experience with one? Any complaints? Cutting capacity is listed as 3 3/8", seems a shame they didn't make it 3 1/2" (or is that an easy fix?).
I don't have a Rikon, I had a 9" Ryobi that served me well for a couple of years. I am sure the Rikon is better than mine, but about the limit of hardwood that I could run through it was 1.5", and it wasn't happy about that. It could do more than that in softwood. But really it was happiest dealing with 3/4" and below, which was what 90% of what I did with it was. If you anticipate regularly trying to cut
4x's with it, I would seriously think about getting a 14" saw. The Ridgid at HD is probably the least expensive option.A lot of people will say not to even bother with anything smaller than
14" regardless of what you think you need now. A smaller subset will tell you don't even bother with a regular 14" saw, you need to plop down $1500. My little $99 Ryobi cut an awful lot of wood over 2-3 years, and it's still in the shop next to the 14". If you're willing to accept their limitations and work within them they'll do the job.-Leuf
just getting started. Anyone have any experience with one? Any complaints?
I don't have the Rikon either, but I do have a 10" bandsaw that has a
4" resaw capacity and claims 1/2HP. (It's actually a Ryobi, but I don't really want to say that out loud on this NG...) Of course it's not as nice or smooth or heavy as a "real" bandsaw, but I have never had it stall, and I've used it to cut through about 140 linear feet of 2" thick white oak, plus a variety of other smaller operations. I needed to hand plane off the saw marks, but the saw has definitely been functional. With the tilting table set carefully, it cuts miters/bevels better than anything else I have (handheld circ saw or jigsaw). If I would have seen the 10" Rikon before I got mine, I probably would have bought the Rikon - if nothing else, you save $50 and have good blades pre-made to length available from Woodcraft. One thing I've noticed is that there is a Craftsman (another bad word here most of the time) 10" bandsaw that looks extremely similar to the Rikon, so you might see which one's cheaper or available locally before you buy. Craftsman also has a 12" that they claim has a 7" resaw capacity, and Grizzly has 14" models starting at $325 (+shipping if they're not local for you). You might also check out ebay or local classifieds for used models. Good luck, AndyI have a 10" Rikon and I find it a very useful, accurate and inexpensive Bandsaw. It is more than adequate for about up to 4" thick hardwoods. For starters ditch the blade that came with it. The rollerguide system that came with the Rikon is top notch and worth the cost of the whole Bandsaw. It can be used just by replacing the blade with a quality blade and spend some time aligning the table and guides. When you get time, in the future, replace the metal tilt table with a laminiate covered plywood table with a slot for a better quality sliding square from your table saw or buy one.
i was looking at one at woodcraft last week. Seems pretty nice for the money when compared to the Delta shopmaster. If it meets your requirements size wise then I would say its probably a good value for what it is.
I agree but I wonder why most people knock the Harbor Freight tools from China and not Rikon which is also from China?
Depends on who's doing the QC :-).
Did you modify it so you could do 4" thick material? I ask because Rikon says it's limited to 3 3/8". To be clear, can I turn a 2x4 into 2 1x4s?
: Did you modify it so you could do 4" thick material? I ask because Rikon : says it's limited to 3 3/8". To be clear, can I turn a 2x4 into 2 1x4s?
A 2x4 is actually between 3 1/2 and 3 3/4 inches thick.
-- Andy barss
Sorry for my error John.
With my modified table I only clear 3 1/.8"
I was not clear in my prior post, the Jet BS I purchased is a 14" saw.
Also, I think the 12" Delta saw that Lowes is selling costs less than $300.
In his video "Mastering Your Band Saw", Mark Duginske uses several saws including a 9" Sears saw. Of course it will be limited in re-saw capacity.
I went through all of this back in early January; I bit the bullet as they say and bought the Jet. I was looking for a certain fit and finish in a price range (which I exceeded), but I'm satisfied with my decision. I considered and would have purchased a Delta or a Grizzly if the circumstances had led me to it. OBTW, I just deposited my $50 rebate check from Jet. :-) As someone on the rec said, "Buy a good tool and cry when you pay for it, buy a cheap tool and cry every time you use it".
I cringe everytime I read that, too. It works on the assumption that a person qualified to use a tool is not qualified to judge that tool by any metric except the price tag.
I bought the HF 14" bandsaw when it went on sale for something under $200. Since then I have put their roller guides on it (about $15), the extension riser (about $50) and last week I added a good blade (Timberwolf 3/4" x
3t).Testing the arrangement, I find that I can consistently cut
The Rikon Ban Saws fit and finish is top rate.
I don't think HF requires any kind of departure from a base model, or quality assurance from its suppliers.
Some distributors (claim to) only use factories that have a well-defined process control, give their own minimum standard requirements to be used by that factory, and follow up with technical support for the end user.
This is a really brief summary of iso 9001:
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