After much research, I am about to buy the Rikon 345 Bandsaw ($999).
Does anyone have any advice on saw blades, concerns over saw,
recommendations for saw other than Rikon, etc? I can't go over the
given price, so Lagunas and others are out.

Immediate usage is for small bowlblanks, general small cuttings, and
cutting some veneer and resawing from few blocks of quilted maple I
have (20" x 7.5" x 2.5").

- Clayton

malathan_A_T_comcast.net wrote in message
news
After much research, I am about to buy the Rikon 345 Bandsaw ($999).
Does anyone have any advice on saw blades, concerns over saw,
recommendations for saw other than Rikon, etc? I can't go over the
given price, so Lagunas and others are out.

Immediate usage is for small bowlblanks, general small cuttings, and
cutting some veneer and resawing from few blocks of quilted maple I
have (20" x 7.5" x 2.5").

- Clayton

I bought one, returned it 2 weeks later and then bought the Italian Laguna.

I know, your budget is $1K, so was mine. I found that I was spending too
little money for my expectations when I bought the Rikon.

The Rikon is a well built nice looking saw.
1. I felt that it probably had adequate power for resawing to its limits.
2. I wanted an easy to adjust saw. The Rikon is not what I consider easy.
3. I wanted a quieter running saw. The Rikon is not what I consider quiet
with up to 10 guide bearings spinning. I found that roller guide bearings
are absolutely not my cup of tea. Especially when cutting branches/wet wood
the wood stuck to the blade and the bearings simply smashed the wood and sap
on to the blade and became very noisy.
4. Blade tracking was inconsistent from blade to blade. Sometimes
loosening the blade tracking knob to get the blade to track forward had no
effect until I pushed on the bottom of the top wheel with my hand.
5. I was constantly making adjustments.

With that in mind, you can probably upgrade to ceramic guides if you find
the vibration and thumping objectionable.

On Wed, 21 Jun 2006 21:16:27 GMT, "Leon"
wrote:


malathan_A_T_comcast.net wrote in message
news
After much research, I am about to buy the Rikon 345 Bandsaw ($999).
Does anyone have any advice on saw blades, concerns over saw,
recommendations for saw other than Rikon, etc? I can't go over the
given price, so Lagunas and others are out.

Immediate usage is for small bowlblanks, general small cuttings, and
cutting some veneer and resawing from few blocks of quilted maple I
have (20" x 7.5" x 2.5").

- Clayton

I bought one, returned it 2 weeks later and then bought the Italian Laguna.

I know, your budget is $1K, so was mine. I found that I was spending too
little money for my expectations when I bought the Rikon.

The Rikon is a well built nice looking saw.
1. I felt that it probably had adequate power for resawing to its limits.
2. I wanted an easy to adjust saw. The Rikon is not what I consider easy.
3. I wanted a quieter running saw. The Rikon is not what I consider quiet
with up to 10 guide bearings spinning. I found that roller guide bearings
are absolutely not my cup of tea. Especially when cutting branches/wet wood
the wood stuck to the blade and the bearings simply smashed the wood and sap
on to the blade and became very noisy.
4. Blade tracking was inconsistent from blade to blade. Sometimes
loosening the blade tracking knob to get the blade to track forward had no
effect until I pushed on the bottom of the top wheel with my hand.
5. I was constantly making adjustments.

With that in mind, you can probably upgrade to ceramic guides if you find
the vibration and thumping objectionable.





Just curious, how much did you pay for your saw? I talked with Laguna
the other day, but after a very long winded sales pitch by them when
all I wanted was basic dollar amounts, it came out roughly $1600
minimum for delivery of very basic 16" model.

My initial hope was they were going to be at the woodworking show here
in Portland, OR this fall and have some demo saws on discount. No
luck. Needless to say, I am struggling to justify $1000, so $1600
just doesn't fly (but I can still daydream).

- Clayton.

"Malathan" malathan_A_T_comcast.net wrote in message

Just curious, how much did you pay for your saw? I talked with Laguna
the other day, but after a very long winded sales pitch by them when
all I wanted was basic dollar amounts, it came out roughly $1600
minimum for delivery of very basic 16" model.

I ordered the LT16HD which is in the heavier duty line of saws manufactured
in Italy for Laguna. I added with it ,3 assorted blades, the ResawKing
blade which retails for $225.00, the mobility kit for the heavier saws, and
shipping. $2595.00 delivered on a lift gate truck and wheeled into my
garage. Expensive, yes. If you can pick up in California with out the add
ons and shipping, it is $1985.00 this month.


My initial hope was they were going to be at the woodworking show here
in Portland, OR this fall and have some demo saws on discount. No
luck. Needless to say, I am struggling to justify $1000, so $1600
just doesn't fly (but I can still daydream).

IMHO all the Laguna's are pretty good saws. I strongly considered the
lighter weight 14 and 16 inchers that you are looking at however I was
looking for Quick adjustments. Because the lighters ones are designed
differently than the HD models the lower guides are harder to access.
Factor in that I am missing 1/2 of my left thumb, this would make these
saws even more difficult for me to adjust. The lower guides on the HD
models are very easy to get to and adjust.

Laguna has a very informative DVD that you can call and order for free. It
might help you justify the difference in price if you need the push. :~)
You can always save up.

I bought one, returned it 2 weeks later and then bought the Italian Laguna.


Was this unit the first generation saw, or the second generation saw?

"arw01" wrote in message
oups.com...


I bought one, returned it 2 weeks later and then bought the Italian
Laguna.


Was this unit the first generation saw, or the second generation saw?


10-345, second generation

I got the 10-345 in Feb. 2006 and have about 2 hours usage to date. I
really like it. It was very simple to setup and very accurate right out
of the box. In fact, as I was opening box my neighbor had a 2x4 he was
using to trim a hallway door. He needed a "skotch" ripped off the
length. I bolted the saw together, set the bearings with approx. 1/8"
slop, set table to 90 degrees and plugged it in. The stock blade was
slow cuttting but what a great job. NO drift. It is very quiet and very
smooth.

Couple suggestions,

1. I applied a sticky back paper ruler to the blade guard. Now I can
quickly tell how much clearance is below the guard by looking at ruler.
2. I purchased ball tipped allen screwdrivers. They make setting
bearings MUCH easier.
I also mounted the screwdrivers to back of saw so I never search for
them.
3. I built holders for fence and miter guage and mounted them to back
of saw. No more looking for them.
4. I built a roller cart? for this. A piece of 3/4" plywood and 4"
wheels from woodcraft. Total cost around $50. It won't win a beauty
contest, but is almost effortless moving around my shop. These large
wheels are smooth rolling and will go over chips and power cords. My
experiences with store bought carts are the wheels are too small to go
over the obstacles.
5. I bought several blades from Suffolk Machinery a few weeks back. I
got the 1/4" x 10RK; 3/8"x10RK and 1" x 6PC. Getting the 1/4 blade to
stay on the tires was not easy the first time. After blade was on, it
runs superb. I don't believe this saw was designed to "easily" manage
blades 1/2" but thats only an opinion. The 1" blade is a treat to
mount up and use. I also bought the Highland Hardware Woodslicer blade.
Using that is like driving a Ferrari!

Also, about the 1/4" blades, you cannot use the blade de-tensioner as
it will just pop off the wheels. But with blades from Suffolk, you
don't tension them high to begin with so I just leave it.

I do wish it had a foot brake. The blade takes a bit to spin down and I
don't like the blade running when I walk away. Safety issue.

If you want any pix of my setup, just ask, I don't know how to attach
to this post.


I would purchase again, and very much recommend this saw to any resaw
interest. For small jobs that entail tight radius cuts, go for a 6"
bandsaw of the less $$ category.

HTH, Tom


Like some folks, I don't have $1k budget.The Cadillac is a dream to
drive, but for my weekend warrior trips to get milk a Honda Accord will
work just fine and I can afford a donut now with the savings.

"Tom" wrote in message
ups.com...
I got the 10-345 in Feb. 2006 and have about 2 hours usage to date. I
really like it. It was very simple to setup and very accurate right out
of the box. In fact, as I was opening box my neighbor had a 2x4 he was
using to trim a hallway door. He needed a "skotch" ripped off the
length. I bolted the saw together, set the bearings with approx. 1/8"
slop, set table to 90 degrees and plugged it in. The stock blade was
slow cuttting but what a great job. NO drift. It is very quiet and very
smooth.

Why do yo not use the guide bearings? Typically they should be just short
of touching so that they can actually do their job. Keep in mind that
properly adjusted they will probably start making noise.


Couple suggestions,

1. I applied a sticky back paper ruler to the blade guard. Now I can
quickly tell how much clearance is below the guard by looking at ruler.

I never quite understood why Jet did this also. I simply put the piece to
be cut up to the blade and adjust accordingly. Am I missing something here?

2. I purchased ball tipped allen screwdrivers. They make setting
bearings MUCH easier.

Yes they do, especially the t-handle ones. Can you get thumb screws to
replace the guide bearing bolts. easier still.

I also mounted the screwdrivers to back of saw so I never search for
them.

What do you use the screw drivers for?

3. I built holders for fence and miter guage and mounted them to back
of saw. No more looking for them.

Cool.

4. I built a roller cart? for this. A piece of 3/4" plywood and 4"
wheels from woodcraft. Total cost around $50. It won't win a beauty
contest, but is almost effortless moving around my shop. These large
wheels are smooth rolling and will go over chips and power cords. My
experiences with store bought carts are the wheels are too small to go
over the obstacles.

Before I returned my BS I used the Rockler mobile base kit and it works
pretty well also. Now it is under my drill press and mortiser stand.


5. I bought several blades from Suffolk Machinery a few weeks back. I
got the 1/4" x 10RK; 3/8"x10RK and 1" x 6PC. Getting the 1/4 blade to
stay on the tires was not easy the first time. After blade was on, it
runs superb. I don't believe this saw was designed to "easily" manage
blades 1/2" but thats only an opinion. The 1" blade is a treat to
mount up and use. I also bought the Highland Hardware Woodslicer blade.
Using that is like driving a Ferrari!

I had problems with Timberwolf blades running correctly on the Rikon also.
Suffolk exchanged the blades for ones to fit my Laguna and they work fine
now.


Also, about the 1/4" blades, you cannot use the blade de-tensioner as
it will just pop off the wheels. But with blades from Suffolk, you
don't tension them high to begin with so I just leave it.

I found that the Rilon detersioner only eased tension, it did not remove all
tension.


I do wish it had a foot brake. The blade takes a bit to spin down and I
don't like the blade running when I walk away. Safety issue.

I have one on my Laguna. If it makes you feel any better I tyically do not
use it.


Like some folks, I don't have $1k budget.The Cadillac is a dream to
drive, but for my weekend warrior trips to get milk a Honda Accord will
work just fine and I can afford a donut now with the savings.

Leon wrote:
5. I bought several blades from Suffolk Machinery a few weeks back. I
got the 1/4" x 10RK; 3/8"x10RK and 1" x 6PC. Getting the 1/4 blade to
stay on the tires was not easy the first time. After blade was on, it
runs superb. I don't believe this saw was designed to "easily" manage
blades 1/2" but thats only an opinion. The 1" blade is a treat to
mount up and use. I also bought the Highland Hardware Woodslicer blade.
Using that is like driving a Ferrari!

I had problems with Timberwolf blades running correctly on the Rikon also.
Suffolk exchanged the blades for ones to fit my Laguna and they work fine
now.


I've had good luck with Timberwolf blades on my Rikon, even though I
think it is a "first generation" one. I also am able to use a 1/4"
blade fairly easily.. Sure, it's a PITA to rearrage all the guides, but
that's true with any size blade. My 1/4" blade tracks well.


Also, about the 1/4" blades, you cannot use the blade de-tensioner as
it will just pop off the wheels. But with blades from Suffolk, you
don't tension them high to begin with so I just leave it.

Wait until the motor completely stops running before detensioning. It
will not 'pop' off then. Obviously, you need to retension it again
before starting the motor. When detensioned, the blade rests on the top
wheel.. Although, I don't have mine on a mobile base, so maybe it would
slide off if you tried to move the saw around.





I found that the Rilon detersioner only eased tension, it did not remove all
tension.

It depends. The detensioner releases the spring a set amount. So, yes,
on a 1" blade, when you detension it, it will still probably be
tensioned to around 1/4" or so.





Like some folks, I don't have $1k budget.The Cadillac is a dream to
drive, but for my weekend warrior trips to get milk a Honda Accord will
work just fine and I can afford a donut now with the savings.


that was my thinking too. The price range of the Rikon let me get a
larger capacity saw. I just can't rationalize $2k for something that
maybe gets used 1-3 hours/month.

malathan_A_T_comcast.net wrote:
After much research, I am about to buy the Rikon 345 Bandsaw ($999).

Here's a review I did in the groups about it.

http://groups.google.com/group/rec.w...07f0d990e8d94c

"bf" wrote in message
oups.com...


I've had good luck with Timberwolf blades on my Rikon, even though I
think it is a "first generation" one. I also am able to use a 1/4"
blade fairly easily.. Sure, it's a PITA to rearrage all the guides, but
that's true with any size blade. My 1/4" blade tracks well.


Apparently and according to the Tiomberwold dealer the first generation
Rikons worked fine. The second generation hass a 5 in the last digit of the
model number.


Also, about the 1/4" blades, you cannot use the blade de-tensioner as
it will just pop off the wheels. But with blades from Suffolk, you
don't tension them high to begin with so I just leave it.

Wait until the motor completely stops running before detensioning. It
will not 'pop' off then. Obviously, you need to retension it again
before starting the motor. When detensioned, the blade rests on the top
wheel.. Although, I don't have mine on a mobile base, so maybe it would
slide off if you tried to move the saw around.

Now there was a scary picture running through my mind.


I found that the Rilon detersioner only eased tension, it did not remove
all
tension.

It depends. The detensioner releases the spring a set amount. So, yes,
on a 1" blade, when you detension it, it will still probably be
tensioned to around 1/4" or so.

Yeah, so what's the point? LOL


Like some folks, I don't have $1k budget.The Cadillac is a dream to
drive, but for my weekend warrior trips to get milk a Honda Accord will
work just fine and I can afford a donut now with the savings.


that was my thinking too. The price range of the Rikon let me get a
larger capacity saw. I just can't rationalize $2k for something that
maybe gets used 1-3 hours/month.

Exactly