Nice price at WoodCraft ($750). Looked at the Powermatic and the Delta
as well. Powermatic was $800 after rebate. Still would have had to
buy the height attachment for either the P-matic or the Delta and the
warranty was longer on the Rikon.

And the Rikon is extremely well-received. Not that those others aren't
great machines.

First thing I am doing is a buncha re-sawing on 1/4 sawn white oak.
Bought a WoodSlicer 1/2" resaw blade from Highland to round out the
saw.

Assembly, first impressions, and re-sawing report after I get it
(backordered) and get it going.

D'ohBoy

Bought one a couple of weeks before Christmas. Haven't done too much as
yet, but so far I am impressed. Resawing on it seems as easy and as good as
that 18" Leguna demo'ed at the Phoenix woodworking show in Novenber. And
I'm using the blade that came on mine. No regrets. Popular Woodworking
rated it tops of the 14 inchers they tested.

wrote in message
ups.com...
Nice price at WoodCraft ($750). Looked at the Powermatic and the Delta
as well. Powermatic was $800 after rebate. Still would have had to
buy the height attachment for either the P-matic or the Delta and the
warranty was longer on the Rikon.

And the Rikon is extremely well-received. Not that those others aren't
great machines.

First thing I am doing is a buncha re-sawing on 1/4 sawn white oak.
Bought a WoodSlicer 1/2" resaw blade from Highland to round out the
saw.

Assembly, first impressions, and re-sawing report after I get it
(backordered) and get it going.

D'ohBoy

wrote:
Nice price at WoodCraft ($750). Looked at the Powermatic and the Delta
as well. Powermatic was $800 after rebate. Still would have had to
buy the height attachment for either the P-matic or the Delta and the
warranty was longer on the Rikon.

And the Rikon is extremely well-received. Not that those others aren't
great machines.

First thing I am doing is a buncha re-sawing on 1/4 sawn white oak.
Bought a WoodSlicer 1/2" resaw blade from Highland to round out the
saw.

Assembly, first impressions, and re-sawing report after I get it
(backordered) and get it going.

D'ohBoy

A possible hint.. I have the 18" Rikon bandsaw.. I got quite a bit of
vibration on it because the cement on my basement floor isn't very
level. Shimming the base helped, but the ultimate solution was to put
it on a mobile base. The mobile base effectively put it on 4 "legs",
and I was able to adjust 2 of the legs to get it level. It seems
counter-intuitive, but the mobile base actually made the bandsaw much
more stable.

I'm assuming that since the 14" is a marketed as a scaled down version
of the 18", that this tip might help you as well (unless your shop
floor is very level).

I used this base.. http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?familyid=5114

bf wrote:
wrote:
Nice price at WoodCraft ($750). Looked at the Powermatic and the Delta
as well. Powermatic was $800 after rebate. Still would have had to
buy the height attachment for either the P-matic or the Delta and the
warranty was longer on the Rikon.

And the Rikon is extremely well-received. Not that those others aren't
great machines.

First thing I am doing is a buncha re-sawing on 1/4 sawn white oak.
Bought a WoodSlicer 1/2" resaw blade from Highland to round out the
saw.

Assembly, first impressions, and re-sawing report after I get it
(backordered) and get it going.

D'ohBoy

A possible hint.. I have the 18" Rikon bandsaw.. I got quite a bit of
vibration on it because the cement on my basement floor isn't very
level. Shimming the base helped, but the ultimate solution was to put
it on a mobile base. The mobile base effectively put it on 4 "legs",
and I was able to adjust 2 of the legs to get it level. It seems
counter-intuitive, but the mobile base actually made the bandsaw much
more stable.

I'm assuming that since the 14" is a marketed as a scaled down version
of the 18", that this tip might help you as well (unless your shop
floor is very level).

I used this base.. http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?familyid=5114

I have had my Rikon 325 since October and for the most part it's a good
machine EXCEPT --
1. I bought a 3/16 blade and tried to set it up --- on my saw can't
adjust the lower bearing guides they get in the way of the carriage
bolt for the table trunion. MAJOR design flaw that required me to grind
out the set screws and holder to get enought clearance to set the side
roller bearing to fit behind the blade teeth. I have pictures in case
anyone want's to fix the design flaw.
2. had to adjust the tracking on the lower wheel it was not tracking
coplaner thereby causing more blade stress. After adjusting the lower
wheel and modifying the lower bearing guides I now have a quiet well
running saw.
3. Wish I could have ordered the saw without their fence assembly. It's
not worth the effort and I'll replace it soon. The "brass" looking jam
locking piece keeps falling out when I try to move the fence to the end
of it's range which is 2" from the pillar.
All in all it has the best potiental for what I'll use it for since I
prefer a bandsaw to a table saw for most of my cutting.

wyzarddoc wrote:

3. Wish I could have ordered the saw without their fence assembly. It's
not worth the effort and I'll replace it soon. The "brass" looking jam
locking piece keeps falling out when I try to move the fence to the end
of it's range which is 2" from the pillar.
All in all it has the best potiental for what I'll use it for since I
prefer a bandsaw to a table saw for most of my cutting.

The fence on the 18" Rikon Bandsaw model is pure crap too. The little
plastic circle with the red line on it which is used to correspond to
the ruler on the fence rail fell out the first time I attempted to put
the fence on. It also flexes way to much.

Another problem with the 18" model is that the plastic throat insert
sinks. Thus it will need shimming to avoid small pieces from getting
caught on the cast iron around the cutout circle. (This has happened to
me many times).

I primarily got this saw for cutting bowl blanks and other non
precision stuff. If I was rebuying today, I'd seriously look at the 18"
Steel City model. It has a foot brake, and the fence appeared to be a
lot better when I did a quick look at it. I think it's only about
$200ish more (maybe it was 300).. All in all, I think Rikon is a good
value, especially if like me you don't resaw. Maybe it's good for that
as well, I've heard mixed things and haven't tried it myself..

"bf" wrote in message
s.com...

wyzarddoc wrote:

3. Wish I could have ordered the saw without their fence assembly. It's
not worth the effort and I'll replace it soon. The "brass" looking jam
locking piece keeps falling out when I try to move the fence to the end
of it's range which is 2" from the pillar.
All in all it has the best potiental for what I'll use it for since I
prefer a bandsaw to a table saw for most of my cutting.

The fence on the 18" Rikon Bandsaw model is pure crap too. The little
plastic circle with the red line on it which is used to correspond to
the ruler on the fence rail fell out the first time I attempted to put
the fence on. It also flexes way to much.

Another problem with the 18" model is that the plastic throat insert
sinks. Thus it will need shimming to avoid small pieces from getting
caught on the cast iron around the cutout circle. (This has happened to
me many times).

I primarily got this saw for cutting bowl blanks and other non
precision stuff. If I was rebuying today, I'd seriously look at the 18"
Steel City model. It has a foot brake, and the fence appeared to be a
lot better when I did a quick look at it. I think it's only about
$200ish more (maybe it was 300).. All in all, I think Rikon is a good
value, especially if like me you don't resaw. Maybe it's good for that
as well, I've heard mixed things and haven't tried it myself..

I've got the 18" saw and it resaws quite nicely (compared to my 14"
Delta....YMMV). My only complaint is that the upper bearings can't be
adjusted out far enough for large resaw blades. The bearing mount bottoms
out against the blade guard before the bearings can be positioned properly
on the 1" blade I'm using. So far it hasn't been an issue but with a wider
blade it might.

Gary

Dream on this is a slightly larger then normal router/table.
I just got my shopbot cnc router today. I could not afford the table
as it would have been 2000.00 extra including shipping so I will make
my own.
This is a 4’x8 cnc router though the table is larger then that. I also
invested in a 3hp spindle. This makes a 3hp hand held router look like
a joke. I bet it weights 30# and it actually meets the hp rating. It
as a separate motor for the fan and I wish most routers had this as
they would be far quieter. You can talk while it is running. The
bearings are super accurate the actually have to be run at low rpm
before and after use for 10 minutes.
This sucker is going to be some work setting up and changing my shop
around. Plus getting my landlord to run the wiring. I need a 30 amp
120 and a 20 amp 3 phase.
here are the pics
http://tinyurl.com/ymke5m

"wyzarddoc" wrote in message
ups.com...

bf wrote:
wrote:
Nice price at WoodCraft ($750). Looked at the Powermatic and the Delta
as well. Powermatic was $800 after rebate. Still would have had to
buy the height attachment for either the P-matic or the Delta and the
warranty was longer on the Rikon.

And the Rikon is extremely well-received. Not that those others aren't
great machines.

First thing I am doing is a buncha re-sawing on 1/4 sawn white oak.
Bought a WoodSlicer 1/2" resaw blade from Highland to round out the
saw.

Assembly, first impressions, and re-sawing report after I get it
(backordered) and get it going.

D'ohBoy

A possible hint.. I have the 18" Rikon bandsaw.. I got quite a bit of
vibration on it because the cement on my basement floor isn't very
level. Shimming the base helped, but the ultimate solution was to put
it on a mobile base. The mobile base effectively put it on 4 "legs",
and I was able to adjust 2 of the legs to get it level. It seems
counter-intuitive, but the mobile base actually made the bandsaw much
more stable.

I'm assuming that since the 14" is a marketed as a scaled down version
of the 18", that this tip might help you as well (unless your shop
floor is very level).

I used this base.. http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?familyid=5114

I have had my Rikon 325 since October and for the most part it's a good
machine EXCEPT --
1. I bought a 3/16 blade and tried to set it up --- on my saw can't
adjust the lower bearing guides they get in the way of the carriage
bolt for the table trunion. MAJOR design flaw that required me to grind
out the set screws and holder to get enought clearance to set the side
roller bearing to fit behind the blade teeth. I have pictures in case
anyone want's to fix the design flaw.
2. had to adjust the tracking on the lower wheel it was not tracking
coplaner thereby causing more blade stress. After adjusting the lower
wheel and modifying the lower bearing guides I now have a quiet well
running saw.
3. Wish I could have ordered the saw without their fence assembly. It's
not worth the effort and I'll replace it soon. The "brass" looking jam
locking piece keeps falling out when I try to move the fence to the end
of it's range which is 2" from the pillar.
All in all it has the best potiental for what I'll use it for since I
prefer a bandsaw to a table saw for most of my cutting.

Haven't really tried a 3/16 blade, but on my saw it looks like there would
be no problem as there is plenty of adjustment.

The auxiliary light that they put on the saw has a design flaw since the
goose neck is not long enough to allow the light to shine on the work when
the fence is close to the blade. The fence casts a shadow right over the
saw cut on thin (less then the height of the blade) material.

So Steve - sounds like the plane making business is doing well?
A shop refidge -with an in door ice and water dispenser!

You've Come A Long Way Baby!

BTW I didn't see any pics of the router you mentioned.

Sorry to hear of the circumstances that permitted the
purchase. You're gonna need to make a plaque for it
that says "Thanks Granny!"

Realy glad to know that someone is doing what they love
to do - and making a living at it, all be it significantly less
than most sports figures - or Ms. Spears (does she
actually do anything?).

charlie b

BTW - one of your early wooden scrub planes is trying
to tear itself apart. Sometimes Early Adopters have
to make adjustments and adaptions.

FINALLY got my Rikon. Came into the store two weeks ago but I had
transportation issues. Got it down the basement stairs - 250 lbs
ain't so bad with the help of another. What I am really afraid of is
when it comes time to replace my table saw.

Unpacked the saw. Noted that the blade was installed and tensioned
(5/8", 3 - 5 tpi, didn't count teeth) . Wonder if this was done to
add protection to the saw during shipping? Coupla superficial marfs
on the paint, but all-in-all, a very handsome machine. I like the big
saw design with welded tubular frame rather than cast.

The base (unassembled) and table were separate and weigh about 100 lbs
taken together. Which is good, cuz I think I can build the base and
set it on the mobile base I purchased to go with the saw. Then I can
lift the saw onto the base by myself and put the table on last.

Really quite a handsome unit. I opened the wheel cover doors and
happily noted the tire brush mounted inside the bottom wheel. I had
purchased Duginski's book and noted that he had suggested adding one
of these if your saw didn't have it. The designers really seems to
have tried to have everything on this saw. Well, it does lack the
kerf blower on the P-matic but really....

One final note - I don't know if it was here or elsewhere, but someone
asserted that the blade tension release lever didn't fully release the
blade tension. This is not true. There was another comment that the
location/orientation of the tension release lever was inconvenient. I
disagree as when the blade is tensioned, the lever is out of the way.
When it is not tensioned, the lever is right there at the front side
of the saw.

Haven't gotten any further with it. Gonna check that the wheels are
coplanar (the blade that is in it runs true now).

D'ohBoy

Good to hear you got your new toy. Look forward to your final opinion
on the saw.

Right now I am going through the "which saw" decision.

- Clayton



On 30 Jan 2007 06:11:00 -0800, wrote:

FINALLY got my Rikon. Came into the store two weeks ago but I had
transportation issues. Got it down the basement stairs - 250 lbs
ain't so bad with the help of another. What I am really afraid of is
when it comes time to replace my table saw.

Unpacked the saw. Noted that the blade was installed and tensioned
(5/8", 3 - 5 tpi, didn't count teeth) . Wonder if this was done to
add protection to the saw during shipping? Coupla superficial marfs
on the paint, but all-in-all, a very handsome machine. I like the big
saw design with welded tubular frame rather than cast.

The base (unassembled) and table were separate and weigh about 100 lbs
taken together. Which is good, cuz I think I can build the base and
set it on the mobile base I purchased to go with the saw. Then I can
lift the saw onto the base by myself and put the table on last.

Really quite a handsome unit. I opened the wheel cover doors and
happily noted the tire brush mounted inside the bottom wheel. I had
purchased Duginski's book and noted that he had suggested adding one
of these if your saw didn't have it. The designers really seems to
have tried to have everything on this saw. Well, it does lack the
kerf blower on the P-matic but really....

One final note - I don't know if it was here or elsewhere, but someone
asserted that the blade tension release lever didn't fully release the
blade tension. This is not true. There was another comment that the
location/orientation of the tension release lever was inconvenient. I
disagree as when the blade is tensioned, the lever is out of the way.
When it is not tensioned, the lever is right there at the front side
of the saw.

Haven't gotten any further with it. Gonna check that the wheels are
coplanar (the blade that is in it runs true now).

D'ohBoy

Interim Rikon Model 325 Report: Assembly

After my freakout over the mis-located hole in the "Bandsaw
Recommendations" thread (can you sense my OC disorder yet?) my wife
talked me back from the ledge and I looked over the assembly
instructions again (good un for me, she is!). As it turns out, the
mislocated hole is more of an aesthetic issue than anything.

However, I do have some gripes about the instructions. For example,
there is a proper orientation to the vertical portions of the base on
the horizontal portion. There is a somewhat subtle difference in the
locations of the holes to attach the vertical portions to the
horizontal and the proper orientation is based on the location of the
door to the cabinet created by the base. One way puts the cabinet
offset on the base, the other doesn't, and, of course, there is no
mention of this in the manual. And, of course, I had to reverse mine
after assembly.

And while the bottom of the saw unit has a lip, this lip doesn't wrap
around the base as one would expect. This is not mentioned either.
The bolts to attach the saw to the base strike me as undersized too,
given the fact that they have to hold the saw together with the base
in all axes (that lip thing I mentioned earlier). The assembly
drawings have insufficient detail as well. Fit and finish is
acceptable to good. Appearance of the unit is good.

One other design issue: the flange around the enclosures for the
wheels extend far enough that one cannot get a straightedge on the
wheels to check that they are coplanar. I will have to make some sort
of tool for this.


D'ohBoy

Saw Assembly Report

Took some thinking to figure out how to get the saw up on the base -
and onto the mobile base - all by myself. Which I did. Here's how:
I assembled the cabinet base and then placed it on the mobile base I
purchased. The trick to getting the saw up onto the base without
someone else's help is to get something else to bear some of the
weight. What I did was to place the saw on its back on the floor and
then lift the edge of the saw unit bottom up onto the cabinet base.
So now the saw is resting on the tip of the tubular frame (on some
cardboard from the box) and on the cabinet base (also on cardboard).
Then I (with mobile base wheels locked!!) grabbed the top of the frame
and lifted it into the proper vertical position. So easy (!), but one
has to be VERY careful not to push on the saw, but rather to lift it
in a fashion that doesn't cause the base of the saw unit to slide on
the cabinet. The cardboard helps to protect the paint and to keep the
saw from sliding on the base.

Table tuning was slowed by the lack of instructions/images - two bolts
need to be loosened on the trunnion, and then two tiny (3mm) set
screws are adjusted to level the table relative to the back of the
blade. No pictures, but a pause and some examination of the trunnion
provided the answer. And even after setting the set screws, the two
main bolts for the trunnion still affected the adjustment of the table
so it ended up being an exercise in brute force optimization.

Fired it up after setting the guides - which, BTW, was very easy. The
gentleman at Woodcraft said he found them fiddly but I had no issues.
Noted that the blade made intermittent contact with the thrust
bearing. Is that normal? The blade appears to be tracking well. Is
this significant of a certain adjustment out of whack or is the blade
just poorly welded?

Cut a 3" piece of white oak like buttah. WHEEEEE!!!

Gonna try some resawing tonight with some red oak I have.

D'ohBoy

wrote:

Took some thinking to figure out how to get the saw up on the base -
and onto the mobile base - all by myself.**Which*I*did.**Here's*how:
I assembled the cabinet base and then placed it on the mobile base I
purchased.**The*trick*to*getting*the*saw*up*onto*t he*base*without
someone else's help is to get something else to bear some of the
weight.**What*I*did*was*to*place*the*saw*on*its*ba ck*on*the*floor*and
then lift the edge of the saw unit bottom up onto the cabinet base.
So now the saw is resting on the tip of the tubular frame (on some
cardboard from the box) and on the cabinet base (also on cardboard).
Then I (with mobile base wheels locked!!) grabbed the top of the frame
and lifted it into the proper vertical position.

I also laid the saw on its back, but with the bottom resting on a 4x4 to hold
it off the ground. Then I attached the cabinet and mobile base to it and
then tilted the whole thing upright. I thought the base looked stout enough
to take that without bending and it was.

--
It's turtles, all the way down