Rikon 14" Deluxe Bandsaw Model 10-325

Comments about Rikon 14" Deluxe Bandsaw Model 10-325 :

I'm just a beginner so I chose a well recommended, less expensive bandsaw for my small shop. I am well pleased with the Rikon product. It is well constructed, sturdy, and fairly easy to adjust. The 13" resaw on a 14" Bandsaw is just remarkable. My biggest problem was with the company itself. It took me WAY too long to get this saw. I ordered it from Woodcraft and they were told it would get to me in 2 to 3 weeks. At the 3 week point I called Woodcraft who told me they were in contact with Rikon and it would be in within the week. I gave it another 2 weeks and called again. Apparently Rikon had not planned ahead when they had the sale on this bandsaw. It took me 2 months to get this. It IS a great saw, if you can stand the hassles of bad product management. I just hope their service department is better than their shipping/planning dept. That is the ONLY reason I would not recommend this to another. I would tell them to save up another $200.00 or so and get a more reliable company like PM.

Comments about Rikon 14" Deluxe Bandsaw Model 10-325 :

Looking at the posted reviews can be misleading IF they are not recent -- some problems mentioned earlier no longer apply. My saw purchased in early 2012 was made in China, not Taiwan as some earlier reviews mentioned. (No, they are not the same.) Manual could be improved but if you go slow and use your head it will be fairly easy. Lower guide bearings are somewhat difficult to see and adjust, but with adequate light and flexible feeler gauge it goes OK. Only problem is the guide block and thrust bearing don't have enough travel to move the bearing within 1/16" of the gullets of a 3/4" blade. Rikon tech support says that's OK,1/16" is a minimum, 1/8" or 3/16" is good.

Comments about Rikon 14" Deluxe Bandsaw Model 10-325 :

Extra parts not for this saw in parts bag, lower saw door will not open and close due to mounting screws. Factory assembly had to be taken apart and redone correctly. Plenty of power for resawing large pieces for lathe use. Assembly directions do not correspond to pictures. Good sturdy heavy weight stand for safe operation.

Comments about Rikon 14" Deluxe Bandsaw Model 10-325 :

I have had my saw for a few months now and I'm pleased with it's performance. From reading many reviews it appears as though Rikon is listening and has made changes to improve some weak points in the saw. I hope they continue. At one point I read they used shielded ball bearings, now they are sealed. There were two thick fender washers just thrown in the box but I knew right away they were for the fence studs from older reviews. I made several other changes during the install to improve most of what was pointed out as problem areas by other reviewers. The biggest improvement was in the guide bearing assemblies. First problem was the guide bearings were tightened at the factory so much that the washers that ride on the slot was indented into the aluminum. I disassembled everything and filed the blocks smooth so the bearing could now slide easily on the new larger diameter washers. Teflon tape added to the bearing mounting screws helped to take out the slop in the threads. This helps by preventing it from sagging as much when you loosen it for the adjustment, making a precise adjustment to the bearing gaps easier. I don't know how long the tape will last, depends on blade change frequency, but it's easy to replace. It's a great saw but it's a shame that it gets knocked down in reviews for a dollar or two in hardware. Fixing insufficient hardware, poor thread tolerances, and improper assembly torques are all it would take to make this a top notch machine. Two different size wenches to adjust the guide bearings - why? Also, the light can't be wired into the saw if they allow 115/220V wiring. I'm leaving mine at 115V so I wired the light to the main power. I have been a machine designer for many years so I changed what I felt to be unacceptable before I even turned the saw on. With a good blade installed it has shined at doing everything I've asked of it. Setup is fair.

Comments about Rikon 14" Deluxe Bandsaw Model 10-325 :

Just got my band saw, item was well protected in box, set-up was easy. Only challenge is when the manual states "two persons are needed to place saw on base" they mean it! it is heavy!(or should I say solid) Once all routine adjustments were made, the Rikon ran quiet and true. it came with a 5/8 inch blade it ran and cut well but I plan to pick up a 1/4 or 3/16 inch blade soon. for tighter radius cuts. I don't have enough run time on machine for a full review (will continue later). All that I will say right now is it runs, looks, feels, and cuts like a strong sturdy rock.

Comments about Rikon 14" Deluxe Bandsaw Model 10-325 :

First off I've been using this bandsaw for a few years now - so if I were going to have problems it would had happened. Now to the good stuff. If you have problems putting this together - it might not be a saw you should be using. It was very easy and the instuctions were more than adequate. It has 13" of resaw and I've used all 13 inches, as far as adequate power to resaw - you never have enough power but it does the job. Slow and easy is the main tempo for resawing. To adjust the blade tension, a twist of the knob and you can see in a window if it's correct. They ran some independent tests to see if this was correct - it was and just as good as the 100 - 200 dollar tools that tested it. Just because it isn't high tech does not mean it doesn't work . . .it does. The table top is a nice size with a bolt and wing nut to keep the sides aligned which it as done a great job. Changing the blade and cleaning is very easy as is replacing. One bolt is removed to change the blade then check the guides. No more living with whatever blade is on to get the job done - very easy to change which I do almost daily. They have micro adjustable bearings on the top (3 bearings) and the thrust bearing on the bottom has a micro adjustment. Need to change speeds - turn the knob. So with the slower speed you are able to cut nonferrous metal or you could just be a slow wood cutter :) I've had one problem and that has been with the blade guard. When I move the guides up for resawing large pieces the edge rubs against the top blade wheel. to fix this I just needed to file the guard down a bit but still it shouldn't have done this. Overall the fit and finish are great, blade changes are easy, and the fence is of high quality as are all the nuts and bolts that came with it. The saw has done great for me - I'm into my third year with it.

Comments about Rikon 14" Deluxe Bandsaw Model 10-325 :

I bought this tool because of all the high ratings by customers and magazines. I think it is over-rated. There are several things about this saw that I really dislike or are annoying. The tensioning gauge is a true gimmick and does not function. Aligning blade guides is cumbersome, clumsy and requres a couple of different wrenches. The micro-adjusters only function to advance the guides, but the final critical adjustment is accomplished by the hex screw holding the guide to the post. As a result, the guides will move another 1/16 inch or more as the screw tightens them. This takes a bit of practice to get it right and some of the lower blade guides are downright tough to access. There is considerable slop (+/- 1 inch) in the blade guard holding the upper blade guides until the tension screw is tightened. With this much play, it is clearly not adviseable to make any adjustments on the height of the upper blade guard while this saw is running, lest your chew up your bearing on the blade or trap the blade on the side of a bearing when it moves back into final position. On the positive side, the saw seems to function well once it is setup. The table is nice and big for a 14 inch saw and I like the fence. The light, while it could have been better positioned and internally wired to the tool, is helpful. The saw seems powerful enough and I have had good success resawing 10 inch oak. Dust collection is about par for the course. Overall, I wish I had bought something else.

Comments about Rikon 14" Deluxe Bandsaw Model 10-325 :

As has been said, the manual leaves something to be desired, but even with that, I was able to put the saw together without difficulty. Works wonderfully. First project was cutting some circles, so I installed a 1/4 inch blade on it, and was able to easily and accurately follow the lines and cut the cirgles. Then needed to resaw one piece, so I did it with the 1/4 inch blade and without a proper blade drift adjustment and even with those limitations I was very pleased with the results. The lower blade guides are a bit of a pain to adjust and I wish the fence was adjustable for blade drift, but overall it is a great saw for the price.

Comments about Rikon 14" Deluxe Bandsaw Model 10-325 :

I got mine used for less than half the list price, I wouldnt buy a new one but feel good about the used purchase. This saw cuts well when set up correctly, but it is a chore to get it set up right. It feels like they made simple set up tasks complicated. The blade and guide bearings are useless (likely true for all the Taiwan saws made nowadays). Go ahead and plan on getting a new quality blade, and order some fully shielded bearings. The saw is very unstable and will need shims or bolt it down for stability. This is due to the thin metal lower cabinet. Overall the saw feels cheap and unstable, especially when compared to older USA made saws. This saw is made in Taiwan, like almost every other band saw made these days. The saw cuts with ease and accurately, once I figured out how to set it up properly, I have had no problems. I am vaguely satisfied with mine, but I am keeping my eye out for older USA made Powermatic and Delta saws. I would like to have two band saws so i dont have to change blades and set up so much.

Comments about Rikon 14" Deluxe Bandsaw Model 10-325 :

all - in all greatly pleased with purchase. Did lot of research on bandsaws before buying. Rikon was everything it says it was to be. Only thing dislike is stableness, they suggest bolt to floor, but that will not work in my case. I am going to build a metal add on base with wheels to kill two birds at once. storage and stableablity. Very very please as my tool budget is very tight.