Rikon 10-325 14" deluxe bandsaw questions

[Dustin Irby]

I'm in the market for a new bandsaw. It will be my first and I'd like it to possibly be my last. I'm leaning towards the Rikon right now and have a few questions.

Is this wired for 220 or 110v out of the box? If 220, how much trouble is it to rewire for 110 and has anyone had any issues with performance running on 110?

Is there a better mobile base than another for use with this saw?

Sorry for all the questions folks. I've been all over... considering Delta clones at the big box stores, searching CL and looking at the Grizzly offerings as well. I'd love to find a great deal on a good used saw, but nothing much out there in my area. If I can get the Rikon right now for $699, I'm thinking that's the saw with the best features for the money. Please let me know of any issues you all may know with this particular saw and feel free to make any recommendations.

[Pat Germain]

Nobody is selling a used 14" bandsaw in your area? Bummer. When I was looking for a larger saw, I saw dozens of Delta 14" bandsaws for sale. You might want to keep looking or expand your search area. It seems someone is always unloading a Delta 14" bandsaw; and those are pretty good machines.

I've heard good things about the Rikon. Sorry, but I've never owned one. I have a Grizzly 17" saw that I'm absolutely thrilled with. If you're considering the 14" Grizzly, I'd say go for it.

[Jamie Cowan]

It is wired for 110, but requires a 20 amp circuit. I have the Deluxe 12" Rikon, and love it. I can't imagine how I got along without it. Picked that one because it only needs a 15 amp circuit, which means I can use it in the garage or basement.

[Van Huskey]

The 10-325 is a great saw and the best value in steel 14" saws especially on sale. There isn't a 14" saw up the money ladder I would rather have until you come to the Laguna saws and then it would probably be the 14SUV and thats twice the money.

I would suggest if you want it to be your last saw you might think about a 17/18" version. The 513 series of 17" Grizzlys are on sale now and the 18" Rikon will probably go back on sale in a couple of months it was 999 at WC recently. Then again if you are stuck at 120V although the motor is listed at 20 amps the manual for the 513 says a minimum of a 30 amp 120 circuit which chances are you do not have. The Rikon 18 is 220 only since it has a higher HP motor than the Griz 513s.

PS never been a big fan of mobile bases on bandsaws but a lot of people use them, considering The Rikon is probably about 225 pounds most any base will do.

[Dustin Irby]

Well, an electrician I am not, so it sounds like I may have a barrier to entry on this saw since I'm in my basement and assume I'm on a 15amp circuit. I'll have to ask some folks around here how difficult it would be to put something in to handle this equipment... I'm only going to be looking to add more down the road.

I thought I would see lots of used saws out there, but really nothing and if there is anything it seems people think it is gold-plated with their prices :eek:

I'll continue to look. I could still buy a new Ridgid or Delta 14 incher but was getting pretty stoked about the Rikon possiblity.

[Joe Spear]

I work in my garage and have a 20-amp dedicated outlet. However, I run my Rikon Deluxe on a 15-amp outlet (other things on that line) on another wall because it is closer to the dust collector. It does not blow the circuit breaker, even when I'm resawing 8" boards.

[Van Huskey]

Well, an electrician I am not, so it sounds like I may have a barrier to entry on this saw since I'm in my basement and assume I'm on a 15amp circuit. I'll have to ask some folks around here how difficult it would be to put something in to handle this equipment... I'm only going to be looking to add more down the road.

I thought I would see lots of used saws out there, but really nothing and if there is anything it seems people think it is gold-plated with their prices :eek:

I'll continue to look. I could still buy a new Ridgid or Delta 14 incher but was getting pretty stoked about the Rikon possiblity.

First there have been folks like Joe that run them on 15 amp circuits so you may want to talk to other people. Also make SURE you only have a 15 amp circuit, check the service panel.

[Brendan Plavis]

Might I recommend a Grizzly... I hear they are good, and based on the Specs, they are more than addiquit.... http://www.grizzly.com/products/14-Extreme-Series-Bandsaw/G0555X

Or even for about 100 more(from the rik) you can bump up to a 17"

http://www.grizzly.com/products/17-Bandsaw-2-HP/G0513 is about $825
and it has an extra 1/2 HP..


But I bought a Delta, since they are on sale at Lowes, clearancing them out at about $319 +/- and those are 14" at 3/4 hp... which even with a 15tpi blade has cut everything I have thrown at it(even a few nails by mistake...)(upto resawing 2x4s, which can be stepped up using maybe a 5tpi blade)

Or perhaps a PC 14", which are also at Lowes for about $400, which CLAIMS to have a 1.5 hp motor, but I am not certain!

-Brendan

[Kirk Smith]

I have my eyes on the Rikon 10-325 too, and I email the dealer to ask if it is ok to run on 110v/15amp. The answer is "Yes". I hope it is true because I will have it in my garage which has only 110/15 amp line.

[Van Huskey]

I have my eyes on the Rikon 10-325 too, and I email the dealer to ask if it is ok to run on 110v/15amp. The answer is "Yes". I hope it is true because I will have it in my garage which has only 110/15 amp line.


One thing I would do is make sure you don't have anything else running off that circuit. If you have lights and/or something else even in another part of the house runnng on the circuit you could have issues!

[Randy Rizzo]

Just bought a Rikon 10-325. Woodcrafters has them on sale in June for $100 off. As a result I can't testify about it's use since I've only used it twice since I set it up. I did wire it for 220V. I had to run a new circuit using 12/3AWG with a 20A breaker and capped the neutral. In the process I switched my RAS and TS to 220 on the same circuit. Were I to do it over again I'd use 10/3AWG with a 30A breaker in case I wanted to add something that need more ooomph. But it's done and I ain't changing it.

Reason for changing to 220. I've been told the motors run cooler and will last longer and you only use about half the amperage running 220 = less $ in UPPCO's pocket.

[Joe Spear]

There are those who would dispute you about running cooler or with more power on 220. You will find a number of discussions on another major forum about 110 vs. 220. Also, you pay for kilowatt hours, not amps. If you run a motor at 220, it will pull half the amperage of the same motor run at 110. However, you will consume the same amount of electricity, and therefore have to pay the same bill. Amperage x Voltage = Watts. 7.5 x 220 = 15 x 110.

[Van Huskey]

There are those who would dispute you about running cooler or with more power on 220. You will find a number of discussions on another major forum about 110 vs. 220. Also, you pay for kilowatt hours, not amps. If you run a motor at 220, it will pull half the amperage of the same motor run at 110. However, you will consume the same amount of electricity, and therefore have to pay the same bill. Amperage x Voltage = Watts. 7.5 x 220 = 15 x 110.

+1, after reading a ton on the subject I have concluded the benefits of running a dual voltage motor on 220V are non-existent.

[Dave MacArthur]

+1 on the motor /voltage issue. But there is still a benefit in running things at 220 usually, as most shops in basements or garage tend to be "Amp limited" due to sub-panels or just limited circuits. Running 220 lets you run more things before you hit your shop sub-panel limit.

In my house, when I did the whole-house analysis for putting in a sub-panel on amps available, I conservatively came up with 75 amps. Turns out in Phoenix running pool, airco, ceiling fans, oven, microwave, DW all at dinnertime eats up a lot of amps ;) So I ran a 70A breaker to a sub-panel in my garage. When I added up the tools in the shop I want to run concurrently (DC, air compressor, ceiling air filter, lights, 1 major tool), there was an advantage to me in running things 220 if able to stay inside 70A. Also 220 v dedicated circuits have an exemption from GFCI requirements in a garage that 110v circuits don't, saving me from GFCI CB costs. My city inspector was quite a stickler.

Dustin, the Rikon is a nice band saw, like Van said it's probably the best 14" short of the Laguna, and has magazine test results to back that up. I have a 14" myself, which I now find is NOT my final band saw. As others have mentioned, if you are intending this to be your "final band saw", you might consider 16-19". There are a million threads on band saws (look at that link in my signature, it is a list of band saw choice threads), but the one thing everyone agrees with is there is bigger is better with a band saw. If you have any thoughts that you might ever go above 14" for a band saw, my advice would be to look at the G0513 from Grizzly, on sale now for $825. Everyone with this saw loves it seemingly.

[Randy Rizzo]

Rats Joe! You're right. Seemed to simple at the time and never stopped to do the math.

[Curt Harms]

+1, after reading a ton on the subject I have concluded the benefits of running a dual voltage motor on 220V are non-existent.
although the benefits are considerably less than 1/2 the cost. I doubt there's any advantage if the saw is on a dedicated circuit. The kicker is that many machines run on 120 volt circuits aren't on dedicated circuits. If the lights dim when a machine is turned on, it'd benefit from a dedicated circuit IMO. If you're going to install a dedicated circuit, why not go with 240 volts? A 20 amp 120 volt circuit will supply approximately 2400 watts. The same circuit at 240 volts will supply 4800 watts.

[Joe Spear]

You're right about putting in a dedicated 240-volt circuit. It's a good idea because you may very well get a machine in the future that requires it. However, it can be very expensive to add a circuit depending on how far the outlet would be from the main panel, whether you had to add a sub-panel, and what part of the country you live in. It cost me, in eastern Massachusetts, $950 to add a 100-amp sub-panel, with 3 120 boxes and 2 240 boxes. And the electrician is a friend of mine who gave me a break. I traded 4 hours of window trim work on his house for part of the bill. The sub-panel box was a used one he got from a swimming pool job. Most of the cost was 12 hours of labor (2 guys x 6 hours) in getting the cable 50 feet from the opposite side of the basement into the attached garage. So if you're short of cash, try an existing outlet and make sure you're not running your flat-screen tv and toaster oven on the circuit at the same time.