Bandsaw purchase

[Shawn Siegrist]

I'm going to be purchasing a Rikon 10-325 on Saturday and I was wondering what brand, size, and style blades I should pick up? I will be doing alot of general purpose cutting and some resawing of 6"+ stock. Woodcraft stocks Olson and Timberwolf blades, are they any good?

Thanks,
Shawn

[Will Overton]

Timber Wolf. And, before you pick up any blades, I would call Suffolk Machinery, the makers of Timber Wolf. Tell them what saw you are buying and what you plan to use the saw for. They will suggest which blades will serve you best. Great folks to deal with.

No affiliation, other than as a satisfied customer. :)

http://suffolkmachinery.com/

[Shawn Siegrist]

Thanks for the info

[Jeremy Milam]

They'll also be cheaper directly from them than from Woodcraft.

[John Mark Lane]

Are you buying the saw from Woodcraft? I know they have it on sale now for $699, although I think that's only a good deal if you pick it up yourself. Shipping and the "extra freight" charge ($75) otherwise bring the price above what it would be thru amazon.

[Shawn Siegrist]

I'm getting it from woodcraft, missed the last sale.

[John Mark Lane]

I'd sure be interested to hear how it all goes. I think that saw is at the top of my list (I go back and forth between that one and a couple of others, and it may depend on how my electrician comes out in terms of the available power -- tbd this weekend). Also be interested to hear how difficult it is to lug the thing home and get it in the shop.... There's a Woodcraft not too far from me in CT.

[Tony De Masi]

Timberwolf from Suffolk Machinery. I ordered some yesterday and they are still having a buy three get one free deal going on.

Tony

[Dustin Irby]

I may be doing the same as you next week. I'll have some time off to go pick it up. From what I've read, the Timberwolf blades are the ones to go with out of those two choices. Let us know how it goes for you.

[Thom Porterfield]

I purchased a Rikon 10-325 May 23, from Woodcraft. Had a bunch of fun setting it up by myself but I am happy to report I didn't break anything (on me or the saw). I bought two Timberwolf blades with it: 1/4" and 3/4", based on reports I've read that they're so great and that the 5/8" blade that comes on the saw isn't.

I made a few test cuts with the OEM blade. Cuts okay, but the finish isn't anything to write home about. I'll use it to rip up crap or as a backup when the TW goes dull.

Then I installed the 3/4" TW blade. Whereas the tension indicator on the 5/8" blade read 5/8, after tensioning the TW blade per their instructions, the indicator read 1/2".

Really? Yup, no flutter, cuts true. Nice.

But. (There's always a "but", right?) The TW blade is badly brazed. The back is NOT true, ie: you can see the blade moving forward and backward once per revolution. Thunk, thunk, thunk. Rather scary. Had to move the thrust bearings WAY back to allow me to do any work with the saw. The blade cuts okay (true left/right), but wow, noisy and wonky.

Then yesterday I got my Woodcraft June catalog. Nice picture of turning gouges on the front cover. ... Nice picture of the Rikon 10-325 on the back--for $100 LESS than I paid. Needless to say, I was dismayed.

So I called the Woodcraft store where I bought the saw, talked with Craig (who had sold me the saw and blades a week ago) and told him just how dismayed I was. He said, "Yeah, I can see how you'd be dismayed. Well, I think we can take care of you. Give me your card number and we'll credit your account." I said I'd just as soon have a store credit. "Done," he said. Woodcraft just made another loyal customer.

Then I told him about the TW blade. He said it's definitely defective and they'd replace it. He said they have had several of the 3/4" x 111" blades come back because of bad brazes. Not so much with the narrower blades.

I'm wondering if you have a chance to see the blade in the store before purchasing it, that they take the blade out of the package, uncoil it and lay it out on a flat surface (like the super smooth top of the SawStop just inside the entry ;)). A bad brace should show itself if you do that, seems to me.

What I do like about the TW blades, besides the lower tension, is that they're so darned thin! I had no trouble at all slicing a vg fir 1x6 about 18 inches long into 5 slabs. They're going to be panels on a little wall cabinet I'm contemplating for the wife.

[John Mark Lane]

Thanks for that report, Thom. So...it's definitely not the saw causing the problem? It's definitely the blade? Be interested to hear when they replace it, if that fixes it.

Mark

[Thom Porterfield]

Not the saw. You can watch the blade at the guide bearings AND through the window as it tracks on the tire. (Well, you can't...you're not here...but I can.) This blade I have is definitely NOT straight in the teeth-to-back direction. The crummy 5/8" blade that came on the saw doesn't exhibit this problem, nor does the 1/4" TW. If only the the teeth on the 5/8" blade were set uniformly . . .

[John Mark Lane]

Got it. Thanks. So you like the saw, I take it?

[Curt Harms]

Also be interested to hear how difficult it is to lug the thing home and get it in the shop.... There's a Woodcraft not too far from me in CT.

The ease of moving it what sold me. I have a basement shop. The saw comes in 2 parts, base & saw. The actual saw body is about 54" high if I recall correctly. The table is shipped off the saw so carry it separately. I just took as much out of the foam packed carton as I could--table, fasteners etc. and dragged the carton around the lawn and down the Bilco doors. No problem at all. Come-Along from the steel beam in the basement to lift the saw onto a shop made portable base. Easy. The best 14" saw you can buy? Probably not, but very good bang for the buck IMO.

I've tried a number of blade manufacturers--TimberWolf, Lennox flex back, SuperCut. I haven't noticed any significant difference between them. The Lennox Flexback does seem to cut faster/feed easier, but a slower feed rate seems to produce a better finish cut. I haven't tried the "frozen meat & fish blades" i.e. Woodslicer, Iturra's bladerunner etc. I did ask the guy at the sharpening shop about them. He can get 'em but said they're intended to cut frozen stuff so you have to watch getting too hot with them. Heat may not be an issue unless they're run continuously for extended periods. I've also seen good experiences with Woodcraftbands.com. They are not associated with Woodcraft the store. Their prices are good and they offer Lenox DiMaster BiMetal and carbon steel blades.

[Shawn Siegrist]

Ordered a 1/4" blade and 3/4" blade from Suffolk, will cost 57 versus 67 from woodcraft. Not a huge savings but every little bit helps!

[Shawn Siegrist]

Should I stick with the stock tires or pick up a pair of the urethane tires?

[Van Huskey]

Should I stick with the stock tires or pick up a pair of the urethane tires?


The stock tires will be fine. If you plan to cut curves and use 1/4" and smaller blades the Cartare blade stabilizer should be your first upgrade.

For general sawing nothing wrong with Timberwolf. For resawing get one of three blades:

Kerf Master from Spectrum supply (excellent place to buy Lenox blades and my go to source)

Wood slicer from Highland in Atlanta

Blade runner from Iturra

The three blades (basically the same, best price at Spectrum) are the best blades for resawing unless you have a large wheel high horsepower resaw bandsaw, or you are willing to chance a carbide blade on a small wheel.

[Joe Wiliams]

Thom, Curt or anyone else who has purchased the 10-325...

What are the dimensions of the box in comes in? I'm planning on getting one soon and would like to be prepared for transporting.

[John Mark Lane]

Yeah. It's nice how Grizzly posts all those dimensions on their website. Unfortunately, Grizzly doesn't sell a steel bandsaw that will run on 110. A marketing error on their part, in my not so humble opinion....

[Will Overton]

Yeah. It's nice how Grizzly posts all those dimensions on their website. Unfortunately, Grizzly doesn't sell a steel bandsaw that will run on 110. A marketing error on their part, in my not so humble opinion....


But they do (G0457), it just need a 20 amp circuit.

http://www.grizzly.com/products/14-2-HP-Deluxe-Bandsaw/G0457

[John Mark Lane]

But they do (G0457), it just need a 20 amp circuit.

http://www.grizzly.com/products/14-2-HP-Deluxe-Bandsaw/G0457

Actually, if you look at the specs sheet, it needs a 30 amp circuit. I posted not long ago that I called Grizzly and discussed this inconsistency with them. Bottom line, they said it needs a 30 amp circuit at 110. Couldn't explain the inconsistency.

I guess maybe you'd get by with 20. But if it popped the breaker over and over, I suspect you wouldn't get a lot of support from Griz.

[Joseph Tarantino]

at last someone mentioned iturra. if you want a blade that will optimize teh performance of your band saw, contact iturra design. they don't have a web site but can be reached here:

http://www.manta.com/c/mmc3znn/iturra-design

you won't find a more knowledgeable band saw person than lou iturra. he has probably forgotten more about band saws and blades than any of us will ever know. after trying four different timberwolf blades on a jet 18" to rectify a blade loping problem, one blade from lou eliminated the problem. folks at suffolk were very nice and attampted to be helpful, but it turned out that all their blade had defective welds, as noted above. contact iturra. you won't regret it.

[Curt Harms]

Thom, Curt or anyone else who has purchased the 10-325...

What are the dimensions of the box in comes in? I'm planning on getting one soon and would like to be prepared for transporting.

My box is long gone. As I recall is was about 2' X 3' X 5'. I brought mine home with a Ford Ranger and it fit easily. You should be fine with most SUV's. Not sure about a car. You could call Rikon and ask them, or the Woodcraft you purchase from should know. If push comes to shove, rent a truck from U-haul or the like? Or buy a 2X4 from Home Depot and use their rental truck?

[Will Overton]

John,

I won't say Grizzly is wrong, but if what they are saying is true, that is one of the most inefficient motors ever made. A 1.5 hp motor can run on a 15 amp circuit. 1/3 more power shouldn't require a circuit with twice the capacity.

However, it is still 110v :)

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I suspect the 30 amp circuit is recommended to keep the breaker from tripping intermittantly during startup.

[Dustin Irby]

I called my local Woodcraft and I believe he said it was about 2' x 2' x 4'. He said it was pretty reasonably sized... but give your store a call to double check the size.

[John Mark Lane]

John,

I won't say Grizzly is wrong, but if what they are saying is true, that is one of the most inefficient motors ever made. A 1.5 hp motor can run on a 15 amp circuit. 1/3 more power shouldn't require a circuit with twice the capacity.

However, it is still 110v :)


That saw uses a 2 hp motor, I believe.

[Will Overton]

That saw uses a 2 hp motor, I believe.

Correct, 1/3 more than a 1 1/2.

[Joe Wiliams]

Thanks for the measurements guys:) I'm assuming the 4'-5' spec is the height?

[Thom Porterfield]

Joe, the box is about 2'+ x 2'+ x 4'+. It was on a lift dolly in the store, on one of the long sides. It's definitely too heavy for one guy to lift by himself. Or anyway a guy like me. It fit in the back of my standard pickup with plenty room to spare, but not room for two saws.

Inside the box is a WHOLE LOT of styrofoam packing (in two very large chunks). I opened the box in the truck, removed half the packing and all the loose parts. Then I took my garden wagon, put some 2x6s across the sides of it which made that the same level as the tailgate. I then slid the saw in its box out, and lugged it into the shop.

The instructions for assembly are clear enough (except it doesn't say how damn heavy the thing is). I put the base cabinet together according to instructions. Then I brought the saw (frame, wheels, motor) to the teeter-totter point and rocked it over onto the cabinet.

THEN I tried to put in the little teeny" bolts that hold the saw onto the base. Wrong.

Put those bolts into the cabinet first, using the little jam nuts to keep them steady, and lower the saw onto them. There is no other convenient way to do it. All the other bolts are (metric) about 5/16"...the saw-cabinet bolts are like 3/16". Amazingly, it's sufficient to keep things together.

To answer someone else's inquiry as to whether I like the 10-325 ... the answer is a resounding yes. The fit and finish is, to my mind, orders of magnitude greater than any of the others I saw in stores for comparable prices. I like the controls although it would be nice if the tension wheel wasn't on top, but below the upper wheel as it is on Rikon's 18" saw. Still, I can reach it okay. It's a snap to change blades.

I think down the road a ways, I'll replace the fence that comes with, to a Kreg. The fence itself is perfectly fine, but the adjustment of it is jerky and tedious. It comes with a dowel for resawing. It's fine, too, but it's only 4" tall... which seems inadequate for a saw that'll cut resaw 12" boards.

The overall height of the saw assembled is over 6'. Didn't measure it exactly, but I'm 5'10 and it's a good hand taller than I am. It's not so heavy on the floor that I can't scoot it around some, but I will investigate putting it on a mobile base in the near future.

[Joe Wiliams]

Thanks Thom! That was helpful:)

I may going to plan 'G' though....:o

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=141827

[Thom Porterfield]

Joe, if you have the room for the bigger saw, I say go for it! Personally, I'm trying to figure out where to put everything in my shop--I built a Thien separator on a 30-gal garbage can that I hooked up to my big old Shop Vac and now I wish I had wings in order to get over all the piles of equipment in there.

Maybe I should just go back to using coping saws and wood rasps . . .


NAH. I love machinery.