Evaluating a bandsaw in 10-15 minutes

[Bill Dieckman]

I'm looking over a Rikon 10-345 later today and wanted to see if there might be some quick things to look at in particular when checking it out.
I've seen a couple instances of the wheels out of round and some tracking, but for the most part, the model seems solid. I figure I'll check the wheels are parallel, are not out of round, and the blade tracks true and doesn't move around.
Anything else of importance you might suggest.

This is a MASSIVE upgrade to the 1970's Craftsman my dad handed down years ago, so I want it worth it.

Thanks

[Russell Smallwood]

Hey Bill,

I thought this was a useful discussion on the topic:

Thread in which Aaron Rowland expresses a certain amount of dissatisfaction with the quality of his band saw, and in the process names several interesting things to look for in evaluating a new saw, then consequently takes the high road and refuses to publicly throw the unknown manufacturer under the bus (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?160478-New-Bandsaw-Purchase-Laguna-vs.-Minimax)

[Bill Dieckman]

Thank you. Will keep Aaron's points in mind. Doubt I'll be able to pull the wheels.
It's a used unit and will be able to run it to see blade-tracking and movement while run.

[Joseph Tarantino]

send me an email and i'll email you a copy of iturra design's catalog. it's the 2008 issue, but it has a 4 page article written by lou iturra detailing how to inspect a used bandsaw being considered for purchase. iturra is very knowledgeable on all things bandsaw related and provides objective, helpful guidance. he's yet to steer me into buying anything from him that won't improve the performance of my 18" BS.

FTR, rikon is on my short list of possible replacements for my 18" jet when the right opportunity comes along. both their tools and their CS and tech support are well regarded. good luck.

oops: fratarj@gmail.com

[glenn bradley]

First, I would take much more than 10 - 15 minutes to check this out. Why the time limit? Being a used unit I would just look for signs of odd wear or mis-use:

- weird tracking marks on the tires
- belt dust from misaligned pulleys
- inspect the trunnions for cracks or bends from excessive load or improper support of long material
- inspect wheel for true running as best as you can by watching it run
- start and stop it several times and listen for odd sounds when the centrifugal switch kicks in and out
- any signs of motor housing high temp or physical damage

Resaw some tall stuff and see if it tracks well and "feels" right. This can be impacted by the blade so you have to guess at what the real result might be if the blade is poor. From my limited experience with four different saws, a badnsaw that is sub-optimal is pretty obvious.

[Bill Dieckman]

Time limit is distance traveled to look it over during lunch in time to make it back as well.
Other consideration is trying to do a quick eval to determine if I want to purchase before a supposed other buyer is able to look it over on Friday ;)

[glenn bradley]

Time limit is distance traveled to look it over during lunch in time to make it back as well.
Other consideration is trying to do a quick eval to determine if I want to purchase before a supposed other buyer is able to look it over on Friday ;)

Ah, the old "squeeze it in during lunch" routine, eh? Good plan. All I could add is that you might make a written list to hep you go through everything you want to check quickly, without leaving something out. I hate being halfway back to where I started from and suddenly thinking; "I should-a . . . " Good luck.

[Bill Dieckman]

Yep. Have some items I've looked up from other buyers with this model, items mentioned here as well as some other things:

Top/bottom wheel alignment (front to back to each other, vertically to each other, and each vertically by themselves)
Stress fractures (frame, wheels, wheel assembly, trunnions)
Blade tracking (running and manually turned)
Wear dust (belt, bearings, etc)
Start/Stop unusual sounds and ease
Will look for wet lubing to make it work well for evaluation in places lube is bad (wet + dust == bad)
Have some scrap to evaluate cut quality and cut tracking

[Bill Dieckman]

Well, I got a look at it and it has practically been unused.

There is a little external dust from being in a shop, but there was next to no internal dust at all. Everything looked and ran great.
As has been mentioned in other reviews, the fence is a joke and will have to be replaced, but a practically new 18" Rikon for half-price is VERY hard to pass up.

Upgrading from this: http://img1.classistatic.com/cps/l/kj/09/6/8/086/r4/83442dh_20.jpeg

to this:

http://www.rikontools.com/images/productphoto_big.jpg

[Joseph Tarantino]

hey bill, some of us can't see the new saw pic. any help?

[Jim Summers]

wow. I thought I was the only one that still had one of these.

[Bill Dieckman]

Can't seem to edit my earlier post.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v724/Redmead/productphoto_big.jpg

It is now home and safely deposited in the shop. Bit of a bear to wrestle solo, but manageable.
Just need to get an electrician to check out the 220v wiring I haven't used in 7 years.