Rikon 10-336

[Patrick Harper]

I'm mostly a handtool wood worker looking to get my first bandsaw in order to break down boards a little faster. I'll also be doing a little resawing. I can get a good deal on the 16" Rikon, but I'm having a hard time finding any reviews. The 14" and 18" saws seem to do well, but there just aren't many people using the 16". It seems like a good fit, but I'd really like to speak with someone who has used the saw. Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[Gus Dundon]

If you're going to ask me, I'll instantly go for 18 inch saw.

[Joseph Tarantino]

looks like a fairly nice saw, almost like a scaled down version of my 10-340 (which , compared to the 18" jet it replaced, is, IMHO, built like a tank). same resaw capacity of 12". CI wheels and table. 1.75 hp dual voltage motor. How good a deal is it?

[Patrick Harper]

$900. The cheapest I see the 10-345 is $1200.

[Wade Lippman]

$900. The cheapest I see the 10-345 is $1200.
I bought a 345 4 months ago for $1,000. I think that is a pretty regular offer. But maybe those days have passed; don't know.
Now... the 336 will run on 120v. If that is important to you than the price doesn't much matter.

[Patrick Harper]

How hard is rewiring? I would have thought it was have been almost as bad as adding a 220v outlet. Also, if you don't mind me asking, where did you get your 345?

[Joseph Tarantino]

345s are reduced fairly regularly by woodcraft and highland WW. i think it was year end 2012 when the $1500 345 was reduced to $1000. at $900 for the 10-336, it sounds a bit pricey. i got a 10-340 for $700 from a woodnetter in july, 2012. it replaced an 18" jet that i got for $40 (divorce) which i didn't really like. sold the jet for $750, so i actually got the 10-340 for free and a $10 surplus. the 10-325 (13" resaw, dual voltage 1.5 hp motor) was $799 last year end and is $950 new. between a new 325 and that 336, i'd rather spend the extra $50 for the peace of mind a new tool may provide if time is of the essence regarding this purchase. if not, i'd keep looking or pitch the 336 a reasonable number. if you don't ask, he can't say "no". but he can't say "yes" either.

for < $700, that 10-336 would probably be an ok deal. rewiring a dual voltage motor is usually as easy as undoing two connections among 4 wires and re-joining the 4 wires paired up differently. hardest part is usually changing the plug (220 plugs are different from 110v plugs). i added my own 20A 220v line to my shop sub panel for the 10-340. it's not that hard, as long as you know what needs to be done.

for $900, i'd keep looking, unless there's something exceptional about the saw. you've focused on a good brand with a reputation for well made products and very good customer and technical support. their products are well built and while their prices have been rising over the last few years, they can still represent a fair value if purchased properly.

[Patrick Harper]

Joseph, I should have stated this but the 10-336 is new at Highland. I'm close by, so no freight either.

[Patrick Harper]

Does anyone actually own this bandsaw? It's been out for a few years, so I would think we'd have at least one owner on the boards. :)

[glenn bradley]

Does anyone actually own this bandsaw? It's been out for a few years, so I would think we'd have at least one owner on the boards.
:)

Interestingly, I have not heard of it before. that doesn't mean much though as I am pretty well set on bandsaws and don't look around much anymore. I'll chime in with your need for height over depth. Since this will be primarily a resaw machine, I would say a 16" is as good as a 17" or 18", etc. A 14" can have issues with some blades due to the bend radius but, I primarily resaw with 1/2" or 5/8" blades so that would not matter to me (I have a 17" saw). My point is that all other things being equal, I would not pay extra for throat depth you do not need. However, I have a 2HP motor on my resaw machine and would not really want less; an extra pony would be nice.