Just wondering about quality of the Rikon Lathe

[Dirk Hoogendoorn]

Up in Ontario here I am able to get ofcourse the Oneway, but that is a little out of my price range, my Craftex CT128 just quit on me and a call in to the distributor told me that the head for that lathe was no longer available so now looking for a new lathe and the Rikon is sold here in Canada that made me ask about it's quality and service.

[Roger Chandler]

I have heard good things about the Rikon......I do not know anyone with one of their large lathes, but the midi's seem to be fairly highly regarded from what others here and elsewhere have posted.

[Joe Meirhaeghe]

I have the Midi-Rikon with 12" swing. I only use it for small stuff. I also have 2 other Powermatic's lathes for larger work. That said I like it for what I use it for & think it's a good value for the $$.

[CHARLES D Richards]

I with Joe in that I have the 12" swing I think it is 70-100. I works great and I only use it for small thins but it has been trouble free for 3 years. It was my only lathe for about 18 months and was a good small bowl lathe. After getting a 3520B for bowls and HFs I still keep something small set up on the Rikon almost daily.

[Geoff Whaling]

Dirk, the Rikon 70-500 that you get may have a different spec to the Woodfast M910 we get in Australia. Woodfast products are imported here by a few machinery suppliers that have slightly different specs particularly on the band saws, so it would not surprise me to find spec changes on their lathes in the US / Canada.

I have an original Australian made Woodfast MC908 lathe circa 1992 but I have re-powered it with the M910 Electronic Variable Speed setup back in early 2007. The EVS works well however the original Woodfast Machinery Co would never supply the EVS here with reverse - so I don't have reverse but the Rikon does. Power wise, the 2hp is fine and will do everything most turners will turn on a lathe of that capacity. I have also turned on the newer M910's (Rikon 70-500) and have found them to perform the same as my re-powered MC908 version apart from the benefit of increased spindle height and different spindle thread (M30). The new head stock bearing design doesn't seem any different performance wise. Overall a very good lathe in the class of the earlier Vicmarc VL200 performance wise.

The smaller Woodfasts are very popular here at participation style turning events, probably more of them than any other model lathe at those events, and at times more of them than all other brands combined.

[Dok Yager]

Dirk not sure about the Rikon, but here is a Great review of the smaller Revo 18-36 by John Keeton that may help.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?241930-A-Hands-On-review-of-the-Laguna-Revo-1836&highlight=Laguna+Revo+18-36