Rikon jointer/planer

[Aaron Beaver]

Does anyone have one of these or know where I could find reviews of it? I was considering buying a seperate jointer & planer but then found out that combo's were available. I know they might have some drawbacks but in a basement shop I would rather have the one machine instead of the two if its worth getting a combo machine.

Thanks for any advice.

[Jim Becker]

Welcome to Sawmill Creek, Aaron!! Be sure to PM Jackie Outten to get your last name added to your profile...we're a "real names" community.

I'm a believer in the combo format for jointers and planers as I also believe that having a jointer with the same capacity as the planer is a good thing. The negative on the Rikon combo is that it's tiny and the jointer is going to suffer for it...way too short. Remember, you can only consistantly joint something flat and straight that is no more than twice the combined length of your infeed and outfeed tables. While Rikon doesn't list the specification of their tool on their website (http://rikontools.com/pjcombo.htm), the unit is obviously "very short". That's fine if you are doing all small projects, but not good if you are regularly making larger furniture.

If you are looking for a lower cost combo, Rojek is one source. If you can invest a little more, the MiniMax FS30 or similar is a nice choice.

[Jamie Buxton]

Jim, I knew a guy who was mostly a luthier, but also built furniture. He worked on an Inca 10" jointer/planer. As far as I can tell from the pix, the Rikon looks like a Chinese copy of that machine. That is, I wouldn't immediately rule out the Rikon. Particularly in Aaron's basement, the Rikon might be the only solution he can get into his shop.

Like Aaron, I'd like to read a review of this Rikon. I've never seen one.

[Michael Sloan]

Hi Aaron,

I used to have an Inca J/P, which looks very similar to the Rikon in both size and layout. I really liked the little Inca, and did some good work on it. It was perfect for my basement shop. Long stock was a bit of a problem, but not a deal killer by any means. I regularly managed up to 5 ft without much difficulty, and could have managed longer, but it would have been a lot easier if the tables had been longer.

I sometimes regret selling the Inca, although I have a much larger J/P now. The joy of the Inca was the precision and quality throughout, combined with the Tersa cutterhead. I know the Rikon is a lot cheaper than the Inca, but I have no information on the quality.

Mike

[Aaron Beaver]

Thanks for the tips guys. What is the cost of a Inca j/p I can't find them listed anywhere on the net. As for the MiniMax it is way more than I want to spend, it looks really nice but can't justify that price for just getting started and only having done two projects (maybe someday). Just doing some research to find out if there is a quality combo machine for around the price of buying them seperate.

I have table saw, bandsaw belt/disc sander.

[Curt Harms]

had one. It was on display, but no one had used it as of a few weeks ago. It looked interesting, but the infeed and outfeed tables appear to be aluminum. The combined infeed and outfeed tables were about 3 feet, so conventional wisdom would dictate jointing a maximum of 6' stock. It would be an interesting upgrade to those of us with 6" jointers. Overall impression is that it's certainly not a Rojek or Minimax or etc. The mass and substance is not there. For hobbyists, it may not need to be.

It seems like a lot of the rough stock I buy is 6 1/2-9 inches wide. Somebody needs to take one for "the team" but I'm not volunteering ;)

Curt

[Aaron Beaver]

If you are looking for a lower cost combo, Rojek is one source. If you can invest a little more, the MiniMax FS30 or similar is a nice choice.

Any guess on the price for Rojek? They seem similar to MiniMax, so I need to find Inca prices.

[Andrew Ault]

I don't think the Inca is sold here anymore. They used to be sold by Garret Wade.

[Aaron Beaver]

I don't think the Inca is sold here anymore. They used to be sold by Garret Wade.

I looked at Garrett Wade and all they sale is teh blades for the jointer.

[Jim Becker]

I do not believe that the Inca is being sold in the US at present and they are hard to find used as they are well-liked by owners. I also didn't mean to give the impression that the Rikon was "too small" or unworthy of your consideration; just that you need to have realistic expectations of the tool, particularly for jointing. More info on the Rojek at http://www.romaxmachinery.com/Planers/Jointer%20Thickness%20Planer%20MSP301M.htm

[Michael Sloan]

Hi Aaron,

As far as I know, the Inca is no longer being sold new in the U.S. It used to be imported by Garrett Wade, and I think by Eagle tools as well, but GW stopped importing 3 or 4 years ago due. GW still sells parts, and there are occasional used ones available. I saw one over at the Wood Central classifieds a couple of weeks ago. Asking price on a used one seems to run between $1,400 and $1,800 for one of the new versions with the Tersa head.

Mike

[Jim Hinze]

Any guess on the price for Rojek? They seem similar to MiniMax, so I need to find Inca prices.


Aaron,

Doing a quick websearch, I found the Rojek MSP 310M (4 knife jack screw cutter head) for $2499 MSP 310M (http://www.bargaintools4u.com/p/Planers/Rojek_MSP_310M_12_Planer_12_Jointer_European_Combi nation_Machine_B0002EW0AM.htm)

and the Rojek MSP 310MT (3 knife tersa cutter head) for $2849. MSP 310MT (http://www.bargaintools4u.com/p/Planers/Rojek_MSP_310MT_12_Planer_12_Jointer_European_Comb ination_Machin_B0002EW0B6.htm)

Hope this helps.

[Gina French]

I'm responding to an old thread to save anyone from buying one of these used. Don't know if the newer model is somehow better. I was fooled by the similarities to the Inca. The aluminum beds and short length are not the problem. The problem with it is the fence. It cannot be adjusted accurately. But hey whats a few degrees off 90 right? But if I would just spend some time figuring out how to make it a new fence I could stop using it to make one flat face and then jointing the piece by hand:-) Of course, now I've shot myself in the foot when I try to get rid of it, but I would have to warn the buyer anyway.

[Bill Neely]

Thanks for the warning Gina, jointers and planers do a fairly mundane job but we sure want them to do it efficiently and accurately.

[Bill ThompsonNM]

Gina, can you add an add-on fence shimmed to ninety degrees?
I have heard pretty good things about Rikon service can you see if they can help? The machine
did get some good reviews, perhaps yours has a defect that can be corrected.