Craftsman 10 inch bandsaw?

[Dave Malen]

Hi,
Is this the same saw as the 10 inch Rikon only with a cast iron table? Is the 1/3 hp motor powerful enough to cut through hardwood 4 inches thick without bogging down? I would like to use it for curve cuts. No resawing. I've noticed that in Bruce Page's review he says his 10 inch Rikon is rated at 4.5 amps , while on the Sears website their machince's rating is 3.5.
Thanks for your advise
Dave

[Tom Spallone]

I have a Craftsman 10" bandsaw. Picked it up off the curb when someone was throwing it out!

New blade, tightened the bolts on the stand and it's a beauty!

Then, I started tinkering. While tightening a guide screw on the lower guide, the whole lower guide broke. The Craftsman customer service are EXCELLENT. I kinda wrote off Sears years ago but.....

Anywho, after going on their site and picking out from a blue print of the bandsaw's design plan, they sent me the wrong piece. I ended up going to a Sears parts place and they ordered me the right one.

It's sitting on the kitchen counter as we speak and havn't had the opportunity to install it.

Tomorrow.

[Dave Malen]

Tom,
Thanks for your reply. The model i'm refering to is new for craftsman. Something kicked to the curb probably is an older model. But curbside pick up sure is convenient and the price is right!:)
Dave

[john whittaker]

Dave, Yes it's the same base model as the Rikon with just a few differences. (like the table) For what it's worth I bought the Rikon, put on a small Timberwolf blade, and use it to cut out patterns for router work. Mostly 1/2" MDF. It does a nice job. It's not a high quality saw but very small and easy to adjust. It does what I ask of it. I did, just for kicks, try to re-saw an approx 3.5" white oak board. It did a fair job cutting off an approx 1/8" slice. The motor was strong enough for a slow feed rate but the wheel balance and weight is not suited for this operation. IMHO it's only good for small work and curve cutting.

[Chuck Hayes]

Dave;

I have the CM 10". I think the maximum resaw height is slightly larger than the rikon alos. I had no problem make bandsaw boxes using the max resaw height with a timberwolf blade. For the price, it is a good saw, but if space and money would handle it, take a look at the 14", looks like a very good saw.

Chuck

[Bart Leetch]

I have an older 12" Craftsman 12" band-saw made in the 50's which I keep a 1/4" blade on that sees a lot of use & a Grizzly G1019 14" band-saw with riser block that has a 1/2" blade used mostly for sawing thick material as in bowel blanks & re-sawing .

If I had to compromise I wouldn't go less then 12".

Here is Sears latest 12"

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/search.do?BV_SessionID=@@@@2115288046.1138468406@@ @@&BV_EngineID=ccijaddglhhefflcegecegjdghldgfi.0&verticalFullName=Tools&keyword=12%22+band+saw&displayTarget=searchresults

[Dave Malen]

John,Chuck,Bart,
Appreciate your replies. I currently have a Laguna 14 se which I use for resawing. I'd like this bandsaw for mostly cutting curves with a 1/4 inch blade. I think I'm going to save my money and buy the 12 inch craftsman. Looks like a nice saw for the money.
Dave