Need Info from Rikon / Grizzly BS owners

[Doug M Jones]

I have searched the Creek and spent a lot of time researching bandsaws. I have even PM'd some creekers but am still wavering.
I had narrowed down my bandsaw choice to the Rikon 10-325 Deluxe 14" bandsaw and the Grizzly GO55X was a close second choice. The Rikon was Editors choice in Woodworkers Journal but got some bad marks in Fine Woodworking for difficulty in changing blades and adjusting the blade guides.

For Rikon owners,
1. How long does it take to change blades and how difficult do you rate it?
2. How hard is it to set the blade guides?
3. What is the benefit of running with 220 volts

It's like I picked out a prom date only to learn she had a bad rep, still really like her but not sure what to do.

To compound matters, when I went to the Grizzly site today to compare something, they have the GO513 17" on sale for $695 which is $55 less than the 14" Rikon. It has one inch less resaw but 1/2 horse additional in the motor department. I like the idea of not messing with the riser block and at that price it is only $40 more then the 1 1/2 horse GO555X plus the riser block.

I will use the BS primarily to cut bowl blanks for the lathe but would probably do some resawing for small boxes.

Freight is comparable on both. The Grizzly sale is only good through the 23rd of September so I need to act fast if that is my choice.

As always,
Thanks for your help,

Doug

[Joe Spear]

If you run the Rikon on a dedicated 110 circuit, there is no advantage in going to 220. However, if you run it on a 110 circuit with other devices (lights, outlets feeding appliances or tools), you will lose some power to the saw. A dedicated 110 circuit or a dedicated 220 circuit, as long as you have the proper size wiring, will give the same performance. The subject has been discussed on approximately 2.7 million thread on WoodNet.

Both the Grizzly 0555 and the Rikon deluxe 14" get very good reviews in the magazines. I have an older Grizzly (1019Z) with a riser block. That would make me lean toward the Rikon, with large capacity with no riser. The block can cause the alignment to be a bit fiddly.

I have examined the Rikon carefully at the Rikon parts store in Woburn, MA. I like the more powerful motor and the larger table. If I were buying, I would get the Rikon. But I would also consider the 17" Grizzly over both the other saws, if I had a larger shop to work in.

I don't think you would be making a mistake no matter which one you got.

[Justin Bukoski]

The Grizzly 0513 is a wonderful saw - you won't regret spending the extra $$

[glenn bradley]

That FWW review confused me a bit. The review is not done by a group as most are where opinions are pooled so maybe that has something to do with it. A blade would have to be pretty obnoxious to change before I would pick a much more expensive tool that stalled during the tests(?).

The cut times were quite an eye opener however. I liked the opportunity to get a better idea of how fast some of these saws cut as I really had no reference before reading this review. I just knew my little C-man 12" was real slow re-sawing 6" high Beech ;-)

We have a few owners of each of those models here at the Creek. Maybe they can chime in with some pros and cons now that they've got some time on the saws.

P.s. I was sold on the Rikon but picked up the 17" Grizzly. Go figger.

[Robert Waddell]

I'd go with the G0513. Your going to need the extra horse power for those wet bowl blanks. I've had one for several years now with no issues or problems.
Rob

[Nancy Laird]

Doug,

The Steel City 14" BS is two speeds, 1-1/2hp, and is currently $699.99 plus $72.00 freight, less a $75.00 mail-in rebate through March 31, 2008.
Take a look at the specs here and see if it compares with either of your other choices. http://pro.woodworker.com/cgi-bin/FULLPRES.exe?PARTNUM=050-100. You might be better off with the SC machine.

Nancy (95 days)

[julie Graf]

I have the rikon and love it. It seems to be a real workhorse.
I do a lot of resawing of hard maple, white oak, walnut & cherry from 6 - 12 inches and it's great with a 3/4 blade.
My partner does a lot of chunking out large stuff for the lathe. He's rather rough on tools. He has changed the blade, and doesn't seem to mind or be bothered.

[Bill Arnold]

Another vote for the G0513. It's been a great performer for me.

:)

[Dewayne Reding]

Doug

This is my first BS so I'm not really sure if I am fast or slow. I don't think it takes me much over sixty seconds to change a blade and adjust tension on my Rikon. A couple more minutes to dial in the guides. If the Rikon has a weakness, I don't think blade change is it. I am running 110V. It hasn't tripped a breaker yet. I selected the Rikon for the resaw capacity it has.

[Terry Bigelow]

I've had the G0513 for two years now and absolutely love it. I have a 3/4" blade on it and makes resawing a joy! I hadn't seen that price($695) but I would jump on it. I think I paid about that 2 years ago. I actually use that saw almost exclusively in my shop. My 3hp Grizz TS really doesn't get much use, sometimes I think I could just get rid of it and use only the BS.

[Barry Beech]

I have the Grizzly g0555 and really like it but had the G0513 been available for that price there wouldn't have been a second thought.

Get the G0513. Without question.

[Jeff Heil]

I'm running my 14" Rikon Deluxe on 110v. I fully intended to rewire it for 220v but on a dedicated 20amp circuit no shortage of power or problems tripping breakers. I would say blade changes are much simplier on the Rikon than my Jet 14". The table slot is to the front and the blade, even a clumsy 3/4" slides in and out easily without having to twist it into the guides like you do with a side table blade slot.

I am very pleased with the Rikon and would buy it again. It is a dedicated resaw for my purposes.

[Jess Wetherhold]

I have used both and purchased the Rikon. Nice big table and I like the slot in the front for blade changes. Both saws are very much alike in quality but I didn't want to deal with the issues of the riser block. I also didn't want to spend another $200 for the riser and fence putting it way over the cost of the Rikon.
Good luck!

[Dave Dionne]

I have the Rikon and while I have to admit that I have not done allot with it yet, the blade changes are very simple compared to my old jet as well (as Jeffl said) also as ar as power it is ona shared 110 V circuit and I was resawing 8 inch wide Cocobola (with the stock blade) for some knife scales without a problem.

Hope this helps

Dave

[Bert Johansen]

I've got the larger Rikon 18" and it has the same set-up for blades and guides as the smaller 14". I would agree that it takes a few more minutes to set the blade guides, but once set it is a wonderful saw.

I especially appreciate Rikon's customer service. The original 2 HP motor had a bad bearing and it was replaced without question. In fact, they upgraded the new motor to 2½ HP in the process. Nice folks to deal with.

[Rob Diz]

I have the 5013X and love it.

One other point to make - Grizzly has world class customer service, with dedicated folks here who understand their machines and can get your problem solved. Rikon may have the same, but Griz is very well established.

[Ray Glynn]

Another positive vote for Rikon. I've had mine for two years with zero problems. I've done some resawing of large pieces as well as tight turn work on furniture legs and the like. The roller bearings supprot the blade well in both instances. No issues with blade changes. I run it on 220v on a dedicated circuit.

[Curt Harms]

I have searched the Creek and spent a lot of time researching bandsaws. I have even PM'd some creekers but am still wavering.
I had narrowed down my bandsaw choice to the Rikon 10-325 Deluxe 14" bandsaw and the Grizzly GO55X was a close second choice. The Rikon was Editors choice in Woodworkers Journal but got some bad marks in Fine Woodworking for difficulty in changing blades and adjusting the blade guides. Doug


For Rikon owners,
1. How long does it take to change blades and how difficult do you rate it?

I didn't read the article but...huh?? The ease of blade changes is one of the Rikon's strong points in my opinion. The blade comes straight off the wheels, no twisting 90 degress around the blade guides like most saws. I can change a blades in probably 1 minute, 2 at most if I have to move the rear guide bearing.

2. How hard is it to set the blade guides?

I don't find it that hard. The guides under the table are more of a pain than the ones above the table as You might guess. If You have all your blades the same thickness, the only adjustment is the bearing behind the blade. The bearing on either side of the blades doesn't need to move.

3. What is the benefit of running with 220 volts

The saw will run on a 120 volt circuit, it needs to dedicated (nothing else on the circuit because the saw is rated to draw 14 amps and it'll draw quite a bit more when starting. Those wheels are heavy! I'm running mine on 240 volts just because it's convenient and mine does come up to speed quicker on 240 volts.


It's like I picked out a prom date only to learn she had a bad rep, still really like her but not sure what to do.

To compound matters, when I went to the Grizzly site today to compare something, they have the GO513 17" on sale for $695 which is $55 less than the 14" Rikon. It has one inch less resaw but 1/2 horse additional in the motor department. I like the idea of not messing with the riser block and at that price it is only $40 more then the 1 1/2 horse GO555X plus the riser block. I will use the BS primarily to cut bowl blanks for the lathe but would probably do some resawing for small boxes.

Freight is comparable on both. The Grizzly sale is only good through the 23rd of September so I need to act fast if that is my choice.

As always,
Thanks for your help,

Doug


A G0513 for $695 would be sorely tempting. The G0513 has a half horse more and is a more massive saw, no question. I went with the Rikon because I have a fairly small shop and didn't feel the G0513 was in scale, it'd be too large, heavy and difficult to get into a basement shop. If You have the room and especially for sawing bowl blanks and resawing the G0513 would be a very good choice.

HTH

Curt

[Doug M Jones]

Thanks for all the good advice. I like the bearing guides of the RIKON but like the added horsepower of the Grizzly GO513. Still got a little soul searching to do.

I'm sure I'm being overly cautious, I probably spent less time deciding on the last new car I bought.

Thanks again for all the input.

[David Cramer]

That's interesting. I swear I read somewhere that a tester said it was hard to change the blades on the Rikon and it took longer than most. Boy oh boy, it shows how much weight one should put on those reviews. I too am still in the market for a bandsaw and am still weighing the options. After reading that review (I don't remember what magazine) I was turned off on the Rikon. Now, I am back on board and re-thinking things. I think I will take the word of a :) Creeker versus a magazine:eek: any day! Thanks for the input.

Dave

[Randy Klein]

That's interesting. I swear I read somewhere that a tester said it was hard to change the blades on the Rikon and it took longer than most. Boy oh boy, it shows how much weight one should put on those reviews. I too am still in the market for a bandsaw and am still weighing the options. After reading that review (I don't remember what magazine) I was turned off on the Rikon. Now, I am back on board and re-thinking things. I think I will take the word of a :) Creeker versus a magazine:eek: any day! Thanks for the input.

Dave

I have the Rikon. It's the only BS I've ever had, so not much to compare it to. But I didn't think changing the blade was difficult or cumbersome. And honestly, how often do you change blades? I've only changed it once since I got it.

[Richard Link]

I have the Rikon 14 deluxe and also like it very much. Running on 110 volt I've maybe had two breaker events in one half of a year. Not much motivation to rewire it to 220v. Do I wish I had the 18"....maybe but not for any good reason. The 14 has a lot of resaw capacity and has been very reliable for me.

Rick

[Paul Johnstone]

I read that review in Fine Woodworking too.

I think the Rikon is the EASIEST to change blades on, because of the position of the slot in the table. There's no need to twist the blade sideways, like on a traditional BS.

I will concede their point that adjusting the blade guides is kind of annoying. However, it goes fairly quickly.

The problem is that the blade guides are held in by allen bolts, so you have to loosen them, adjust and then hold while tightening so they don't move again. But.. this is just a hobby for me, so spending 60 seconds readjusting blade guides vs maybe 15 seconds isn't a big deal.

[Randy Klein]

The problem is that the blade guides are held in by allen bolts, so you have to loosen them, adjust and then hold while tightening so they don't move again. But.. this is just a hobby for me, so spending 60 seconds readjusting blade guides vs maybe 15 seconds isn't a big deal.

I found that tightening down the allen bolts sometimes moved the guides (very slightly) as well. But taking that into consideration, I figured out how to turn the knurled knob while tightening the bolt to maintain the exact position I wanted. Not hard.

[James Suzda]

I’ve got a 18” Rikon and I’m very happy with it. However, I would like to see someone change the blade in less than 10 minutes!! Heck it takes me longer than a minute to find a dollar bill to adjust the rollers. (I’m so broke I have to use a piece of re-cycled paper!) <GRIN>
By time I unscrew all the bolts holding the front fence on, then remove the bolt from the split in the table, open all the doors, slide the blade out of the saw, recoil it, put the old blade away, uncoil the new blade, slide it back into the saw, put the front fence back on, check the tracking and tension of the blade, re-adjust the guides, it’s going to take you a lot longer than just a few minutes!
Having said that, I think if the 14” Rikon is as good as the 18” I would not hesitate to purchase one.
Jim

[David Cramer]

Paul and Randy, thanks for the replies. Again, although I was not the original poster, I also appreciate the info very, very much.

Again, again, again, I can't stand when a magazine complains about something that is nothing to complain about. If Paul didn't have any problem changing the blade and it went fairly quickly, then why did the tester for Finewoodworking? These guys work with woodworking machines almost everyday. Very confusing!

Now I've really swung my thinking back to Rikon. Yeah, that Grizzly:D doesn't look too bad either. Thanks!

Dave

[Ralph Lindberg]

a couple points:
1)There is no substitute for more power
2)Any time you ad a riser block, there is a chance that it will mis-align the saw.

Last winter, as I was doing this same research, these two thoughts were foremost in my mind. Even after driving to all the dealers (including Grizzly) I kept recalling that.

In the end, my choice was the G0457 (it was on sale).

The down side of my choice was custom blades (even Grizzly doesn't stock quality blades for it)

The G0513 family is easier to buy blades for.

I do mostly bowl blank cutting and other cut-off work. I seldom change blades