Rikon Owners Unite! (Which bandsaw blade?)

[Danny Thompson]

For you Rikon 14" Deluxe lovers out there:

Is the OEM blade a keeper?
What have you replaced yours with?
What blade do you use for resawing?
Is the Timberwolf 3/4" 3TPI worth a flyin' flip?

I'll take your answer off the air.

[Curt Harms]

The factory blade on mine wasn't bad for a factory blade:rolleyes:. It doesn't drift too bad or smoke. I keep it for stock that may have surprises hidden inside. The T'wolf 3/4" variable pitch blade is a pretty good one. One pass thru a drum sander will remove the marks. One complaint I hear about Timberwolf is longevity and I haven't done enough with mine to judge how long lived it is. On the other hand I've resawed smaller stock with a 1/4" blade because I didn't feel like changing blades--slow but didn't work all that bad, left a pretty smooth cut with the fine toothed configuration. I haven't used a "real" band saw(17"+) but for for hobbyist use the Rikon 10-325 and Timberwolf blades seem pretty decent.

HTH

Curt

[Bruce Shiverdecker]

I agree with Curt. The factory blade is an "OK" blade, not a GREAT one.

I go for the Timberwolf blades, too. As far as Longevity goes, short life is probably due to NOT reading the tentioning instructions. They are a LOW tention blades. If they are over-tentioned, they will break!

Bruce

[Jesse Cloud]

I don't have a Rikon, just an old Delta 14 incher. Just put on a Woodslicer from Highland Hardware and was blown away!! Very smooth cut, very consistent thickness. Thinking twice about upgrading the bandsaw now.;)

[Jim Dunn]

Timberwolf blades are as good as I've found. I think the 1/2" is great for resawing.

[Rick Gooden]

Toss the factory blade and get a couple of Timberwolf blades. I like the 1/2" for resawing as is seems to do a very good job. I find the setup a little tedious, but worth the effort.

[Ken Massingale]

I have to go against the grain on this and recommend the Bladerunner from Iturra. It's the same blade as the Woodslicer, but ~$10 less. Side by side for resawing I see a big difference.

[Dave Sweeney]

Ken, do you have a source or link for those Iturra blades? I couldn't find anything on them when I did a Google.

[Danny Thompson]

I've noticed several articles and some posts recommend 1/2" blades for resawing. Why wouldn't you go with the largest blade your saw can handle--in this case, 3/4"?

[Eddie Darby]

I've noticed several articles and some posts recommend 1/2" blades for resawing. Why wouldn't you go with the largest blade your saw can handle--in this case, 3/4"?
While your saw says that it can handle the 3/4" blade, the spring usually cannot, thus the offers of upgrades for these saws. I'm not sure what the Rikon situation is in this respect.
I have had good success with the Low Tension Swedish Silicon Steel blades.

[David Romano]

While your saw says that it can handle the 3/4" blade, the spring usually cannot, thus the offers of upgrades for these saws. I'm not sure what the Rikon situation is in this respect.
I have had good success with the Low Tension Swedish Silicon Steel blades.


Does anyone know what blade size the 10-325 can properly tension? According to Iturra, the proper amount is a minimum of 15,000, in some examples it was upwards of 20,000 or more. How is the stock spring, and can it be retrofitted with an Iturra spring if needed? Like everyone else, I'd like to be able to use the 3/4" blade if possible. Anyone own a tension meter?

David

[Joe Spear]

According to the engineer at the Rikon headquarters, the Rikon Deluxe 14" can handle a 3/4" blade. I got one from Timberwolf but have not had time to put it on yet. In the meantime, I have done some resawing with a Timberwolf 1/2" blade, which worked real well. When I had a Grizzly bandsaw, I got a Woodslicer from Highland. It did saw very easily and cleanly, but mine didn't stay sharp very long, a complaint which I have heard from others who have tried it. I also got a Lenox carbide 1/2". It was excellent, but the band broke after a few months. Supposedly carbide tipped blades on 14" saws are iffy and fatigue more quickly than the regular blades.

[David Romano]

I wonder what criterion they used when they determined that it could handle a 3/4" blade? It could just be specsmanship. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt, but when I'm there I'll ask them this question.

[bob hertle]

FWIW, the Timberwolf 2-3PC and the 3T AS-S are 3/4 x .025 thick blades and there should be no problem tensioning, or with fatigue on a 14 in. saw. My personal opinion is that "Low tension" is marketing hype, I tension them to about 15,000 psi even though the gentleman at Suffolk said 6000. They cut well when new, but do not have the tooth hardness to be very wear resistant, i.e. short useful life. Again, my personal opinion is that they cut so well because of their blade geometry: 6.5 degree hook (as opposed to 10 degrees on most hook tooth blades), and their 5T set pattern.

All that being said, I can buy a Lenox or an Olson MVP 1/2-3T bi-metal for about the same price as a timberwolf, and get better than 10 times the life. However I can only buy these blades with 10 deg hook, and raker set. The finish may not be quite as good resawing, but I seldom use a resawn board without planing anyway. I wish Suffolk would put their fine blade geometry on a bimetal blade, or at least a good high carbon instead of their "Low tension" Swedish silicon steel body, because short life is the weakness. Til then, I think the smart money is on bimetal!

Bob

[Ken Massingale]

Ken, do you have a source or link for those Iturra blades? I couldn't find anything on them when I did a Google.
No web site, Dave. their number is 1-888-722-7078.
ken

[Tim Scales]

I have had very good sucess with the Timberwolf. I use a 3/4" 3 TPI AS-S blade for re-sawing on an old 14" Rockwell saw with riser. I recently bought a Rikon 10-325 and have had a lot of problems that I hope to soon get resolved...But in my expeirience, you can't beat the Timberwolf.