Opinions on Rikon 18" Bandsaw

[Arnold E Schnitzer]

I'm thinking of purchasing a Rikon 18. I currently have a Jet 16 and am less-than-satisfied with it. I adjust the table tilt a lot and the Jet system (bump and hope) is awful. Also, the tower that holds the upper blade guides is horribly flexible. Anyway, the Rikon looks like a great deal at the price and I would love to hear from folks who have owned one for a while. What are the pluses and minuses? I'm also open to other suggestions in the price range.

[Marlin Williams]

Hi,

What is your price range first? and how much is the Rikon 18" you are looking at.

For me i think jet has some good tools but their bandsaws seem to not have been updated as well as others.
Also the only other answer i can give is the standard "have you look at grizzly..." yet? Rikon is also good as well but i have used shopfox/grizzly.

[guy knight]

had a rikon was a good saw you might want to check out the new jets coming out soon they have been redesigned

[James Suzda]

I've got a Rikon 10-340 which is the older version of the 18" saw and for the most part I'm very satisfied with it. The only problem I have with it is when I try to adjust the lower guide rollers. (I cannot bend easily and it is hard for me to bend down to make the adjustments.) Also, I wish there were some 'micro screw adjustments' to adjust the guide bearings. Right now it is a slide in/out type adjustment and they always tend to move on me when I tighten them down.

Also, I cannot seem to find the 'howling growl' that develops when I resaw some lumber. It almost sounds like the back back guide bearings are protesting when I do this operation.

[John Towns]

Like James, I also have the older version of the Rikon 18". I have similar issues, specificlly with the rear bearings. I seem to have to replace them often...probably 'operator error'. Other than that, however, I really like my Rikon. I am able to resaw oak, although I have not tried to resaw anything larger that 10 inches which is plenty for me.

John

[Arnold E Schnitzer]

Hi,

What is your price range first? and how much is the Rikon 18" you are looking at.

For me i think jet has some good tools but their bandsaws seem to not have been updated as well as others.
Also the only other answer i can give is the standard "have you look at grizzly..." yet? Rikon is also good as well but i have used shopfox/grizzly.

My range is about $1500. The Rikon is $1400. I have not checked out Grizzly. I have a spindle sander of theirs and it is pretty unimpressive.

[David Romano]

I have the current version of the 18" Rikon. While I am very satisfied with the machine now, it took some patience. Keep in mind that there are pros and cons to any saw. I feel the pros outweigh the cons.

I bought it from the Rikon headquarters in Woburn, MA in May. They sell demos, returned items, etc but not used saws. They put on any needed parts, assemble the machines and test them. Then they offer them at a substantial discount. My 10-345 bandsaw was mfg'd in late 2006.

First the cons

The main con with the machine is the quick release. It has been redesigned since the 10-340 because of patent infringement issues and it is fundamentally worse. However, in practice most people don't seem to have had any problems with it. The issue is that the tracking changes when tensioning/detensioning. With some helpful support of the Rikon tech staff and my own experience, I have learned that there is abit of technique involved in the retensioning. Since figuring this out, I am happy with the saw.

My saw vibrated a lot and Rikon sent me a new upper wheel. This, along with properly adjusting the alignment has fixed the problem. The guides are hard to adjust in my opinion, no fine adjustment in most of them, except on the bottom rear guide.

The saw will only support down to 1/4" blade. Maybe this is small enough, somepeople want to use a 1/8" blade

The tensioning spring is not what it's cracked up to be (typical) I replaced mine with an Iturra spring.


The pros

The saw has alot of power for the money. I can practically ram the wood into the blade
There are adjustments for aligning the guide post parallel to the blade.
The table is big and adjusts with a gear and locks down very well.
Cast iron trunions and wheels
The fence is not great, but at least it comes off easily
Blade changes are easy, don't have to turn it 90 degrees to get it out.
2 dust ports
There are bolts on the back of the lower wheel to adjust for wheel twist.
The top wheel's tire is yellow making it easier to adjust the tracking.
Compared to other 18" saws, this is a good bargain.

David

[Dave Avery]

Have the Grizz G0513X2 that I REALLY like.....

[Dave Lehnert]

Have the Grizz G0513X2 that I REALLY like.....

I have also been looking for a larger bandsaw and the Grizzly G0513x2 gets great reviews. To your door for $1,045.50
I feel confident Grizzly would be here for parts 20 years from now if needed.

[Bert Johansen]

I also have the current version and it is a resaw monster. Really does a nice job. However, I recommend you use a better fence for resawing--the fence that comes with it is not nearly stout enough.

I had a problem with the original motor and they replaced it immediately. Customer service is excellent.

Woodcraft occasionally puts this saw on sale for less than $1100.

[Arnold E Schnitzer]

Thanks for the replies. Anyone have one of the newer Grizzly bandsaws? I was checking out the 19" 3HP "extreme" model.

[Gregory Stahl]

I have the G0514X2 and am very happy with it. Glad I purchased it over other 18" bandsaws--I think I got more value for my money.

The table is very solid with the table tilt mechanism. I enjoy not poundng on the table with my fist to get it at the right angle! A simple crank of the wheel--way too easy.

Cast iron trunions too--other 18" saws in this price range didn't offer them when I was looking.

A foot brake is included. I don't think the Rikon 18" had this when I was looking either, not to mention it wasn't 3HP either.

I almost bought a Jet as they were on sale at Woodcraft, then the Rikon as it was on sale. Looked at the Steel City too. Glad I decided to pay a couple hundred bucks more and try the Grizzly. Since, I think the cost of all these saws have increased by a couple hundred bucks except for the Grizzly.

If you want to see more detailed pics than what is on the Grizzly site, just let me know--I'll be happy to post some.

Unless your going European, I think the Grizzly bandsaws are among the leaders on the market today.

Best
Greg Stahl

[Gregory Stahl]

What spindle sander do you have? It seems like everyone is buying the G1071 without complaint--or I have not been paying much attention.

The others look pretty light duty to me.

-GReg