Feedback on Rikon 6" jointer

[Mike Cooper]

I am looking for comments/experience/good/bad etc. on the Rikon 20-100 6" jointer.

In the market for a jointer and I saw this one but know nothing about it.

I have seen the threads about going bigger, but due to budget/space/power limitations I need to go with this size.

TIA for your feedback.

Mike

[Ron Dorsch]

Mike,
I purchased the same jointer, it is my first. I found the fit and finish to be great. One problen I had was a dented motor fan shroud. First time I started it up It had a loud scraping sound. I had to remove the motor to find out that the fan motor shroud was dented and the cause of the sound. The fan blade (plastic), was scraped off a little on one corner of the blades. I contacted customer support and was told to pound the dent out. They said it would take about a week to send out a new motor and suggested to try the jointer out to see if there where other problems. That was last year spring. I put the motor back in, adjusted the belts and have been using it ever since. One unique thing about this jointer is two speeds. You change the speeds by moving the belt from one pulley to the other like a drill press and re-adjust the tension. You need to periodically adjust and check the tension from time to time. I don't know if I will ever buy a 8" or not, the work I do would not justify a larger one. Adjustments are easy & straight forward. I would suggest having a decent straight edge to adjust the beds though if you buy a jointer. Not having used a jointer before, I am pleased with what Rikon has done with this machine. Its quiet, powerfull and cuts clean. The directions are straight forward for assembly. I would however look at some books or magazine articles for using a jointer. Past issues of Shop Notes, Fine Woodworking, and a few others have had great articles on the use of jointers. Rikon however does not give alot of hints or instruction on use. Good Luck on your purchase which ever manufacturer you choose.
My 2 cents worth.

[Rob Bois]

I've had this jointer for about 6 months now. I've run into a few problems along the way. First, there is a spring-mounted pin in the back that locks the infeed table at 1/8" as you are moving the table up and down (apparently a safety feature, but I almost never go beyond 1/16" in a pass). Within a month, I was moving the infeed up to 1/16" not realizing that pin had engaged, and I snapped the ball crank that pushes the bed up when you turn the adjustment wheel. To their credit, Rikon shipped me a new part free of charge, although they were out of stock when I first called (which tells me lots of people have had this problem). I still have the bed locked in at 1/16" and see little need to change it, so I have put off taking the bed apart to replace the ball crank. But if you buy this, I'd recommend throwing away that lock pin - I can't see any legitimate use for it.

Secondly, I've had problems with some twist in the fence which is a bigger issue. When I set the outfeed to exactly 90*, the infeed is more like 91 or 92*. As long as I register a board exclusively on the outfeed side of the fence as I joint, I can get a reasonably square edge, but on longer boards I still struggle with twist. I haven't called Rikon about this yet, but my prior experiences with them have been so good I will probably see if there's anything I can do to remedy this. I suppose replacing the fence even if I have to pay for it is better than buying a new jointer. Aside from those two issues, I really do like Rikon (I also have their 14" deluxe band saw) and their support staff really knows their stuff, and is very responsive. The challenge with any tools manufactured in Asia is that you never know what they're put through ont he journey over here.