Rikon Model 10-325 or Powermatic 14" Bandsaw?

[Ken Massingale]

Happy Saturday everyone.
Searching the Creek on this topic didn't show any recent posts on the 10-325 or comparisons to the PM. I 'thought' I was set to get the Rikon but the PM was suggested by a couple of folks who I consider better informed than myself, so I'm looking for feedback from owners of these saws and am open to other options in my price range.

I can get the PM with riser for a tad less than the Rikon, after rebate. My needs are for primarily resawing, I realize 1 1/2hp is minimal but ~$750 is all I can spend on the new bandsaw.
Thanks in advance, this is not a small purchase for me and hopefully I won't regret my decision.
ken

[Brad Townsend]

First the disclaimer: I don't own either saw. That being said, I do own a Craftsman 14", which is very close to the Rikon (only 1hp and 4" less resaw capacity, but virtually identical otherwise). I love the saw and it is a good value, but I paid about $350 less than you are going to pay.

I have examined the PM and read enough favorable owner comments on it to suggest that for equal money, I would go with the PM. Also, when you are ready to move up to a bigger saw, there is little question which one will bring the higher resale.

[Andrew Chavchich]

A few month ago I had exactly the same dilemma.
After reading very positive comments on Rikon I've bought PM with a riser block.
Only when I saw them both I realized that Ricon has steel frame which deterred me.
Powermatic 14" is very good one. When the blade is sharp it resaws 12" oak very well.
The fence sucks big time, hard to imagine anything more ridiculous.
Another problem is slight misalignment after istalling the riser block, so I've shaved riser block pins a little. That alleviated the problem but not fully eliminated it.

[Bruce Shiverdecker]

I can't remember which 14" the 10-325 is, but, if it is the 14" with a 13" cutting height, you are getting more saw for less money. If you can wait a little while, the Rikon 18" usually goes on sale for $999.99 several times a year.

I'v used all three and for cutting quality, I see no difference.

Bruce

[Curt Harms]

Happy Saturday everyone.
Searching the Creek on this topic didn't show any recent posts on the 10-325 or comparisons to the PM. I 'thought' I was set to get the Rikon but the PM was suggested by a couple of folks who I consider better informed than myself, so I'm looking for feedback from owners of these saws and am open to other options in my price range.

I can get the PM with riser for a tad less than the Rikon, after rebate. My needs are for primarily resawing, I realize 1 1/2hp is minimal but ~$750 is all I can spend on the new bandsaw.
Thanks in advance, this is not a small purchase for me and hopefully I won't regret my decision.
ken

Hi Ken

I don't think I've ever seen the Powermatic, let alone used it so I can't comment on it. I did write a review of my Rikon 10-325 a few months ago. If You haven't seen it, do a search under my name and it should show up. I went with the Rikon because it is designed from the get-go to cut 13" vs. being designed to cut 6" with another 6" afterthought. I may be nuts but that's how I figured it. I haven't really done much with the 10-325 yet but what I have done has been as expected, accurate, stable and adequate power. The Rikon fence is kinda clever once I figured it out; high and low sides, the fence is easily replaced by a higher resaw fence if desired, adjustable for drift. There were motor issues with the early Rikons but I think that problem has been resolved. Rikon's customer service is very responsive.

HTH

Curt

[Kent Novick]

Ken -

I can't comment on the Rikon, but I do have some experience with the Powermatic. I purchased, and subsequently had to return one, about six months ago. I've read some good reviews on it as well, but there are issues to be aware of.

First, there are a number of documented problems with the riser block as Andrew alluded to. I had the same problem, and tried 3 different blocks. Some fit better than others, but I had the following problems with and without the blocks...

The blade wouldn't track any closer than 1/8" off center on the bottom wheel when centered on top. Further, the wheels were no where near coplanar. There really wasn't any good way to adjust them. Either the pins provided good alignment or they didn't.

I did receive excellent customer service from WMH (Jet/Powermatic) in trying to get the saw working properly. The gentleman I worked with, Rick, first sent 2 new riser blocks to try, both to no avail. He then sent over some local saw techs to try to help. They couldn't help fix it either, and definitely believed that the saw (mine at least) had an integral design flaw in the size/alignment of the pins and holes for the upper arm and body. There was way too much play in the way the body/block/arm fit together. When they passed this feedback to WMH, Rick then sent me an entire new upper arm assembly. Unfortunately, all of problems were still there.

After investing way too much time with the saw, I ended up sending back the extra stuff to WMH and returning the original purchase to Woodcraft. There are a lot of good reviews of the saw, and I may have just had some bad luck, but it didn't work out for me. You may also want to call WMH and ask about the riser block and if the problems with it have been fixed. That issue is definitely out there. Good luck!

Kent

[Keith Beck]

Ken,

What a coincidence. I went through the same dilemma yesterday. I went into Woodcraft with the money I had saved all set to buy the Rikon and the guys there tried to steer me towards the PM. They couldn't give me a specific reason why, other than the Rikon Deluxe BS was too new and didn't have an established track record.

I kinda like the fact that the Rikon was made specifically to resaw whereas the PM wasn't, hence the riser block. My brother has the PM, and while he hasn't had any specific issues, he hasn't raved about it.

Anyways, the guys at Woodcraft screwed up my head so much, that ended up not getting any BS and instead, spent my savings on the Performax 16-32 drum sander.

Guess I'll need to start saving some money for a BS again and hopefully in the meantime, we'll see some more feedback on the Rikon Deluxe.

Keith

[Charley Preston]

I'm in the same position - ready to buy my first BS. The bummer is that I'm located in Alaska, and all I have access to locally is the PM and going the riser block option. I'd really like the Rikon, but we have no local dealers, and shipping from Woodcraft would probably be about $350.

[James Carmichael]

What Bruce said.

If I were going to spend more than say, $600 on a bandsaw, I'd save a little more and go for a 16-18" machine. The Griz G0513 is under $1000, shipped.

[Ken Massingale]

Thanks for all the replies. I certainly have more information than I did yesterday. I have contacted Powermatic and the local Woodcraft owner for their side of the riser/alighment issue. I absolutely don't want to buy a problem, that's what I'm wanting to get away from with my current bandsaw.

[Scott Rollins]

I have the Rikon 10-325 deluxe BS. As long as you rewire it 240V you will have no issues resawing Oak at the full 13". I had some initial issues with the set-up (the fence leaves much to be desired after using the Kreg Fence), but I am pleased with the saw and I would purchase again.

[Randy Klein]

Hi Ken

The Rikon fence is kinda clever once I figured it out; high and low sides, the fence is easily replaced by a higher resaw fence if desired, adjustable for drift.

Curt, I have the Rikon Bandsaw, but I haven't figured out the fence yet. The manual is somewhat lacking on how to adjust for drift.

Can you clue me in on what I'm missing?

[Ken Massingale]

I have the Rikon 10-325 deluxe BS. As long as you rewire it 240V you will have no issues resawing Oak at the full 13". I had some initial issues with the set-up (the fence leaves much to be desired after using the Kreg Fence), but I am pleased with the saw and I would purchase again.

Same here, Scott. I have a few weeks of use with the 10-325 and don't regret the purhase at all. I made the multi-use jig from a recent issue of Wood and use that instead of the Rikon fence.
ken

[Randy Klein]

Ken, which issue of Wood is that in?

[Doug Shepard]

I've never used a PM bandsaw, but I've never been real impressed by them any time I've looked them over at WW shows. Dont get me wrong - I generally love Powermatic stuff. I own a PM66 and a PM54 6" jointer, and their lathes are to die for (no room or $$ for one of those yet though). Their bandsaws dont wow me though, and any comparison reviews I've read in the past generally dont have them stacking up all that well against other brands.

... My needs are for primarily resawing, I realize 1 1/2hp is minimal but ~$750 is all I can spend on the new bandsaw.
...

I know there are folks that seem to get good resawing results from a 14" BS, but I wasn't one of them. I finally bit the bullet and upgraded from a Jet 14" w/riser and a bunch of aftermarket accesories to a Minimax. If you're buying primarily for resawing, this might not end up being your last BS purchase. You might be better off in the long run saving up a bit more or shopping for a used machine. I'm not suggesting you go with a MM but something with a heavier, stiffer frame and more HP than the 14"+riser block option. Just my 2 cents.