rikon 14 in bandsaw

[gary-g-k]

hi i am looking at buying the rikon 14 in band saw the bigger one they sell with the 1 1/2hp and 13in re-saw and i wanted to no any thoughts a bought this saw and compared to the grizzly 17 in band saw i am currently deciding between the 2 but i am thinking i am going to get the rikon and thoughts would be helpful thanks.

[PurpLev]

I have the rikon. it is a fantastic piece of machinery - bar none. I can use blades from 3/32 for intricate cuts, to 1/2" in practice, and up to 3/4" theoretically (although the problem with wider blades is not the bandsaw, but the blades themselves that have a hard time bending around the smaller 14" wheels). it has fantastic resawing capabilities, and is a work horse period.

the 17" (if they are cast iron) would give have more power to them, although I have never needed any more power so far (resawed 12" maple). you may want to check the minumum blade width that can ago on the griz. depending on what you are planing to do with it, this may be a factor. other than that, I heard good things about it, but don't have personal experience.

I would do a pros-cons list between the 2 saws, and base my decision on that.

[Vic]

I've got the Rikon 10-325 Deluxe...I've got Carter bearings and a Carter Stabilizer on the way, a recommendation from Rob Bois, who also owns the same unit. Mine already cuts extremely well..the bearing upgrade is simply a bonus. The only Grizzly tool I have is a 12" jointer, but I LOVE it! Hard choices. Do like PL said and just do a pros/cons list. Let us know which you pick.

[PaulMarcel]

I have that bandsaw as well and it works very well. I've resawn 11" and 12" boards on it with no problems (note I have mine on 220V).

The only modifications I've done to the saw was to install a DriftMaster fence from Laguna; it's a great fence, but you honestly don't need it (it is half the price of the saw). It does, however, make cutting veneer on the off-cut side consistently possible. There are videos on the site to show you; note that the fence is pretty long for this 14" saw so I like to say I have a DriftMaster with optional 14" bandsaw.

I installed 3/4" Resaw King blade (also Laguna). Makes a glass-smooth cut on resawing once you have drift compensated (otherwise, you get the usual bandsaw marks). It's pricey, but you can get it resharpened since it's basically tablesaw blade teeth brazed on a band.

[gary-g-k]

well i think iam going to go with the rikon but how do you think it will run on 110 since in my shop 220 is not a option and iam going to use it for resawing so any recmadations on blades would be nice but i cant afford a 100+ $ blade so keep that in mind. but any other upgrades or safty equipment you like let me know i want to find some acessories for it thanks gary.

[PurpLev]

I have mine running off of 110 like a CHAMP. there is no difference in power running it on 110 or 220. the only real difference is in the wiring. as for blade selection - I'm using a 1/2" woodslicer from highland woodworking - it cuts so smooth you won't believe the cut came out of a bandsaw!

[Vic]

Gary, the Carter bearings are a nice upgrade and worth the cost. I bought this one for resawing http://www.woodcraft.com/Catalog/ProductPage.aspx?prodid=20907&ss=f4762531-1945-47b7-ad1a-f52e742e3606 and this one for general curves http://www.woodcraft.com/Catalog/ProductPage.aspx?prodid=20905&ss=f4762531-1945-47b7-ad1a-f52e742e3606

[PaulMarcel]

well i think iam going to go with the rikon but how do you think it will run on 110 since in my shop 220 is not a option and iam going to use it for resawing so any recmadations on blades would be nice but i cant afford a 100+ $ blade so keep that in mind. but any other upgrades or safty equipment you like let me know i want to find some acessories for it thanks gary.

Sorry for the blade suggestion; others chimed in with useful upgrades so I put that in. Also to reiterate, the DriftMaster is nice, but optional.

A 1.5hp saw is a 1.5hp saw regardless the driving voltage. I resawed 12" walnut on 110V and 7" Lacewood (100+ linear feet) with no stalls, hesitations, or other issues. The difference is that most 220V circuits are rated for more than the 7.5 operating amps of the saw. When wired for 110V, it takes 15 operating amps. That's after it starts. On startup, it will often exceed that and on a typical garage 110V/15A circuit (yes, newer code is 20A GFCI...) you'll pop the breaker often enough. It also doesn't get the surge current needed for faster startup. The 220V circuit will have more ampere capacity for the saw. It's noticeable, but not required. If you can do it, even later, I'd encourage you to make the change (rearrange 4 wires).

I never upgraded the bearings. While they can be nicer, I get very nice resawing performance with the stock machine with a nice blade. Other blades are nice, too.

[gary-g-k]

Sorry for the blade suggestion; others chimed in with useful upgrades so I put that in. Also to reiterate, the DriftMaster is nice, but optional.

oh you dont have to be sorry abought the blade suggestion i have wanted to look at that blade and someday upgrade to one.and well where still on the suject how do you like the blade and do you belive its worth the high price ? and can the blade cut curves or just for resawing?

[BuilderBill]

well i think iam going to go with the rikon but how do you think it will run on 110 since in my shop 220 is not a option and iam going to use it for resawing so any recmadations on blades would be nice but i cant afford a 100+ $ blade so keep that in mind. but any other upgrades or safty equipment you like let me know i want to find some acessories for it thanks gary.

Do you have an electric clothes dryer anywhere near your shop? That's usually a 30A/240v circuit, you can make a trip to the local Big Store and come back with the appropriate cord connector and plug. Pick up a 50' 14-gauge dropcord while you're there and you're out for less than fifty bucks.

As Paul-Marcel pointed out, it's not the running amperage of the saw that will give you trouble, it's the starting current. Although running a 15A saw on a 15A circuit for any length of time will probably overheat the breaker and trip the circuit, it's theoretically doable. The problem comes in when your 15A cap-start motor tries to pull 30-45A or more of current to start up. And that's a typical scenario...

I've wired shops with 30A/240v circuits feeding 3-horse Unisaws, planers, jointers, shapers, etc.. I feed them thru a disconnect with 20A slow-blow fuses(motor rated) and NEVER seen a fuse blow unless something went wrong with the tool. But running a for-real1-1/2 hp motor on a 15A/120v circuit will be an exercise in frustration, IMO..

So go looking for that clothes dryer outlet and stay with the 240v hookup for a motor of this size. Spend the fifty bucks for the necessaries, you'll never regret it.

HTH,

Bill

[Sac]

Pick up a 50' 14-gauge dropcord while you're there and you're out for less than fifty bucks.

If you are going to do that, then you need to have bigger than a 14-gauge extension cord. With that kind of for 30 amps you are going to want at least 10-gauge, but for 50', I would go 8-gauge. I am no professional, they would tell you not to do it at all.. Even for the 15 amp you might still want to think about 12 gauge.

[PaulMarcel]

If you are going to do that, then you need to have bigger than a 14-gauge extension cord. With that kind of for 30 amps you are going to want at least 10-gauge, but for 50', I would go 8-gauge. I am no professional, they would tell you not to do it at all.. Even for the 15 amp you might still want to think about 12 gauge.

14ga copper is rated for 20A though I believe code requires current limiters of 15A on those circuits. That saw wired for 220V will draw 7.5A. Window air conditioners on 220V are required to be on a circuit with 18% more ampere capacity than the A/C rating (talk about goofy...); this is to handle startup surge. Assuming 20% for the saw, you'd have 9A total, well within the 14ga limit.

Now if you used that line to string along four 220V plugs and powered them all up, you'll exceed the limit.

Personally, I bought 100' 12ga extension cord from Harbor Freight (I like extensions with yellow/black stripes for visibility); it's an SJTW cable (stranded plastic jacket for wet/dry). It was on a crazy sale and I happened to have a 20% off coupon you can use with it.

I lopped off a 6' tail to the head with the 3 female plugs and a 3' tail from the 110V plug and kept them (and have used 2 already!) The rest of the cable became stock cable for the wiring. When I went to the big box near my house, they didn't have stranded "extension cable" and I didn't want stiff NM cable so this worked well. Female/Male heads total maybe $12. I have 3 in my shop for the: 1) table saw, 2) bandsaw, 3) window A/C unit.

All these 220V circuits are tapped off my hot water heater. Yeah, I turn off the heater when I use those tools (my heater only runs very early in the morning, so hardly a problem) and only run 1 tool at a time (with the A/C ) If you don't have an electric water heater near your shop, you can tap off a dryer plug, which is less of a nuisance to ensuure isn't running when you run tools. A dryer plug includes a neutral allowing you to run 4 conductors and have a 220V and 110V circuit at the other end.

EDIT: I'm not an electrician; this is what I did and why I consider it safe; talk to an electrician if you have other questions especially about code.

Edited August 26, 2010 by Paul-Marcel
Disclaimer

[Sac]

Yes, if you were going to run just the bandsaw yes, that should be fine. But if youare going to run more than one tool off of there, then I would go bigger. At least 12ga. The length is still something that needs to be taken into consideration. The shorter the extension cord the better.

[PaulMarcel]

oh you dont have to be sorry abought the blade suggestion i have wanted to look at that blade and someday upgrade to one.and well where still on the suject how do you like the blade and do you belive its worth the high price ? and can the blade cut curves or just for resawing?

Oops, missed this yesterday.

I haven't used other resaw blades so I cannot compare. I bought it based on Marc's glowing recommendation. The part Marc liked the most was the finish quality of the cut as the resulting surface didn't need much work at all to clean up.

The Resaw King is just that, a resaw blade. You buy the largest your saw supports (3/4" for that Rikon). It won't do anything but soft curves with that blade. I still leave that blade in there all the time because it cuts so cleanly that I use it to rip small stock. When I have a curve to make, it's usually for a pattern in MDF so I can cut it in segments with that blade before cleaning it up with the spindle sander. That's me being lazy to not switch out the blade, but the little extra time on the sander for that case vs switching the blade isn't worth it.

A lot of people like the TimberWolf blades already referenced in this thread.