Rikon 10" benchtop bandsaw

I'm half tempted to get one to have for a scrolling blade. It might even pay for itself in blades over a few years... ... .. lets see roughly $5 per blade cheaper compared to my current saw so payback is only 40 blades. Currently using ~2 blades (of that size) per year so.. yeah only 20 years.

A scrolling saw would be kind of convenient though :D
 
Ned, shouldn't the size of a bandsaw depend on the size of the lumber to be cut, rather than the experience of the owner? My bandsaw has a 6" cutting depth, but without it, I could not have done some of the things I have tried, even though I am a beginner at it.

That being said, at 4½" clearance, it's pretty comparable to mine, at a good price.
 
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Roger, I think the point Ned was making is that it has a somewhat limited capacity, but the price is low enough that it's affordable for someone who's just starting to put a shop together. You're right about the size limiting the thickness of lumber you can cut, but often there are power issues with smaller saws, too. Smaller saws typically don't have a lot of horses under the hood (which is fine for the thinner stock they are use on), but by the time you get into a 6" saw like yours, the motor horsepower can be increased quite a bit.

Ryan, I know of several guys who've bought these to use as a dedicated scrolling saw. If I had the room, I'd be tempted myself. The little Rikon has a good reputation. (So do their bigger models.) And this is indeed a good price. :thumb:
 
well i agree if you in to small stuff but....the Grizzly deal posted the other day with a 1 Hp motor while double in cost i would prefer saving for it. Unless one plans on keeping the 10" ie have space to do that when you upgrade then my view is you will get little back and harder to sell. YMMV. I just cannot get over that Grizzly deal.

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I'm half tempted to get one to have for a scrolling blade. It might even pay for itself in blades over a few years... ... .. lets see roughly $5 per blade cheaper compared to my current saw so payback is only 40 blades. Currently using ~2 blades (of that size) per year so.. yeah only 20 years.

A scrolling saw would be kind of convenient though :D

I'd save the footprint and put a 1/8" blade on the bigger saw if I already had one.

Ned, shouldn't the size of a bandsaw depend on the size of the lumber to be cut, rather than the experience of the owner? My bandsaw has a 6" cutting depth, but without it, I could not have done some of the things I have tried, even though I am a beginner at it.

That being said, at 4½" clearance, it's pretty comparable to mine, at a good price.

Roger, to a point, yes. I wouldn't go smaller than a 14" throat no matter what the height is, there are many times when I wish I had 16" throat depth on some cuts. your 6" is the height for resaw, and on a 14" saw, thats about all I'd want to resaw. I have a Harbor freight bandsaw with a riser block, but I don't ever plan on attempting to re-saw anything more than 6" wide.

Roger, I think the point Ned was making is that it has a somewhat limited capacity, but the price is low enough that it's affordable for someone who's just starting to put a shop together. You're right about the size limiting the thickness of lumber you can cut, but often there are power issues with smaller saws, too. Smaller saws typically don't have a lot of horses under the hood (which is fine for the thinner stock they are use on), but by the time you get into a 6" saw like yours, the motor horsepower can be increased quite a bit.

Ryan, I know of several guys who've bought these to use as a dedicated scrolling saw. If I had the room, I'd be tempted myself. The little Rikon has a good reputation. (So do their bigger models.) And this is indeed a good price. :thumb:
+1 on Vaughn's points. A 10" saw is for Small work pieces, you're not going to be able to horse anything large through there, but why would you want to?

well i agree if you in to small stuff but....the Grizzly deal posted the other day with a 1 Hp motor while double in cost i would prefer saving for it. Unless one plans on keeping the 10" ie have space to do that when you upgrade then my view is you will get little back and harder to sell. YMMV. I just cannot get over that Grizzly deal.

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Rob, I too would save up for the triple nickel, and in fact that was what I was originally saving up for when my HF saw dropped in my lap for about the price of the Rikon. I got my Delta Midi lathe with extended bed, plus the already riser blocked HF 14" saw for $300 iirc. COuldn't pass up the deal and haven't been unhappy with either purchase yet.


I really was pointing the Rikon out for that perfect storm of someone who knows the limitations and it still is a good fit for their shop... trying to save them $100.
 
I'm thinking that the Craftsman 21400 is nearly identical....currently $170 from Sears. I've got the 12" 22400 and have been happy with it. I've read of several happy owners of the 10" who bought it to cut curves and left their bigger bandsaws setup for resawing. It's never gonna compete with a much larger saw, but isn't overly expensive, and doesn't take up a ton of space.

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looks like they just changed paint colors scott:) one thing that has been breifly mentioned is the space allowed between the frame and the blade,, that is one measurement that in my book should be top of the list you can cut tight runs on wood with both but when that tight turn in on the end of a longer piece then your gonna have to get creative.
 
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