Rikon 10-300 Questions

I’m looking at the Rikon 10-300 and am wondering if it really has the power to cut 3" hardwood. Anyone have one that can offer advice. I don’t have the budget for a larger saw and the specs. on this one look good.
Thanks,
John

You may be asking a lot out of a 4.5 amp motor. My 1970's Delta 10" BS draws 7 amps and it shows the strain on 1-1/2" mahogany. Slow going, but it'll get through. Twice that thick is probably too much for mine. Glad I have the larger BS (2HP, 17") for the thick stuff and the resawing.

John, I did a mini review on it. See: http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=25527
Overall, it’s a nice little BS but as Glenn points out, cutting 3” hardwood is asking a lot of the small motor. I think it would cut it but it would be tediously slow going.
The tires cracked and became unusable after about a year but Rikon replaced them free of charge. That’s about the only issue I have had with it.

We have 4 of the Craftsman 21400's which are nearly identical to the Rikon but with a flat cast iron tabletop, ~1" more "resaw" capacity and a rip fence (albeit cheesy) included. The amperage of the motor and the "Carter" style ball bearing guides are the same as the Rikon. The cman is currently $199, but frequently goes on sale in the 150-160 range, a LOT less than the Rikon (I returned 2 Rikons for 4 cmen when I made that discovery)

This saw will cut 3" hardwoods, but it will be a slow and probably frustrating exercise. If cutting 3" stock will be anything other than a rare occurrence, I would hold off until you can afford a bigger saw.

For not much more $ than the Rikon, you could get a 14" Grizzly.
http://www.grizzly.com/catalog/2008/Main/92

g-luck
-kg

http://s.sears.com/is/image/Sears/00...sm=0.9,0.5,0,0

I bought a Rikon bandsaw last year. I wouldn't buy another item from them nor any high price item from Woodcraft.

The base was damaged in the corner and was rusted. No big deal, I fixed it and used some rust remover. Figuring it was new I contacted them and asked for touch up paint. Many e-mails and phone calls later, about 5 months, I got a little plastic container {used for diabetic blood strips} of dried up paint. When I pushed to get the paint from Rikon, their Rep., John Leo gives me the Pantone numbers and tells me to get the paint myself!

I contact the Woodcraft corporation, with no results and when I went to the Woodcraft store all they gave me was excuses for them and to have compassion for them too. They said Rikon gets the parts from China and the cost for shipment from China had become very expensive for them. But it was okay for me to shell out $900!

Never again!
Phil

I have that Rikon bandsaw, just to use for small scrolly-type cuts. I did'nt want to go through the long procedure of changing to a small blade on my Laguna LT-18. I have never tried to cut anything thicker than 1" on this small machine, as I do not feel they have the muscle for it.
I would hold out for a machine with more meat and muscle. Take a look at the Grizzly offerings in the 14" range. Some real good-looking bandsaws there.

Thanks for the help and information. I guess I needed a kick in the seat to make me realize a 10" saw is too small. I’ll keep saving and watching for deals like the one suggested at Grizzly.
Thanks again,
John