Rikon 10-326

[Nick Decker]

Mark,

I'm anything but an old pro at bandsaws, and found this thread extremely helpful:

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthre...bandsaw-blades

Van's advice hasn't steered me wrong yet.

[Mark Rainey]

Thanks for the link Nick!

[Nick Decker]

No problem, Mark. Apart from Rikon blades, I'd steer clear of the Powertec blades from Amazon. Don't know who makes them, but for me they were noisy and unimpressive. Don't know what kind of cutting you're planning to do but if you have questions, fire away. I'll be happy to give my opinion on what's worked well for me on this saw.

[Mark Rainey]

Thanks for all the support from helpful Sawmill Creekers! The consensus advised a new blade. I picked up the 1/2 inch woodslicer, and it cuts beautifully with negligible drift and no screeching. I have some 7 inch side rails for a king sized bed, and would like to cut some tenons. I am optimistic it will turn out good.

[Steve Demuth]

Tension also matters. If your blade is sharp, reasonably centered on the tires, and you have adequate tension, you'll have zero blade drift. I have the 10-325, and you can adequately tension up to a 1/2" blade to 15,000 - 17,000psi. I don't think you can go beyond a 1/2" blade and get adequate tension.

If you're going to resaw on that saw, my recommendation is the 1/2" Highland Wood Slicer, with the tension cranked as far as the saw will permit. On mine, that gives me about 17500psi, and I can cut 1/16" veneer from an 8" board that is almost glue ready - generally I cut slightly oversize and give one pass with 220 grit in the belt sander set to take off 1/64" Rarely a second pass is needed on the show face.

[Nick Decker]

Correct tension is something I'm still unsure about. I know about the flutter method, deflecting the blade 1/8" or 1/4" or whatever. From the factory, I'm pretty sure the tension gauge was way off, so I "recalibrated" it. Can't be sure if I helped it or made it worse.

I do agree, though, that this saw is happiest with a 1/2" blade for resawing. Even a good 5/8" blade (not the one that came with it) seems not as smooth, but again, I can't be sure about correct tension. From what I've seen, a good gauge is almost half what I paid for the saw, so I doubt I'll go that route.

Yesterday, I tried to resaw a piece of Jatoba with the half inch blade. Not good. The same blade, at the same settings, sliced off African Mahogany beautifully. I know Jatoba can be hard to work with, but would more blade tension help?

[lowell holmes]

Watch this video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGbZqWac0jU

[glenn bradley]

Thanks for all the support from helpful Sawmill Creekers! The consensus advised a new blade. I picked up the 1/2 inch woodslicer, and it cuts beautifully with negligible drift and no screeching. I have some 7 inch side rails for a king sized bed, and would like to cut some tenons. I am optimistic it will turn out good.

Taa-Daaa! Congrats on that.

[Steve Demuth]

Good tension gauges are indeed awfully expensive for a hobbiest. My substitute is a good digital scale with which I can calibrate the spring to know its actual force, and then some simple math based on the thickness and width of the blade to get actual blade cross section tension. Not perfect, but probably good to +/- 10% or so.

[Nick Decker]

Watch this video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGbZqWac0jU

Thanks, Lowell. I've watched that one, and a few others by Mr. Snodgrass. I guess what I think I need is to be around a correctly tensioned saw, feel what the blade feels like and know that it's right. Kind of an AHA moment.

Then again, maybe I'm overthinking it.

[Barry McFadden]

I got the 10-326 a few months ago and even using the blade that came with it I have 0 drift at all. I was cutting a 10" high half round log of spalted birch the other day and slicing pieces about 3/64" off it and all were right on end to end. I did buy a smaller blade as well and no drift with it either.

[Mark Rainey]

I got the 10-326 a few months ago and even using the blade that came with it I have 0 drift at all. I was cutting a 10" high half round log of spalted birch the other day and slicing pieces about 3/64" off it and all were right on end to end. I did buy a smaller blade as well and no drift with it either.

I am glad you had success with your original blade. When setting up my Rikon, I noted my guide post to be not vertical with the bandsaw blade, and when I tightened the guidepost lock knob, it shifted forward. The bearing guides shifted forward ( because they are on the post ), and perhaps when I ran the original blade they rubbed against the set teeth. I do recall some sparks when I was running the saw at first. The guide post is supposed to be pre-set at the factory to be aligned vertical with the bandsaw blade, but the operator's manual does give guidance for adjustment. I did adjust it, but it was a pain. It is vertical now. ( when I tighten the guidepost lock knob it still shifts forward, but this time locks in vertical position ). And my new wood slicer blade is running fine. So maybe I did alter the set on my original blade. In any event, it seems a good blade is essential to good bandsaw performance.

[Nick Decker]

"... it seems a good blade is essential to good bandsaw performance."

I would guess that Rikon knows that. Why they ship it with anything otherwise is a mystery to me. If it's cost, that could be easily passed on to the customer.

When you get ready to replace your Wood Slicer, have a look here:

http://www.spectrumsupply.com/kerfmaster-2.aspx

Same blade, but they don't cut and weld it until you order it. Takes a couple days once you order, but good stuff and good service. Nothing against Highland, I like them as well.

Edit: Not sure why the link doesn't work, but you get the idea...

[Mark Rainey]

Thanks for the helpful info Nick. When you tighten the guidepost lock knob, does your guidepost shift?

[Nick Decker]

Yes, it does, but it locks it into vertical alignment with the blade. I haven't needed to change the factory setting.