rikon 10-325 verses grizzly go513x bandsaws

[jim sauterer]

been reading what some of you had to say about rikon and grizzly bandsaws.i went to grizzly website christmas catalog go513x at 850.00 plus 94 shipping.also said it is a closeout no backorders.does anyone know whats replacing it or are they eliminating the 17 inch all together.appreciate if anyone knows.thanks new to the site.

[Nate Folco]

I think they are replacing it with the http://www.grizzly.com/products/G0513X2

The main difference, I think, is that the x2 has cast iron trunnion.

[Greg Cole]

Jim,
From what I've read & retained.... the new 10-325 has some issues in the upper wheel-detensioning system that can affect blade tracking on a wide resaw blade. I don't remember the details exactly, but there were quite a few sources with the same information about that area on the Rikon.
I live in MO and have to the Springfield Grizzly "store" (hard to call a place that big a store).... but I haven't been since the release of the new series of bandsaws.
I had a G0513 for about a year and a neighbor offered to buy it from me for what I paid for it when he was moving to a place with a detached shop... so I am back in the market for the new Griz offerings and had considered the Rikon with the Woodcraft sale on them, they're @ the same coin The blade tracking issue on wide blades has put that one off the list. Most likley will be dragging home the G0513X2 or G0514X this coming Friday.
The G0513 was a good machine for me for the little time I had it, but the upgraded models have a the cast trunions which is why I parted with the old one (and did a neighbor/friend a favor selling a well tuned pretty new machine to him at a good price ) although there was nothing wrong with the ones on the G0513.

Man, I need to keep my posts short.....

Cheers,
Greg

[jim sauterer]

thanks for the info.others on the sight seem to like the 513x.513x2 is another 100 bucks.hard to decide.

[Curt Harms]

Jim,
From what I've read & retained.... the new 10-325 has some issues in the upper wheel-detensioning system that can affect blade tracking on a wide resaw blade. I don't remember the details exactly, but there were quite a few sources with the same information about that area on the Rikon.
......

Cheers,
Greg

Hi Greg

I think the problem with the Rikon was with the 10-345. That's Rikon's 18"er. The 10-325 is the 14"er with 12" of resaw. I haven't seen any negative posts on the Grizz bandsaws that I can recall.

Curt

[Greg Cole]

Curt,
Thanks for the clarification, once I read about the troubles with the 18" it was off the short list.... sorry for the bad info all.
Anyway, the Grizz was on the top of the list & still is. I'll have pics of the aforementioned new saw in @ a week.

Cheers.

Greg

[Russ Massery]

Greg, I have the G0153X, I've had for just about a year now. I'm very impressed with the power. It resaws great and can't wait to get a Trimaster on it. It also replace a old Delta 14" I had. I was concerned it would not scroll as well as a 14". But after putting a 1/4" blade on it that concern was quickly put to rest. It's a great all around saw. I highly recommend it. BTW I checked with Grizzly and the new cast iron trunnions CAN be retrofitted on the older saws. I have not follow through on the cost of doing so.

Russ

[Greg Cole]

Russ,
I suspected the parts would be interchangeable.... but I can upgrade as I made out fairly on selling the first. I had no reason to sell it really...
If nothing else I gave myself a reason to drive to Springfield and drool all over the showroom.....

Greg

[Joe Spear]

I got a Rikon 10-325 a couple weeks ago at one of their periodic clearances of demonstrators and reconditioned returns. It retails for $750, but I got one for $500. I absolutely love it. The blade guard raises and lowers with a rack-and- pinion hand-crank. It has a 13-inch resaw capacity without any riser needed. It will take blades from 1/8" to 3/4". It has roller blade guides and will accept a Carter blade stabilizer for the narrower blades. The fence is very good and can be set for drift. The table is larger than most other 14-inch bandsaws. It has a closed base with a two-shelf storage compartment. The motor is 1 1/2 horsepower. The wheels are cast iron with urethane tires. It has quick-release blade detensioning lever. The dust collection port is 4 inches. The blade change is not difficult. It is a real improvement over my old Grizzly 1019Z.

Somebody who has a Grizzly 0513 should lay its virtues to help you decide.

[jim sauterer]

great price at 500.where did you get it from.toolcenter has the10-325 for 799 free ship to terminal.thanks for the info.have a great day.

[Joe Spear]

I got mine from the Rikon tool parts center in Woburn, MA. I live only about five miles from there, so it's easy to check things out when they have one of their sales. A few months ago I got the midi-lathe and stand, retail value $400, for only $200. The lathe had been photographed for an ad and never used otherwise. What's good is that the engineers there really go over the machines before they sell them, so everything is assembled and tuned up. They had five of the 10-325 bandsaws two weeks ago, some for $450 and some for $500, depending mainly on how much the paint was scratched.

[Michael Panis]

I'm also deciding about between the Rikon and Grizzly. I read the posts on the 10-345 tracking issue, but others say their Rikon tracks wide blades very well. Anyone know if this issue was fixed?

On a similar note, any Grizzly owners care to speak on the value of cast iron trunnions vs. the standard ones?

[Frederick Rowe]

I bought a Rikon 10-345 18" BS in January and have been extremely happy with both the saw and Rikon service. I read about the Rikon de-tensioning system issue being parroted in several woodworking boards. After searching numerous posts, it seems that in a 2/2006 posting in The North Carolina Woodworker, the posting member declared that the redesign of the upper tension/tracking was a "fatal flaw".

He further added a link to another member's web site who, states in a comparison between the older and new Rikon designs, that

"This new design has been reported to cause problems. Adding a point of friction below the pivot point of the upper wheel assembly just seems like a bad idea, and in fact it causes the tracking adjustment to be difficult and unreliable." Then that persons web page gives the link back to the NC Woodworker posting that linked to his site.

Thus, the genesis of this particular circular speculation turned fact. Outside of this pair, I've not read a posting by the owner of a 10-345 who has experienced any trouble with tracking, or any other issue with the upper end of this saw. I even called Rikon support (Rod) who told me that he had personally talked with the original NC Woodworker member, and offered to try several solutions to his problem which went unaccepted. I primarily use the saw for resawing w/a Timber Wolf 1" blade. I de-tension the blade after each use, and have never had a problem with repeatable returns to proper tracking without any adjustment.

I can't speak to the Grizzly saw, as I don't own one and haven't used one, but have heard plenty of good things about them and the company. I can speak to the quality and top notch service of Rikon. I'm sure you won't go wrong with either.

[Michael Panis]

Thanks for clearing the air

[John Browne]

Looks like this interesting thread croaked.

I bought the G0513 (not the x or the x2) because 1) it was on sale making it an even greater deal and 2) a Grizzly employee who makes wooden boats (so he's a heavy BS user) told me the 513 was his third BS and the one he was finally satisfied with. Seemed ok to me.

Frankly (and I'm the first to admit my BS noobieness) CI wheels and trunnions are great, but if the saw cuts and the table doesn't move, are they really necessary? Frankly the 513 cuts amazingly well (to me, anyway) with the optional TW 1/2" blade. It doesn't vibrate and frankly it spins so long after shutdown I'm not sure I'd even want CI wheels without a foot brake.

Do we just get carried away by tool lust? Do we REALLY need all there is?

The only thing I'd change on the 513 is the guides--they're "euro" style without the screw adjusters. It's hard to keep them in the right place, and on a narrow blade like 1/4" I haven't had a lot of luck keeping things adjusted. The BB guides are like a $80 upgrade, which is a lot on a saw of this price range.

Oh, and the fence ain't great for resaw--needs a kreg.