I'm stuck and need any input you knowledgeable people can provide. I've read through all the really great bandsaw posts on this forum but was wondering if you could provide info specific to my needs (selfish of me, I know).

First of all, I know everyone will say just get an 18 inch bandsaw. That's not an option for me. As much as I'd like one, I just can't get an 18 inch machine down my narrow right-angle finished basement stairs without risk of injury to myself or my walls. Walls I could fix, my lumbar discs are another matter. After much research, I've narrowed it down to these 3 choices. All are available locally, without shipping.



I want my band saw to be mobile, have a 12 inch resaw capacity to trim logs for turning, and to have a fence. When you equip each of these for my requirements, they are all pretty close to the same price. Now for my questions.

1. Is the steel frame of the Rikon more or less rigid than the cast iron two-part frames of the others? Which one would maintain alignment best under maximum blade tension? Or doesn't this really matter at this size?

2. The FWW review last Sept. describes the Rikon blade as being "very difficult" to change whereas the Powermatic and Steel City were "easy" to change. Do Rikon 10-325 owners agree with this? Is it a major pain to deal with or just a minor inconvenience?

3. The Powermatic only has a single speed. Is the lack of a slower speed something I'll miss or does everyone just keep their saws set to 3000 anyway? (I don't plan on cutting metal with this saw).

4. The roller guides are described as "easy" to adjust on the Powermatic and the Steel City, but "difficult" on the Rikon in the FWW review. In fact, this one point is what lowered the ranking on the Rikon, which otherwise was seen as a nice machine. Any comments from Rikon owners on this? How heavily should I weigh this assessment?

5. In the review, they could not completely correct the misalignment of the wheels on the Powermatic due to the short bearing shafts. Do any other Powermatic owner find wheel alignment to be a problem?

6. The main problem they found with the Steel City saw was an inability to adequately tighten the lock knobs for the tilting table, resulting in table movement under a heavy load. Do any Steel City owners also find this to be a problem?

7. I know all fences are not created equal. Any comments from owners on the quality of their fences? Should I consider a third party fence for the Steel City unit rather than their SC fence if I go with them?

Finally, I'd like to hear from owners of these machines as to what they like most about their particular model and what they wish would have been done differently. I know I'd be happy with any of these machines. Powermatic has the name recognition and a good resale value. The Steel City is also developing a good reputation and I really like it's built-in mobile base. Finally, I like the looks of the steel-framed Rikon and the windows allowing visualization of the wheel for adjustments is a neat feature.

Also, for all you Grizzly owners out there, yes I've looked at all their models and they seem like nice machines. I don't want to deal with shipping for this purchase, not when I have so many great choices locally. The Shop Fox I looked at just didn't measure up to these three (but is a great machine if you're on a budget).

Thanks for your input. I didn't know putting together a small shop could be so much fun .

Dave