Rikin 10-326 bearings

[Mark Rainey]

I have my Rikon 10-326 for 3 years and my lower bearing seized. Although the bandsaw is
under warranty, Rikon said the bearings are a use item and not under warranty. This topic was addressed a couple of years ago on the forum. You can replaced the bearings, they are not expensive. A thread going on now gives a lot of good information on bearings. You can also just open them up and clean them. I recommend this when the bearings are not spinning as easily. When they are seized it takes a couple of minutes longer to clean them up. I used mineral spirits.

bearing 1.jpgbearing 2.jpgbearing 3.jpgbearing 4.jpg

[Bruce King]

Good job!
Many vehicles have idler pulleys that you can fix the same way but with added grease after cleaning. Seized pulleys on vehicles can cause major damage.

[Steve Eure]

Just replaced the lower thrust bearing on my 10-325 that has been converted to the new style tool-less guides like the 326. I buy most of my bearings at a local B & D Technology. They are inexpensive to replace. Those bearings are supposed to be sealed and should not be opened. They are so cheap that I would rather just buy new ones. Hope you get good service by cleaning and lubing them though.

[Ronald Blue]

Having dealt with bearings most of my working life recycling a bearing wasn't something I did unless it was temporary until parts could be procured. Bearings are precision and dirt intrusion does permanent damage. If a bearing locked because of this it might last a little while but the damage is done. Being they are blade guides it's not a big deal if they lock again though. If they were some place more important like on one of the wheels then it wouldn't even be a consideration to try to salvage. I hope it lasts a long time though.

[Curt Harms]

Some 14" band saw blade guide bearings are the same as skateboard bearings. Buy a tube of 'em off Ebay for cheap.

[Mark Rainey]

My rebuilt Rikon 10-326 roller bearings seized up rather quickly. You guys were right. It is just is a temporary fix. I bought some new ones. The lower bearings do collect a lot of wood dust, especially with heavy resawing. I got some spares.

[Bill Dufour]

Odd bearing number, usually they are four digit. Did that translate to a common size?
Bil lD

[Bruce Wrenn]

Good job!
Many vehicles have idler pulleys that you can fix the same way but with added grease after cleaning. Seized pulleys on vehicles can cause major damage.

Most use the common 6203 2RS. Got a $1.99 (now almost $3) one in idler pulley on daughter's Honda Civic. Bearing has over 300K miles on it. Cheap Chinese crap!

[Brian Runau]

Most use the common 6203 2RS. Got a $1.99 (now almost $3) one in idler pulley on daughter's Honda Civic. Bearing has over 300K miles on it. Cheap Chinese crap!

Before I retired I was a product manager and a purchasing manager and sourced industrial products from China. If you buy a skf 6203 it is made in China. Different levels of quality coming out of China. Some low end brands by rejected races and change the rolling element diameter to make them work.

[Bill Sutherland]

I went with Cool Blocks from Stockroom Supply and have been happy with the results.

[John K Jordan]

My rebuilt Rikon 10-326 roller bearings seized up rather quickly. You guys were right. It is just is a temporary fix. I bought some new ones. The lower bearings do collect a lot of wood dust, especially with heavy resawing. I got some spares.

I posted this before. To pull dust away from the lower bearings I built a "shroud", a partial box that draw clean air across the gullets of the blade just below the table and from the lower guides and pulls it into the dust collector. The lower bearings stay quite clean even when sawing thick green wood.

dust_shroud_2e_IMG_7598.jpg dust_shroud_1_IMG_7603.jpg

This also catches a lot of dust which would otherwise spray from below the table to the floor by my feet. It, plus the dust port in the bottom of the lower cabinet keeps nearly all the dust from accumulating in the bottom of the cabinet.

JKJ

[Mark Rainey]

I posted this before. To pull dust away from the lower bearings I built a "shroud", a partial box that draw clean air across the gullets of the blade just below the table and from the lower guides and pulls it into the dust collector. The lower bearings stay quite clean even when sawing thick green wood.

dust_shroud_2e_IMG_7598.jpg dust_shroud_1_IMG_7603.jpg

This also catches a lot of dust which would otherwise spray from below the table to the floor by my feet. It, plus the dust port in the bottom of the lower cabinet keeps nearly all the dust from accumulating in the bottom of the cabinet.

JKJ

very nice John, I will have to try that!

[John K Jordan]

very nice John, I will have to try that!

The disadvantage is it prevents tilting the table but I never tilt. To cut an angle I make an angled wedge and fasten to the table.