Am I Wrong?
#11
Unless an incredible deal shows up on Craigslist, I have pretty much decided to buy a Rikon 14" bandsaw. Specifically, the steel frame model with the 13" resaw capacity. I know nothing about bandsaws but I am operating under the general impression that Rikon is making a quality product and stands behind their product.

Major uses will be long rips (sold the tablesaw) and resawing. Do not expect to do much curve cutting. Material will be domestic hardwoods

What blade do I want for general purpose work and what do I want for a resaw blade?

TIA
Thanks,  Curt
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"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards."
      -- Soren Kierkegaard
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#12
If I were going to buy a new bandsaw, it would likely be a Grizzly.  I imagine the Grizzly and Rikon would come from the same facilities, but I have been impressed with Grizzly's parts availability.
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#13
The best quality, in terms of surface finish, are the carbide tipped bands like the Lenox TriMaster. One reason why I went with a 16" saw is the ability to use these bands since they are thicker than regular bands and thus need a larger wheel radius to reduce bending stresses, though perhaps I should have gotten the 20" to drop the fatigue stresses even more.

The thicker the wood, the more a narrow, thin band will wander so for really thick stuff I prefer a 1"+ band. If you don't anticipate using the capability of that saw then lesser bands will do the job.
Cellulose runs through my veins!
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#14
(01-22-2019, 09:37 PM)Phil Thien Wrote: If I were going to buy a new bandsaw, it would likely be a Grizzly.  I imagine the Grizzly and Rikon would come from the same facilities, but I have been impressed with Grizzly's parts availability.

I love my Grizzly but I'm envious of the 13" of resaw capacity that the Rikon has.

I do believe that you are correct that the Grizzly and the Rikon come from the same factory.

As to blades I prefer 

SuperCut Carbide impregnated teeth blades for normal cuts.

Resaw King- 1/2" blade for your resawing.  I have a 3/4" blade that I got before Laguna offered the 1/2" blade.  The 1/2" is easier to tension than the wider blade.
Peter

My "day job"
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#15
(01-22-2019, 10:06 PM)Peter Tremblay Wrote: I love my Grizzly but I'm envious of the 13" of resaw capacity that the Rikon has.

That is a good point.  Looks like the Grizzly 14" saw with that sort of resaw capacity is quite a bit more expensive.
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#16
+1 with Peter on the Resaw King. It is expensive, but I keep it on the saw all the time, and like him, I got the 1/2 inch wide version. As to Grizzly and the Rikon,  I have been reading reviews for many years  it is like the difference between 6 and a 1/2 dozen - they both make good bandsaws, and you will be happy with either.  I would point out that while 13 inches of resaw capacity is great - how often do you think you will find 13 inch wide material that you want to slice into veneers?
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#17
Consider the Laguna 14bx on sale. It's a lovely saw.
I've had grizzly and rikon in the past.

The features are very nice on it.
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#18
(01-23-2019, 08:03 AM)Strokes77 Wrote: Consider the Laguna 14bx on sale.  It's a lovely saw.
I've had grizzly and rikon in the past.

The features are very nice on it.
 
   "Plus one" I have had all three and the Laguna gets my vote...
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#19
(01-22-2019, 09:59 PM)SteveS Wrote: The best quality, in terms of surface finish, are the carbide tipped bands like the Lenox TriMaster. One reason why I went with a 16" saw is the ability to use these bands since they are thicker than regular bands and thus need a larger wheel radius to reduce bending stresses, though perhaps I should have gotten the 20" to drop the fatigue stresses even more.

The thicker the wood, the more a narrow, thin band will wander so for really thick stuff I prefer a 1"+ band. If you don't anticipate using the capability of that saw then lesser bands will do the job.

I agree with Steve - if re-sawing is a priority. I would argue that 3/4" is a minimum width and 1" is better. Carbide blades simply last longer than anything else. They are expensive, but I would buy the 1" Lenox Woodmaster CT again. It does need a larger wheel, at a minimum a 18", plus a machine that has a strong frame for the high tension required. A 14" machine is simply not going to do it. The Resaw King blade is thinner and requires less tension, but it still needs the larger wheel to prevent stress cracks from being bent around a too-small wheel.

Regards from Perth

Derek
Articles on furniture building, shop made tools and tool reviews at www.inthewoodshop.com
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#20
Lots of folks are using the Woodmaster CT on the MiniMax 16 without problems.  I had one on my 17" Grizzly and had no troubles with stress cracks.  It did break at the weld, but that was because the weld was poor, nothing else.  Lennox changed the steel they use in the band some time ago to reduce fatigue cracking and it seems to have worked.  I wouldn't put one a 14" saw, however.  

To the OP, if you want to do a lot of resawing or slicing veneer in thick hardwoods you should narrow your focus to the 10-353 Pro model.  It's the only one with a 3 HP motor and a blade speed of 4300 fpm.  Both are key to resawing efficiently. To resaw you need about 1 HP for every 3 - 4" of thickness, so 3 HP will give you 9 - 12".   Higher blade speed puts more teeth through the wood/minute and carries away the sawdust more efficiently.  The others only have 1.75 HP and lower blade speeds and you will get tired of how slow it is when you get into thick hardwood.  Yes, they will work, but if you are buying a new saw with the intent of resawing they will be a disappointment.  

Also, the 10-353 is the only 14" Rikon saw rated for a 1" blade, the others are all limited to 3/4".  Generally, all the manufacturers lie about how wide a blade can be used on their saws and Rikon is likely no exception.  Most can only adequately tension a blade one (and sometimes 2) size narrower than claimed.  If true with the Rikon 10-353, it should be able to put something close to 25K psi on a 3/4" blade, and that would allow you to get good performance with a 3/4" Resaw King blade.  

John
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