Tool Review: Rikon 10-306 Bandsaw
Rikon’s new 10-in. bandsaw is a worthy addition to any woodworking shop whether big or small, pro or amateur.
Rikon’s new 10-in. bandsaw is a worthy addition to any woodworking shop whether big or small, pro or amateur. Small bandsaws like this are often derided as toys that can’t do precision work or don’t have enough power— not the case with this little critter. The 1⁄2-hp motor has all the power needed to resaw at its maximum capacity of 5 in., even in gnarly hardwood. I installed a 1⁄2-in., 4-tpi blade and found the rip/resaw rate to be very acceptable. It also did a fine job on curves. The single 2-1⁄2-in. dust-collection port at the bottom of the lower wheelhouse, combined with a small vent that allows air to be drawn in directly below the lower guides, does a good job of controlling dust.
The bandsaw frame and upper guide post are rigid, providing a good base for accurate resawing. The guides adjusted without tools, and setup overall was low-stress and easy. A little window on the end of the upper wheel house allows blade tracking even
with the door closed.
The saw has two speeds: 3,280 sfpm (surface feet per minute) for wood and 1,515 sfpm for soft metals and some plastics. A 13-3⁄4-in. by 12-1⁄2-in. table creates ample space for workpiece support. A securely locking, two-position high/low fence makes rip and resaw setups easy and secure. Small size doesn’t equal small performance with the 10-306. It’s a little workhorse that can pull its weight around the shop.
—Roland Johnson wrote the book on bandsaws (The Complete Illustrated Guide to Bandsaws, The Taunton Press, 2014).
From Fine Woodworking #279
Comments
Hi,
I read this review with interest. It looks like it would fit my needs perfectly, as I have a really small shop space and a 14” saw would eat up a large amount of it. I am a hobbyist so I am looking for a good combination of quality and cost, and don’t mind if it works slowly if it works well. My main use for it would be re-sawing smallish boards for grain-matched boxes (like those in the 52 boxes book), and for cutting leg blanks to rough profiles (such as cabriolets).
I went to a local store today and looked at it and superficially it looked perfect, but the salesman was really negative about it, seemed to think that it was useless for my applications, and that I should just get a 14” saw instead.
so, let me know y’alls thoughts. If 14” is the way to go, I guess I can stomach that but I was really hoping not to need to. Thanks!
I have the earlier version of this bandsaw (without the spring loaded guides) and I would say it's easily capable of doing the tasks you're talking about. (I also have a 14" 1.5hp bandsaw, and the two are totally different machines in terms of their capability.) Where the 10" Rikon shines is in it's small footprint and it's portability. I bring it from one worksite to another with no problem, and store it underneath a workbench when it's not in use. This newer version with tool-free blade guides and the blade tension relief lever seems to come at an additional cost of $100. It's up to you to decide if those features are worth the added cost.
I don't think I would use the 10" Rikon to re-saw 5 inches of "gnarly hardwood" but I've used it to re-saw hundreds of feet of clear 4" Douglas Fir with no problem, as long as I paid close attention to in-feed speed. If you have a sharp blade and aren't in a hurry this little saw will be able to take care of your needs as you've stated them. Just don't expect to re-saw 5" white oak all day long.
As I read the above review I couldn't help thinking the author was paid by Rikon to say good things about this saw.
I bought one and have had it for a few weeks now, and am very disappointed with it.
To begin, the 5/8" mitre slot makes using any quality after-market mitre impossible. Second, the provided fence system is seriously terrible, offering very little ability to micro-adjust, and has a hard-to-use clamp that likes to pop-off the rail. Third, the table cut for blade removal is in the front, rather than the side, ensuring that you have to remove the fence rail to change a blade, and making your finest stock troublesome to pass against the fence. And as the table is just 3/4" thick and drilled/tapped on the underside for a fence, there is no way to install an aftermarket fence system without devising some sort of adapter contraption to attach the fence rail. Lastly, there is an awful lot of flex in the table attachment, and even some noticeable flex in the frame, even under the weight of ones hands. Pressing stock against the fence moves the table and makes a straight cut nearly impossible.
With the stock blade tightened up properly and the sawguides and table finely tuned it was impossible to get a straight cut no matter how carefully or slowly I fed stock. A higher-quality replacement blade helped things a fair bit, but not enough.
I have had the table machined to accept 3/4" slot mitre (a good thing to do), and have devised a way to attach an after-market fence system. I hoped that would have been enough to make this a useable tool for small precision work, but due to the flex of the table it's really only good for rough work.
The motor is fine, blade guides are fine, dust-collection ports are quite good, and it's a fairly quiet tool. The Rikon stand designed for it positions the table quite a bit lower than any 14" saw table, and there's a lot of bending down to do when using the saw on this stand for an average height person.
I will be selling this saw, at a hefty loss, after 4 weeks of ownership and constant tweaking/improving. I'd advise to buy a quality 14" saw at twice the price as you'll surely get twice the saw.
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