I Delta Tool Boxes

Review by Chris Andrus : Great Saw for a Great Price

I bought this saw based on it's features, price and rave reviews that it has received from magazines and users. It has not disappointed me. I bought the saw from Amazon because of the free shipping and no sales tax which made it less expensive that had I bought it from my local Woodcraft. My only complaint is that it was handled pretty roughly in the shipping. It came to me with the box beaten and torn open. The packing foam was even broken in spots. When I put it together I discovered that the bottom plate on the saw was bent a little from a hard drop or something similar. It didn't damage the mechanical working of the saw but I did have to bolt it down to straighten the bent steel. All that said I'm happy with my purchase. Maybe a different freight carrier, one that treated heavy and expensive packages with more love, would be a nice upgrade but the saw is great for the price and well worth the money.

Review by RC : I'd buy it again in an instant

I too bought this just over two years ago on a recommendation in a major woodworking magazine. At that time, only Eagle Tools in Glendale carried this line in the L.A. area, and they were selling it at nearly the same price ($750 back then). So it hasn't suffered (yet) from some of the huge price jumps other tool companies have had. Nice to see that Woodcraft, Amazon, Sears, and others are now carrying it. With the nearly 10% tax rate in CA, and free shipping, buying it at Amazon would save you $70+ over the typical list price (and I haven't seen it "on sale" much recently, if at all). Huge resaw capacity (13"), cast iron wheels, large 2-miter slot cast iron table, quick release tension lever, smooth running, it is very nicely done for the price and does the job right. Yes, the fence and bar setup are lacking, but I planned on adding an aftermarket one anyway (the Kreg, although with some mod's needed). For the price here at Amazon + free shipping, it's a very good deal (not smoking, just very good).

Review by J. Brown : Outclasses the old 14" saws

Like most people shopping for a band saw, I spent a lot of time on various websites, user discussion groups, etc. It's enough to make your head spin--so many choices. When I actually saw the old style (cast iron frame) 14" band saws next to the Rikon Deluxe 14" saw, it was immediately clear that this machine is in a separate class--there's no comparing the cast iron frame saws to this beast. It's bigger, more refined, has as much power as the best of them, and has a huge resaw capacity (that exceeds the cast iron models with riser block installed). When you start adding up the bit$ and piece$ required to bring a cast iron frame near the specs of this saw, you'll see that those saws aren't really cheaper. Set-up was no particular problem, but the manual for this saw is absurdly bad. It would be a bad manual for a crummy, cheap saw, but it's an embarrassment to have such a horrible manual for such a nice machine. Instructions are sparse. Hardware does not match illustrations/descriptions (those few that there are). In spite of this, if you are semi-mechanically inclined (as I hope you are if you're buying a band saw), you can figure it out. As one would hope, this is a powerful machine that cuts curves and resaws nicely. The fence leaves something (a lot) to be desired--the machining on the fence is marginal, the mechanism to adjust the fence to square with the table is inadequate (and cheap)...but I don't use the fence much anyway. This is a band saw, not a table saw. I will likely build or buy a better resaw fence when I get into a project that calls for a significant amount of resawing...but the existing fence will do for now. Like the manual, it is strange to have such a marginal fence on an otherwise impressive machine. In short, this is a great saw--the fit and finish is very good--and the shortcomings (manual and fence) are only minor annoyances.

Review by Charles S. Holzheimer "durnik150" : Very impressed with the value for the $$

The thing that sets this saw apart right off the bat is the 13" resaw capacity without having to install a riser block. Up to this point you had to disassemble your saw, install the riser (usually $75-$125), and reassemble the saw. While you may rarely fully utilize the full 13" capability, having the room between 6" and 13" is wonderful to have. Easy crank handles make adjustments easy. This machine comes with a 1 1/2 hp motor, more than enough to power through most woods at a reasonable speed. The provided fence is better than most original manufacturer fences. It doesn't scream to be replaced with an after market fence but I have the Kreg fence from my old machine so the provided fence will be coming off. Two minor drawbacks keep me from awarding a 5 star review. First are the "windows" provided with the machine. The first rides just above the upper bearing guide assembly. Light can't get in there and the window immediately gets covered with statically charged sawdust. You end up bending way over so you can see below the window. Its removal is very high on my list of modifications. The second is the tension meter. It just flat fell off the machine when I first opened the door. When I reattached it I saw that it was so poorly made it in no way could be accurate. Back to the old tightening by audible pitch. Overall I believe this is a great purchase for the money. Jet recently came out with their 14 deluxe and the market price is right around $900. There may be a few nice touches on the jet that you don't get on the Rikon but sometimes it just boils down to cost. EDIT---The prices on the Rikon and the Jet are now pretty much neck-and-neck. I would recommend the consumer look closely at both brands.

Review by John W. Devore Sr. "JWDsr" : Very nice 14" bandsaw

The Rikon model 10-325 is a very good bandsaw all it needs is the proper setup and tuning some of which are not in the manual. 1: install a new blade you figure will be your go to blade and adjust it to center and tension it. 2: square the table to the blade, side and back. (That is in the manual). 3: adjust the guide bar assembly so that it is plumb to the blade, yes this can be done by adjusting the four set screws in the upper guide base. You'll need a long 3 mm allen T-wrench & a 12" square. Loosen the four mounting blots on the backside and adjust the set screws as required. Go slow and bear in mind the locking knob will push the bar in also. Once the guide bar is plumb the guide rollers can be adjusted per the manual. 4: adjust the guide rollers as required. Remember to loosen the roller screws before trying to adjust the rollers or you could bend the holder. With the guide bar plumb, moving it up or down will not change your roller settings. 5: I installed a Kreg fence so I now squared it to the T slots. (The stock fence is one item they skimped on). I didn't even install it so I can not comment on the fence being square and flat. Others have had issues with the stock fence. I now have a bandsaw second to none in it's class. It is quiet, smooth and accurate. Adjusting the guide bar does not require re-adjusting the roller guides either. You will read where the dust port has a baffle in it. It does, and it did block dust pickup. Not anymore. I don't know how accurate the tension gauge is for sure, it seems close but until I can acutally measure it I won't know. The quick tension release lever is easy to reach, however short folks will need a step stool to adjust the tension knob which is placed on top of the saw. I installed the saw on a universal mobile base sold by Woodcraft #145488 and would recommend this base over any of the other bases I have (all are major manf. too). Yes there are minor issues that could have been designed differently but this saw sells for hundreds less than it's competitors and does just as well when properly setup. I installed a 4 tooth 1/2" blade and setup to re-saw an 8" piece of red oak, the saw handled it very well. I am quite satisifed I waited so that I could to purchase the Rikon

Review by md4stone : Rikon 10-325 14" band saw

I've had this saw for about 6 months now, so I think it's time for a review. Amazon's free delivery was top-shelf, with the freight Co. setting a delivery time, keeping it, and wheeling the saw right into my residential garage on a pallet jack. I didn't have to lift a finger. Assembly was easy enough despite the hard to follow directions as it all makes sense anyway, and took about 4 hours including dialing-in and fine tuning. This is not my 1st 14" band saw, but is the 1st steel-frame variety. I am extremely pleased with the function and quality of this saw. I really like the enclosed storage underneath. Gives me a great place to keep the blades and accessories for it. I was immediately impressed with the power and smoothness of this saw. No appreciable vibration in any mode or with any blade. I never used the blade it came with, but immediately installed a Timberwolf 1/2"-4TPI. I noticed the Timberwolf blade was a hair smaller in circumference than the supplied blade, so the tension indicator doesn't work right. Didn't matter as I use the Timberwolf instructions to tension the blade anyway. Re-sawing is fantastic with this saw. As is typical of any band saw, the rip fence must be adjusted to match the blade tracking. I just use a guide to keep the piece at a vertical 90 and eye-ball cut to a marked line. To test it out, I stood-up a 2 by 12 by 24" long and ripped it down the middle. Very nice cut with no vertical belly, could clean it up with one pass through the thickness planer. Plenty of power on the fast speed setting. The extra large table makes scroll-cutting a dream on this saw. After changing to a 3/16" blade, tight radiuses were no problem even in 8/4 lumber. The carter-style blade guides work very well, and are not too difficult to adjust once you get the feel for how the tightening screws react or change the setting when final tightening is applied. I wish the work light could be on the other side of the saw frame or have a longer gooseneck so it can actually be pointed at the front of the blade and not in my eyes. I will give it 4 stars as there is no way to give it 4.5. I don't think I could give anything 5 stars unless I knew for a fact it was the best of everything available. I think this saw would fair extremely well in an every 14" band saw shoot-out though. I'm very happy with mine. It is highly doubtful I will ever look back on this purchase. If you want a quality saw at a decent price, look no further.