is the Rikon Model 10-325 able to cut straight with a good blade?

[mateo5]

Well I'm sure this is a newbie question but I have to admit it: Im a newbie

I have a delta bs-100 and no matter what I do I cant get her to cut straight I did everything in my knowledge and I even bought a woodslicer (that gave me the closest thing to a straighter cut) but honestly Im giving up with this BS. Not that I want to resaw with it... I just want clean straighter cuts for picture frames.

Now Im moving forward and Im a considering the Rikon 10-325 but Im a little paranoid as I dont live in the US (hello from Dominican Republic!) and since Im here and there is no way to get a decent BS in Dominican Republic Im forced to buy it online from a US seller, ship it to miami and then to the DR and that alone is killing me!

I have done some research and the 10-325 for my needs seems the best option for me. I just want some insight and a honest opinion about the 10-325 ability to do true and clean straight cuts and which blade would help me on that (woodslicer maybe?) because this time with the money Im gonna put on it I cant afford any mistakes.

Thank you all.

Carlo Juan

ps: it's a pleasure to be here

[Jeffrey Schronce]

No, it will not give you a straight line. A $3000 MiniMax will not cut a straight line. Bandsaws are not made to cut straight lines, at least not straight enough to go straight to project without jointing.

The Rikon is a great little saw, but again no bandsaw is going to make straight rip or miter cuts.

[LCHIEN]

i think that depends on your definition of a straight line, your expectations vs. what Jeff has described.

You said picture frames are you wanting a straight, jointable 45° miter cut on premade-frame stock?
Get a CMS or even a manual miter saw.

or are you ripping your own frame stock?

[mateo5]

thanks for the quick response guys!

I'm redoing my thinking of a BS after reading what Jeff said, thanks

I don't spec the saw to do miter cuts but I do spec it to be able to cut "fairly straight" when cutting. I do have a little miter saw to do my 45° miter cuts, and I do want to rip my own frame stock but not from a raw chunk of wood but instead from say a 2x4, 8' pine to make my own frame stock.

I'm not a pro I just love design and I love frames and in order to be able to make my own ones I'm learning the woodworking art by reading books and working on weekends, but now I do want to take this seriously as a living, I have to start small and I love the fact that a bandsaw is quiet, for me is a big plus for my little shop.

is then a bandsaw not the right tool for that?

[Knottscott]

Even my friend's Minimax MM16 will only cut a marginally straight line. Compared to a cut from a table saw, band saws wander alot more. With a fence, a straight board, and a decent blade you might get a straight cut within roughly +/- 1/16", and will require additional work to make it presentable and jointable.

FWIW, table saws with induction motors are fairly quiet too. It's the blade cutting the wood that makes the most noise.

There are always many ways of accomplishing a task, but it sounds to me like a TS is a better tool for that job....or at least a miter saw.

[mateo5]

Thanks Dustmight

Is not miter cuts that I want to make with it, just resaw pieces of 2x4 pine and other softwoods. I will look for TS as you suggested

[Jeffrey Schronce]

thanks for the quick response guys!

I'm redoing my thinking of a BS after reading what Jeff said, thanks

I don't spec the saw to do miter cuts but I do spec it to be able to cut "fairly straight" when cutting. I do have a little miter saw to do my 45° miter cuts, and I do want to rip my own frame stock but not from a raw chunk of wood but instead from say a 2x4, 8' pine to make my own frame stock.

I'm not a pro I just love design and I love frames and in order to be able to make my own ones I'm learning the woodworking art by reading books and working on weekends, but now I do want to take this seriously as a living, I have to start small and I love the fact that a bandsaw is quiet, for me is a big plus for my little shop.

is then a bandsaw not the right tool for that?

You need a table saw. Doesn't have to be a monster given the project you are doing, however you state you want to go pro so would suggest buying a high quality tablesaw. Doesn't have to be expensive. As noted by Dustmight, the tablesaw blade makes most of the noise so look for a quite blade. Still should have hearing protection on though.

[leehljp]

I have the Delta BS at my USA home and it will NOT cut straight lines. I tensioned it as much as it would go, adjusted the blade guides as tight as I could and still let the blade move and placed the top guides as close to the wood as I could. It helped some but not much. I only wanted to cut pen blanks and that is only 5 to 6 inches.

I have a Sears 12 inch here in Japan; had it for nearly 20 years. Compared to the Delta, it does cut straight. So I was VERY disappointed in the Delta. Several people have said that the Rikon cuts much much better than the Delta.

But for rips overall, a TS is much better.

[mateo5]

well... gotta search for that TS now

thanks!

[Uncle Cracker]

I have a Rikon 10-325 and love it, but it's not gonna rip finish quality framing, nor make tight miters. That's not a bandsaw thing. If you don't have a table saw, I would recommend rough rips with whatever you have, and then perhaps finishing with a router table. This will let you put some shaping to the frame elements. Miters can be roughed out, and then finished on a disc sander, but many frame shops use an anvil-type miter shear for this precise cut. Ditto the kibosh on the pine, or any softwood for that matter. Stick to Brazilian cherry, white oak, maple, or even poplar, depending on the look you want and the budget. Spline joints or biscuits work good for the glued miter joints. Avoid the pressed-in "W" staples, as they will often cut the grain and tear out.

[mateo5]

Thanks Uncle Cracker and all others for all your help... Im really grateful for all the insights and thoughts

if after buying that BS I had found that it wouldn't do or perform as I wanted to, considering the amount of money and effort that has to be put to bring it here, Im sure that I would had collapsed or died by that shock.

Thank you all!