# New Rikon 14" Deluxe Bandsaw....now what?



## candy1land (Nov 10, 2009)

HA!  I finally jumped in and bought my VERY first bandsaw this past weekend.  It took a few hours to set it up but the blade turned and cut wood so I am off to something good I hope!  

My question is - how do I best learn how to use this tool?  There are a LOT of ways to adjust the tool, the blade, etc....  Since I have never used a bandsaw - I really feel out of water.  I want to make sure that after spending this kind of money I use it correctly and keep it up to snuff. 

Any good resources or videos or mentors (in Southern CA) out there who can help me figure this out?  

Suggestions welcome!  I'm very excited to have it after trying to cut blanks with a miter saw - didn't care for the saw ripping the blank out of my hands because it was too short to reach the guides.  I feel like the band saw will be able to do much better cuts - and safer for me.  I just have to figure out how to use the machine and take care of it.  

Thanks again, 

Candy


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## Texatdurango (Nov 10, 2009)

Candy I don't know exactly what you are looking for but I just want to add one bit of caution.

The bandsaw of course travels downward and it will try to suck everything down with it... including your fingers and any small *short* pieces you don't have a good firm grasp on!  Just make sure you keep your fingers well away or the blade will try to suck you even closer!  

The one thing I don't like about the Rikon is the 2 1/2" or 3" phenolic or plastic center insert around the blade.  It will break if the blade grabs a piece and slams it against the insert and you don't want to have your fingers in the area when it goes crashing through the hole in the table.


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## candy1land (Nov 10, 2009)

Texatdurango said:


> Candy I don't know exactly what you are looking for but I just want to add one bit of caution.
> 
> The bandsaw of course travels downward and it will try to suck everything down with it... including your fingers and any small *short* pieces you don't have a good firm grasp on! Just make sure you keep your fingers well away or the blade will try to suck you even closer!
> 
> The one thing I don't like about the Rikon is the 2 1/2" or 3" phenolic or plastic center insert around the blade. It will break if the blade grabs a piece and slams it against the insert and you don't want to have your fingers in the area when it goes crashing through the hole in the table.


 
Thanks for the caution on my fingers and the blade.  One of the things I want to learn is the best way to feed wood thru the saw while at the same time keeping my fingers away from the moving parts.  I have been using a piece of wood to push with rather than my hands on the side near the fence.  But I'm sure people to freehand work too with no fence. 

That plastic piece you mentioned is already broken out of the box.  It's very flimsy so I don't feel like going thru the hassle of fixing it.  It's still in one piece, but with cracks.  

Candy


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## Wildman (Nov 10, 2009)

Recommend you pick up a copy of Band Saw Handbook or Complete Guide to Bandsaw by Mark Duginske. If not available at your public library, buy a copy of either one.  Think the Complete Guide to Bandsaw is the latest version. 

Hartvilletool.com has Complete Guide on sale for $12.97. 

Lonnie Bird also has a great Band Saw book.


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## jlord (Nov 10, 2009)

You could pick up a video at WoodCraft. There might be some short videos on you tube that will show some basics.


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## PTownSubbie (Nov 10, 2009)

The Woodwhisperer has a video on tuning up the bandsaw.

Other than that, push sticks and sleds are your best bet to keep your hands clear and in one piece.


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## dow (Nov 10, 2009)

Wildman said:


> Recommend you pick up a copy of Band Saw Handbook or Complete Guide to Bandsaw by Mark Duginske. If not available at your public library, buy a copy of either one.  Think the Complete Guide to Bandsaw is the latest version.
> 
> Hartvilletool.com has Complete Guide on sale for $12.97.
> 
> Lonnie Bird also has a great Band Saw book.



Ditto on the Duginske book.  Excellent resource.  Congrats on the new saw.


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## Crashmph (Nov 10, 2009)

I use a sled to do most all of pen blank cutting on my bandsaw...

It makes the entire process easy to do and I have very little to worry about the fingers near the blade.


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## Daniel (Nov 10, 2009)

Cindy, This is a very appropriate question. The bans saw is at the top end for regular maintenance. and there is a lot involved. everything from inspecting the tires, Checking the blade is tracking correctly. to keeping it clean and all the guides properly aligned. then there is having the blade tensioned correctly as well.
1. Do not leave the blade at full tension when not using the saw. This creates undo wear o the blade of a sorts. Your saw should have a tension release lever. use it.
2. correct tension to the blade has a bit of a feel to it but for general pourposes at least trust the tension guide. that is better than nothing. for the most part the blade needs to be much tighter than most would think.
3. keep the wheels clean and the blade running on them straight.
4. the blade will run differently on the wheels and cut differently as it wears. this requires re adjusting tracking at times as well as re adjusting the guides.
I have what I call the red zone on my band saw. it is basically a 6 inch diameter circle that the blade is the very center of. For no reason are my hands to ever enter that zone. my zone is probably small actually since I cut only small pieces of wood I am not likely to loose control and have my hands move more than an inch or more than expected. for larger pieces of wood my red zone get appropriately larger. if I have to cut a piece of wood smaller than the red zone it must be help in some sort of clamp. jig or fixture. 

Finally band saws are very quiet and dosile appearing compaired to the other tools in the shop. do not let this fool you. they are a very serious machine that does one thing very well, cuts, and it doesn't get very particular about what it cuts.

In no way is this list complete. I highly recommend you look up one or more of the sources given above and get a good idea of not only what proper set up of a saw is. but the correct order to go about them is. books on the band saw are a real good idea as they usually include a lot of ideas as well as plans for some of the jigs you will need.

Have fun


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## Wildman (Nov 11, 2009)

Could not find article on making a pen blank cutting sled, in the library. Maybe someone could post the link. 

If you want a plan for a bandsaw resawing sled check this article. 

http://www.americanwoodworker.com/userdocs/articles/20008/mainindex.html

If my link does not work just google bandsaw resawing.

I modified the resaw sled plan to fit may needs. Pretty simple op to build pen blank sled or resaw sled. 

Good luck with your new saw.


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## rodsaw (Nov 11, 2009)

For some local help, you could contact one of the local woodworking clubs.  Since you are in Long Beach, there are a couple in the area:

Orange County Woodturners http://octurners.com/octurners/index.html
which is part of Orange County Woodworkers Association (this site was not working this morning but looks like it is a temporary error) http://ocwoodworkers.com/ 

I found a couple of listings for LA area clubs, but they have not been updated recently...one had their 1999 schedule up!   I am sure that checking the local yellow pages or woodworking store could point you in the right direction.  

The San Diego Fine Woodworkers Association is also huge and very active.  With a membership over 1600, there is certainly someone that could get with you in Long Beach.  Check them out at http://www.sdfwa.org/


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## candy1land (Nov 11, 2009)

Well thank you all so much for the advice.  I have looked on Youtube and the videos there just aren't very comprehensive to me.  I will pick up the book mentioned above for sure as I do enjoy reading and it's probably more thorough.  

I will check out the local groups in my area in the OC and San Diego.  I would drive for the help just to make sure I do this right from the beginning.  There is a lot to this saw as compared to other equipment and I want to get educated on how to use, maintain and benefit from having it. 

Thanks again to all of you for the advice.  I will try to find jig plans as well.  I saw one they used at Woodcraft to cut the blanks and they don't seem too difficult to make. 

Candy


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## nava1uni (Nov 15, 2009)

There is a good video that I picked up from the Carter people.  They make blades and other parts that make cutting on your bandsaw much easier.  Check out there website.  The video is a comprehensive tune-up maintenance for the bandsaw.  The Band saw book is also great.  It takes you step by step through the tune up process. I have a Rikon and I keep it in shape by doing that tune-up monthly.  Nice saw, very sharp.  Be careful and have fun.


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## Daniel (Nov 15, 2009)

Cindy, Not sure about anyone else but I tried Carter.com and got nothing. I then googled Carter and got everything form baby clothes to sporting goods. any help in narrowing down the correct Carter web site would be appreciated.


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## Daniel (Nov 15, 2009)

NVM I found it 
http://www.carterproducts.com/product_list.asp?cat_id=48


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## Daniel (Nov 15, 2009)

Candy, here is something I found that will get you through in a pinch, it covers the basic set up but if you have any "Problems" with the saw it will not help you. Of course you have a new saw so if you have any of that other stuff you want to return it or have the manufacturer deal with it anyway.
http://americanfurnituredsgn.com/Band Saw Tune-up Dec 03.htm
In time you do want to understand the wheel alignment issues and the drive train issues so that you can recognize them if they ever occur. By the way I have no problem running a 3/4 inch blade on my Grizzly GO555.


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## MrPukaShell (Nov 16, 2009)

Hey Candy,

If you could make the drive there is a "Basic Bandsaw" class at the Ventura Woodcraft store on Thursday December 3 from 6-9.  There phone number is (805)658-WOOD (9663).  Hope this helps.


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## dalemcginnis (Nov 17, 2009)

Candy:

Here is a link to a simple sled in the library:
http://content.penturners.org/articles/2004/cutoffsled.pdf


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## candy1land (Nov 18, 2009)

Thanks Dale for finding the sled plans.  I will make that this weekend for sure. 

I bought the first band saw book suggested to me and went back to the saw and did most of the things it said to do in regard to tuning the saw.  

One thing I couldn't do was use a long straight edge ruler to check and see if the wheels are coplaner.  The Rikon's metal frame is in the way and the ruler cannot touch both the top and bottom wheels at the same time. 

Any suggestions on this?  I took a level and put it on the top and bottom of each wheel separately and they are not level but the band saw is not on a level concrete floor either so I don't think that's a valid way for me to check?  

For those of you who have this saw how do you check that?

My blade tracks in the center of the wheels top and bottom for now so I don't see any obvious problems there. 

Also I tried to adjust the bearings and I must have had them too tight the first time as sparks came flying down while I was doing the cut.  Should the bearings be turning all the time or only when I'm sawing?  

I adjusted the table to level with the help of the screw underneath the table.  I am not really sure how to adjust for the drift issue just yet but since I'm also not cutting anything that precise I guess I don't have to worry about for now.

The other thing I noticed while using the saw for the first time to cut blanks is that the dust collects in the bottom cabinet where the wheel is rather than outside the saw.  I don't have dust control in place so I'm guess using the shop vac is a must when this saw is on?  

I think I got thru most of the needed first time tuning and adjusting I'm just stuck on what to do with the bearings?  They are very sensitive and I either get them too tight to the blade or too loose.  I used the dollar bill method and the business card method and when I go to tighten them down they get even tighter so it's challenging to get them just right. 

Thanks for the help.  I will check out the other links today too.

Candy


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## Wildman (Nov 18, 2009)

I found if blade was not under tension, could not adjust bearings correctly. Once put tension on the blade, bearing  adjustment was off. Now use a feeler gauge to set bearings.  Will spin the wheel by hand to make sure everything is good to go! Then plug machine back in and run the motor, before putting the table back on.


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## Chief Hill (Nov 18, 2009)

This is all way too much.  Candy I don't have a BS so if you can just box yours up and send it to me.....lol

why I have waited to buy one I don't know.  Never needed one till I started pen making.  Now I still just use my granite top Table saw for everything.  

Good luck and have fun.


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## candy1land (Nov 18, 2009)

Chief Hill said:


> This is all way too much. Candy I don't have a BS so if you can just box yours up and send it to me.....lol
> 
> why I have waited to buy one I don't know. Never needed one till I started pen making. Now I still just use my granite top Table saw for everything.
> 
> Good luck and have fun.


 
HAHA!  Ya I agree, this BS stuff is WAY too much.  But I have a feeling once I get the hang of it I will be SO glad I jumped in.  

Great website you have by the way!  That's one of my next projects.  Sigh.....so much to learn so little time.


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## candy1land (Nov 18, 2009)

Daniel said:


> Candy, here is something I found that will get you through in a pinch, it covers the basic set up but if you have any "Problems" with the saw it will not help you. Of course you have a new saw so if you have any of that other stuff you want to return it or have the manufacturer deal with it anyway.
> http://americanfurnituredsgn.com/Band Saw Tune-up Dec 03.htm
> In time you do want to understand the wheel alignment issues and the drive train issues so that you can recognize them if they ever occur. By the way I have no problem running a 3/4 inch blade on my Grizzly GO555.


 
Great article.......simple and to the point.  Thanks for sharing.


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## Daniel (Nov 18, 2009)

Candy, The sparks may be the blade contacting the blade guard or some other part of the saw. the guard should be adjustable by just a bit to prevent this.
They always make adjusting the guides look easy but in fact it has a bit of a touch to it at first. try using the opposing bearing to hold the blade in place as you adjust the other. this way the blade cannot be flexed away by the pushing from the bearing as you tighten it down. when you go to set the second bearing leave your spacer for the first bearing in place. this again prevents the blade from moving and maintains your proper gap.


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## Daniel (Nov 18, 2009)

On the issue of coplanar. The link I posted has a suggestion but I am of the thinking that the more pieces you put in to the system the more reasons it has to be off. for the purpose of the band saw though this method will give you accurate enough results. A level really has nothing to do with coplanar. basically you are making sure that both wheels are straight to each other and stick out the same distance. tracking is a good indication of them sticking out the same distance but they may still be tilted in relation to each other. Basically you want you straight edge to touch the top and bottom of both the upper and lower wheel all at the same time.


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## GouletPens (Nov 18, 2009)

I have the same saw and I built a sled for the tabletop, which works great b/c of the two mitre slots. The sled allows me to clamp small pieces of wood (or whatever) I'm cutting to it so I can keep my fingers away from the blade, and it also helps to keep small pieces from dropping down into the saw (since the slot in the sled is only as wide as the blade, same concept as a zero-clearance insert on a tablesaw). I built it myself with plywood and oak for the runners and back, in about 30 minutes.


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## PTownSubbie (Nov 18, 2009)

GouletPens said:


> I have the same saw and I built a sled for the tabletop, which works great b/c of the two mitre slots. The sled allows me to clamp small pieces of wood (or whatever) I'm cutting to it so I can keep my fingers away from the blade, and it also helps to keep small pieces from dropping down into the saw (since the slot in the sled is only as wide as the blade, same concept as a zero-clearance insert on a tablesaw). I built it myself with plywood and oak for the runners and back, in about 30 minutes.


 
No pictures....Didn't happen.

Redeem yourself......LOL


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## HSTurning (Nov 18, 2009)

Candy
I have no input for the bandsaw but for your miter saw I have a suggestion.
If you plan on doing mostly 90 degree cuts you can mount a piece of scrap on the back stop.  I used a 3/4" x 4" on my 12" compound slide.  I locked the slide and set it to 90 screwed the board to the back and made a cut thru the board.  Keeps everything tight for cutting and the little cutoffs dont go flying around.  I was cutting without the back stop for a while.  I was just holding the blank against what little back stop was there, hit a knot when I wasn't holding to tight.  Blank shot out and my have hit the gaurd.  Scrap pine went on as soon as I relaxed a little.

A bandsaw is a great tool.  Make sure you have resect for it just like any other tool.  Never force the matrial.  Let the blade cut it.  Learned that in school when I snapped a 1 1/4" or 1 1/2" blade in a 36" or 42" bandsaw more then 20 years ago and cant remember for sure.  Very large.  I was resawing and got hit from behind.  Teacher made me weld it back up and also had to weld up replacement blades for all the bandsaws in the shop.


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## AeroClassics (Nov 19, 2009)

Candy,
You have bought by far one of the best if not the best 14" bandsaw's out there in terms of fit and finish. I have a Grizzly, which I love, and I sell Jet, Delta, Steel City and Rikon being an associate at the Dallas Woodcraft store.

Let me see if I can help. Certainly taking a class would help you get more familiar more quickly. I find classes to be preferable to videos and books, at least to me personally.

Please, do not be frightened of loosing a finger (or other appendage) in your bandsaw. Treat it with respect but the chances of getting hurt are far greater with a router table, jointer or table saw. With a bandsaw YOU have total control over what is going on. YOU control the feed rate. YOU control the size of the piece you are cutting. YOU control blade width. I routinely cut small pieces of stock without worry. I pay attention to what I am doing but I do not get overly concerned.

Yes, a vacuum system is a must, IMHO, with a BS. Wood particles can shorten the life of you tires and possibly cause a blade to pop off.

It is ALWAYS a good idea, again IMHO, to remove the tension from the blade when the saw is not in use. Although, many a woodworker will tell you they don't and have no problems. This is true of the two Jet 14" saws we have in the classroom. I just like to do so.

If you blade is tracking straight and is riding on the crown of both wheels and you did not have to   make any excessive adjustments to get the blade to track properly then UI would not worry about whether your wheels are coplanar. I can say, with confidence, that they are.

Always use the best blade that you can. Personally, all I use are Timberwolf blades. For me they give the best performance and life. We also only use Timberwolf in the classroom saws.

To setup your saw back all the bearings off from the blade. Check to see that the blade is on the crown and running true. This can be done by hand or with the saw on. You only need enough tension to keep the blade on the wheels. Next adjust the tension. If the saw was off turn it on. When a blade is not under proper tension it will vibrate back and forth. Increase the tension on the blade until it is no longer vibrating back and forth. While you are adding tension or when tensioned properly check to make sure the blade is tracking properly. Turn the saw off and set the blade guid bearings. With the saw off and the blade under tension, the should be about the thickness of a dollar bill away from the blade. This is not a critical distance!! If when you are done setting them a bearing turns it is OK. Sometimes mine do but I find I can stop them with my finger indicating they are not hard up against the blade. The only critical distance is for the bearing(s) on the face of the blade. These should be positioned just behind the gullets.

Drift. The claim is every BS has it. And I suppose that's true. I do not see much in my Grizzly nor in the Jets at the store. I find drift is more a function of blade guard height, bearing adjustment and tension. Blade guard height changes how much space is between the bearings. More blade in the open the greater the chance of drift. Bearing adjustment as well. If the blade cannot twist, even slightly, then you have minimal chance for drift. Tension ensures the blade is not vibrating and thus is not likely to follow the grain as much.

The other problem I have found is most folks try to feed material too fast through the saw. This can and WILL cause drift. Feed at a speed such that the saw is doing the work and not you.

Body English can also affect the cut. If you switch which foot you have your weight on, or change your body position or change how you are hold the workpiece you can get a poor cut. I find the BS and router table most affected by changes in body English.

Hope this helps. If there is anything else I can do please let me know.

Doug


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## candy1land (Nov 19, 2009)

PTownSubbie said:


> No pictures....Didn't happen.
> 
> Redeem yourself......LOL


 
You read my mind.  Any chance of a picture?  : ) Thanks for the suggestion.  I am going to try and make one this weekend.


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## candy1land (Nov 19, 2009)

HSTurning said:


> Candy
> I have no input for the bandsaw but for your miter saw I have a suggestion.
> If you plan on doing mostly 90 degree cuts you can mount a piece of scrap on the back stop. I used a 3/4" x 4" on my 12" compound slide. I locked the slide and set it to 90 screwed the board to the back and made a cut thru the board. Keeps everything tight for cutting and the little cutoffs dont go flying around. I was cutting without the back stop for a while. I was just holding the blank against what little back stop was there, hit a knot when I wasn't holding to tight. Blank shot out and my have hit the gaurd. Scrap pine went on as soon as I relaxed a little.
> 
> A bandsaw is a great tool. Make sure you have resect for it just like any other tool. Never force the matrial. Let the blade cut it. Learned that in school when I snapped a 1 1/4" or 1 1/2" blade in a 36" or 42" bandsaw more then 20 years ago and cant remember for sure. Very large. I was resawing and got hit from behind. Teacher made me weld it back up and also had to weld up replacement blades for all the bandsaws in the shop.


 
That is a great suggestion!  I thought about doing this as well but wasn't sure if the blade would still reach out far enough to cut.  You just described my problem to a T when cutting small pieces with it!  That is exactly what kept happening to me.  

I will look at adding a piece to the saw to make it safer to use when I do cut 90 degree cuts and I'm not doing it on the bandsaw....although now that I have it my poor little miter saw seems to pale in comparison.  LOL :biggrin:


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## candy1land (Nov 19, 2009)

AeroClassics said:


> Candy,
> You have bought by far one of the best if not the best 14" bandsaw's out there in terms of fit and finish. I have a Grizzly, which I love, and I sell Jet, Delta, Steel City and Rikon being an associate at the Dallas Woodcraft store.
> 
> Let me see if I can help. Certainly taking a class would help you get more familiar more quickly. I find classes to be preferable to videos and books, at least to me personally.
> ...


 
Thank you for such GREAT information!  My main two concerns are adjusting bearings and the wheels being balanced so the blade tracks correctly!  I bought my saw from the Woodcraft in Stanton and ALL of you guys that work at WC are awesome and so helpful!  I appreciate you taking the time to give me some helpful hints. 

After reading your post I laughed at myself because I spent so much time cleaning the goop off the table, rust proofing it, taking the edges off the back of the blade, checking that the blade runs in the center of the wheels, trying to adjust the bearings and all the other little things you should do to setup the saw. 

Then I tried to check the fence to see if it would line up and cut things in a straight line.  And once I felt confident that it was time to cut down my first blanks I forgot to lower the blade guard to within 1/4" of the height of what I was cutting.  Of course I forgot!  I was too busy worrying about why sparks were flying down from the bearings!  Maybe that's why?  

There is a lot to remember to do when using this tool which is why it will take a while for me to get the hang of it.  I also keep forgetting to take the tension off my blade when I don't use the saw.  It sits Monday thru Friday and I only get to use it on the weekends so I need to remember to use the tension release on the back of the saw when I leave the shop on Sunday night.  This saw has a lever you can use to take the tension off rather than unscrewing it which seems handy.  

Where is my checklist of things to do for this tool!  And of course this weekend I want to make a jig for cutting pen blanks so I don't have to worry about that either.  

Thanks for the help!  This is all such great stuff!  

C


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## AeroClassics (Nov 19, 2009)

Candy,
Glad to be of help! The way I remember to take the tehsion off (or put it on for that matter) is I wrap my light and power cord up and hang them on the handle. Silly, but it works for me.

Doug


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