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4K views 6 replies 6 participants last post by  kelvancra 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
SHORT OF IT: UPGRADE TO URETHANE BAND SAW TIRES. THEY WILL REQUIRE SOME TRIMMING TO NARROW THEM, BUT THE DIFFERENCE IS DRAMATIC.

After reading quite a few positive reviews I finally pulled the trigger on a used Rikon 10-325 that I had been eyeing on craigslist for awhile. When I went to check the saw out I noticed that the blade was undulating forward and backward and there was a decent amount of vibration in the table. Having done the research ahead of time I knew that this was a potential issue but also knew that people have had some success in dialing the undulations down using the lower wheel adjustments…

...Sooo….I pulled the trigger and brought it home. Not wanting to rely on the stock blade for setup I ordered a 1/2" Woodslicer and started tuning it as soon as it arrived. After almost an hour of micro adjusting the lower wheel I could not, for the life of me, get the undulations to go away or the vibration to stop. No amount of tuning was going to correct it. I checked coplanarity, checked for runout on the tires (there was some very, very slight runout), checked for twist in the wheels, confirmed the welds on the blade were good and it was flat, etc. etc.

I was about to give up but decided to try the next cheapest 'fix' which was ordering a pair of urethane band saw tires. After restoring a vintage Delta and a modern Ridgid band saw I knew what kind of difference a urethane tire could make. I ordered the orange ones (14"x1") off of Amazon.com.

Unfortunately the urethane tires are too wide for the the wheels on the Rikon. Once you get them seated and pressed between the outerlips you get a bubble running down the middle of the tire. No good. So, I had to slide the tire so it was just hanging off maybe 3/32" off the edge and then used a razor blade to trim the edges off. Then I ran the rough edges across my 1" belt sander to clean them up and smooth them out.

They now slid into place easily and I reinstalled everything, tensioned the blade, adjusted tracking and started it up. All I can say is WOW. An absolutely insane improvement. Went for basically 1/8" undulations to no perceivable movement at all. The band saw is MUCH quieter and all of the vibration is gone. I seriously can not believe the improvement.

If you own this saw and are having issues I HIGHLY recommend scrapping the stock rubber tires and upgrade them to the urethane variety. I'm beyond ecstatic about this saw now.
 
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#3 ·
Thanks for the heads up. I have this saw, I dont have much of a vibration problem but slight undulation. Nothing too bad to where I started messing with the bottom wheel adjustments (I didn't wanna risk making anything worse as the current state hasn't bothered me enough), but I may give the after market tires a go someday to see if I can get it to run even more smoothly.
 
#4 ·
I echo what Stewbot has to say….

Same saw….
No real undulating or vibration….
However, good info, in case an issue does develop.

Thanks for sharing your solution!!!
 
#5 ·
I have 14 10-325 band saw that's vibrating on the top blade bad . There is a adjustment on back of saw looks like a cross but no luck with that . I believe it was doing it when I bought it new. So I try new belt . Thanks for posting…
 
#6 · (Edited by Moderator)
I just went through bandsaw hell trying to tune out the pulsing, and to deal with the fact the drive belt was rubbing on the back of the cabinet. Nice job Rikon factory.

It required, oddly, going to an inexpensive Olsen blade, because the Wolfies stunk for weld alignments. After that, I must have adjusted that the lower shaft forty times, which means releasing tension, adjusting for pulse, adjusting for lower wheel tracking and for upper wheel tracking. Said another way, the Rikon makes me like my PM all that much more.

Fortunately, the beast came from the factory with poly tires. Yes, they are nice. I replaced the rubber tires on my PM with them and they make for a smooth ride.

It's working again, but I need to sharpen the Olsen and grind the back of the two crap Wolfie blades (next time, straight back).
 
#7 ·
How's your upper bearing, Calvi? They are cheap, if bought through after market bearing companies.

I'm curious about that upper adjustment you mention. The only adjustments I am aware of are:

1) The tension wheel at the very top;

2) The tension release; and,

3) The upper wheel tracking control on the back (when making big adjustments, try tapping the bottom of the upper wheel to dislodge the wheel, then spinning by hand, to check tracking if it's stuck from dust build up).

I have 14 10-325 band saw that s vibrating on the top blade bad . There is a adjustment on back of saw looks like a cross but no luck with that . I believe it was doing it when I bought it new. So I try new belt . Thanks for posting…

- Calvi
 
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