# Rikon 8" low speed bench grinder



## waho6o9

McMaster Carr has replaceable bushings for the grinding wheels.

I made two out of walnut until the one's from M&C came in.

http://www.mcmaster.com/#catalog/120/2592/=qq1dwm

The part# for mine was 8491A562. It has a 1" arbor.


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## madts

Why even give it 2 stars?


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## b2rtch

The name on the grinder does not mean a thing, it makes no difference.
this is why I refuse to pay for a name.
And one more time ,Wood-Craft fails to delivers


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## Dusty56

By not refunding your money, are they implying that you're the one who damaged it ?
Was the box damaged when you bought it (as seen in video) ?
Did you rate it two stars, one for the bent shield and the other star for the crooked wheels ?


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## ic3ss

I meant to give one star. The store policy, it seems, is no refunds for power tools. The box is in good shape, no damage. I was not able to go to portland woodcraft today so I'll return it tomorrow.


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## WillliamMSP

I was thinking about picking up one of these - thanks for the timely review and for taking the bullet for me.


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## wormil

That's a terrible grinder to be sure but rating a damaged piece of equipment is a little unfair. Tough to say whether this is a Woodcraft fault, Rikon fault, or could have been a hung over fork truck operator. Hopefully the replacement will be in better condition. I'd open the box before leaving the store.


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## NormG

Ouch, hope you cab get it resolved quickly


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## redryder

I agree with what Rick M. states but I also think that a store that won't refund completely for a defective product is a store that values money over customers…..................


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## WillliamMSP

I would normally agree about rating a damaged piece of gear, but it was stated that the packaging didn't show any signs of damage, which makes me think that the packaging is inadequate. That, coupled with the vendor's return policy makes me feel that the criticism is warranted.


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## wormil

I agree about the vendor criticism, they get a lot of negative comments at our local woodworking club but it's not Woodcraft's name in the title of the review.


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## ic3ss

I've had nothing but good experience with Woodcraft as a store, this is the first time I have bought a power tool from them. I was just a little bent about the fact that they will not give a refund.

"Made in China" being what it is, I don't expect perfection but this unusable. If the grinder was dropped, it had to have happened before packaging as the box and packing styrofoam were in perfect shape which speaks to manufacturer quality control not Woodcraft directly.

I'm headed up to Woodcraft in just a bit to return it, and I'll update when I get back.

Wayne


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## b2rtch

Made in China is not synonym with junk.
Some made in china stuff is good or very good, for example woodrivers hand planes.


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## BuckI

Thank you for your review. I would want to know of any problems before. I purchased one. Store policy or not you should be entitled to a refund if that pleases you. If you can't work it out to your satisfaction, you could refer the matter to corporate. I just don't agree with the policy of not refunding your money if that is what you desire. Show them the video, it looks damaged in your video, hopefully they will be able to make it right. Good luck!


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## ic3ss

Update is written above. Woodcraft came through for me.

Wayne


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## dbhost

How are the wheels attached to this grinder? I heard many of the same complaints on the full speed Ryobi BGH827. I found the plastic bushings used to mate the shaft to the larger hole in the stone were at fault. The McMaster Carr bushings and dressing the wheel fixed the wobble…

I think most modern bench grinders are like this…


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## ic3ss

One of the things we did was take one wheel that turned straight on one grinder and swap it to the other and it was now crooked. The shaft was straight so that leaves the wheel plate.

Wayne


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## dbhost

Ick. My Ryobi isn't like that. I have seen a few others wobble too. It's been the bushing on the wheel that is screwy…

Sad to see Rikon tack their name on that… Is there a warranty on that grinder you can get Rikon involved with to get this sorted out?


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## Wildwood

I have seen this bench grinder with white friable grinding wheels marketed by other companies this past year or two. Cannot find a few of those companies online or in stores anymore. Quality right out the box has been iffy, durability also in question. Still when you get one that works a great buy.

Where Rikon stands above the others with their limited five year warranty. Not sure want to fool around with product warranty right out of the box. Woodcraft might not be the only store that does not give a refund on power tools and refers you to manufacturers warranty.

Would you be better off finding this BG on sale only one year warranty with free shipping or in store pick up and 30 to 90 day return policy. You can find a Powertec BGSS800 version of this grinder at Amazon & Sears. You can read reviews here at Lumberjocks and at Amazon.

Http://www.amazon.com/POWERTEC-BGSS800-Speed-Grinder-8-Inch/dp/B00E8I3XRW/ref=cmcrprpbt

Buying a simple bench grinder lot harder than it needs to be! Been a big find of buying a bench grinder locally and checking stores return/refund policy before you buy. Now have to add open the box and test it before leaving the store too!


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## Fettler

Check my Powertec review. The wheels are surprisingly balanced.


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## Rocksterr

I really wish I had read this a long time ago. I thought I was having vibration and wobble problems because I didn't know how to adjust the wheels. I also now realize I put too much faith in Woodcraft to stock only good quality tools. It is way too late now for me to try to return the tool so what I would like now is a solution to the unacceptable level of vibration and wobble. I saw that someone posted a link to bushings but I don't understand how that works. A little help please?


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## Woodmaster1

I have the Rikon it has no issues.


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