Vibration Plates - The Facts. Are you looking for a vibration plate on eBay? Well, then you will probably be as confused as everyone else at this moment? You will have already realised that there are so many sellers and specifications in the market today. But there are also so many 'hyped' specifications, standards and false claims; it may just seem impossible to choose! The array of choice on eBay only adds to the confusion for the buyer.
This guide is designed to help by explaining some basic market information; so you can stay 'one step ahead'. Firstly, the 'HEADLINE' marketing will always focus on three points;. How powerfuly is the machine? (in Watts). How 'new' is the technology?.
BAND SAW WITH. EXTENSION TABLE. Cutting width. DO NOT use power tools in wet or damp areas, and DO NOT expose.
How good is the price? ('Special Offer' pricing etc) This is sometimes just designed to mislead, so lets investigate these areas and start with a few simple facts that will give you an indication of the authenticity of any sellers claims and also an insight into the vibration trainer market on eBay. HOW MUCH POWER (Watts) WILL BE NEEDED?
To be honest, Motor Quality is often more relevant than Power; but how can you tell this? Well;, try and choose a seller with excellent feedback (as always) and one that sells the product into a commecrcial environment if possible. This would give some proof to the robust nature of the product. The marketing may suggest that the higher the motor power the better the machine? Well, unfortunately it is not that easy. Often the motor size is increased at the expense of the motor quality.
So, it is again worth considering the sellers record and reputation over any promise of high speed performance? It is also often the case that the different motor sizes only generates the same top speed, so in these circumstances, a performance improvement will not exist.
DO THEY REALLY ALL HAVE AN UPGRADED DRIVE SYSTEM? No, but this has now become a common claim. Well, some would say 'typically' for this market, as soon as one particular seller introduces an upgraded (and patented) drive syatem, all other sellers immediately claim they also have this technology. WE KNOW FROM EXPERIENCE THAT THIS IS SIMPLY NOT TRUE, so investigate carefully. WHICH FACTORY ACTUALLY MANUFACTURES 'CRAZY FIT' BRANDED MACHINES? The ‘Crazy Fit’ models (or similar) can be seen prevalently on eBay. This is a generic brand name and the identical products are produced by possibly hundreds of different factories across China.
The quality of components can vary greatly. But of course, every eBay seller will state that they have the best specification and the highest quality of components! You will know that by default this cannot be true. As with any product that comes from different factories, some will simply be better than others. A lot of the 'cheaper' offerings on eBay are products that have been mass produced for the Chinese home market, but the excess stock is being 'offloaded in Europe. This is poor quality stock, but can be purchased cheaply. HOW MUCH SHOULD I BE PAYING?
That is a difficult question. There are a lot of older models which are being sold at 'clearance' prices on ebay.
The sellers oftain claim these to be 'new and improved', however if you do your research, you will see the computer console and desaign are often 3 or 4 years old! It is often worth paying a little buit more for a machine you suspect will have a higher build quality. We all know that often 'you get what you pay for'. ARE THESE MACHINES ALL MADE IN CHINA? Yes, its that simple. In essence, they all have developed from original Taiwanese designs but are now produced in China.
If a seller ‘suggests’ differently then proceed very much with caution. This includes even the high profile brands costing thousands of pounds, so avoid anyone that makes any other claim. A few may have Japanese components or incoprorate Taiwanese design features, but all are definately manufactured in factories in China. WHICH TYPE OF VIBRATION DO YOU NEED TO TONE UP? Always check that the model you are thinking of purchasing has an OSCILLATING motion.
This is very important! An oscillating motion is similar to the motion that a See-Saw makes, and if you are offered a Vibration Trainer below £150.00, then it will likely have a VERTICAL motion. Virtical motion trainers are known as 'Blood Circulatory' machines and are not effective for weight loss and toning.
This motion can also be bad for your back. HOW DO THESE PRODUCTS ACTUALY WORK? The term WBV (Whole Body Vibration) is used to describe the exercise program. It was originally developed as part of the Russian Space program and has been engineered greatly in recent times into one of the most fashionable training methods on the planet. WBV machines have become a key fitness, toning, strengthening and rehabilitation tool for sports professionals and celebrities alike. Most of the 'Vibration Plate' products on eBay work on the same basic principal.
Simply explained, there is an oscillating plate which ‘rocks’ from side to side. This creates an unbalanced surface for the user.
The muscles in the legs and body react and work hard tensing and relaxing constantly as they control the stability of the user. You may have experience of the well known commercial machines which can be found in the large nation-wide gyms and fitness centres? If this is the case, then before you buy one of the popular vibration machines via eBay, you should be advised that this single ‘rocking’ action will be the main operational difference between the two. The commercial machines, which retail at upwards of £6000, will often vibrate in more than one plain. They will ‘rock’ from sided to side, but also move up/down and forward/backward also. This is the major difference. Of course, this additional movement will provide a more effective work out; but if you are not looking to invest £6000 in the pursuit of a toned, cellulite free body; then an eBay purchase can offer a fantastic and effective, low cost alternative.
AND FINALLY. You will see this is a complex, confusing market. You may also see that best pieces of advice anyone can give you would be to ensure you trust in the seller. Their reputation and feedback will speak volumes for the product and service you will receive.
Good luck with your choice and we hope you enjoy your purchase!
Get all of the features of a full size bandsaw in this bench top model. The large cast iron table, edge facing thrust bearings, a powerful 1/3 HP induction motor, and 4-5/8 in cutting capacity are all of the features you come to expect as standard from Rikon.
Add the optional stand for the functionality of a floor model. Specs: 1/3 HP, 3.5 amp motor, speed 2780 ft/min, safety paddle switch. Cutting capacities: Height 4-5/8”, Width 9-5/8”. Table is 13-3/4' x 12-1/2'.
Edge facing thrust bearings. 70-1/2' blade range from 1/8' to 1/2'. Features:. Powerful 1/3 HP motor ball bearing motor for smooth performance.
Safety toggle switch prevents accidental or unauthorized use. Tire cleaning brush decreases saw dust build-up on wheels. Upper and lower ball bearing blade guide & thrust bearings. Balanced cast wheels. Every two years at Woodcraft Magazine, we create a unique home workshop issue for readers wanting to start a shop or improve the one they already have.
We first decide on a theme and then follow through by selecting a bare-bones space that serves as our blank slate. We then prep the walls, ceiling, and floor for shop duty and outfit the space with original shop projects and interesting products that match nicely with the theme, which, in this issue, is the “up-and-comer’s” home shop. As you can imagine, it’s an all-hands effort by our talented staff and woodworking contributors from across the country. In this month’s Woodcraft Magazine, January Issue #44, our Editor-in-Chief, Jim Harrold writes an article responding to the Feb/Mar 2011 magazine issue where he asked for solutions in setting up a shop for the wheelchair woodworker. His article and this blog are the result of the many letters and emails sent. It is one thing to have ideas to create woodworking, or be inspired from others works, but without a user friendly shop in these circumstances, none of the ideas or inspirations can become a reality.
Five areas of importance in a shop design are, wheel chair design with reach considerations, floor plan or shop layout, cabinets with power tools, managing materials with storage, and product choices that consider safety with convenience. When designing a floor plan you will first need to consider the wheelchair type. Variations include motorized units, sports models and other manual designs. By Nicencutt on Great saw for the money Just picked this saw up today at the local store on OKC.
Assembly was a breeze. Had the thing up and running in 30-45 minutes. This has to be the best benchtop unit out there. I have a larger 14' BS that I wanted to dedicate to re sawing and use this one for the curvey cuts as I hate changing blades. Very smooth running, no adjustments needed out of the box, and dust collection is better than my Steel City 14. I couldn't be more pleased at this point.
By Ricky T on Excellent Bandsaw I 'tried' to buy a Jet 10' bandsaw. After two attempts to get one delivered that wasn't broken in shipping due to poor packaging, I decided to get this Rikon at Woodcraft this past weekend. There was a sale that included an Olsen Blade and a Carter guide, all for $299. I was going to pay $374 for the Jet.
First difference I have to point out is that the packaging in the Rikon is FAR superior to the Jet. Also, the parts on the Jet that were smashed from the cast table sloshing around inside the box when the Styrofoam disintegrated were plastic (motor cover and impellers). The Rikon had all cast parts, so even if something came loose in the box, there was nothing that would happen to the saw. I proceeded to do the setup thinking I would be there for a few hours based on other people saying how long it took them. Well either this saw is exceptionally easy to set up, or I'm a genius, because I was done and running in less than 30 minutes.
I didn't put the Olsen blade on right away as I wanted to check it out with what it came with. It tracked dead straight and cut a sharp curve in a 2x4 like it was butter. Overall, I couldn't be happier with this bandsaw. I bought it after getting a Rikon Lathe from Woodcraft which was also an excellent tool. By Woodenboaty on Best tool in its category!
I use this saw to cut curved and beveled parts for wooden boat construction. I have mine mounted on a steel cart with lockable casters. The table height is about 42' from the floor and that seems to be very convenient for me. I very rarely resaw with this tool but it has done well enough when needed.
If you need more saw than this you will likely need to spend 3 to 4 times as much for a high quality 14' or larger saw. This was a gift from my wife. By Devilduck on You get more than you pay for!
Before purchasing this saw I read all the reviews here and all over the web. I needed a band saw and was saving for the Deluxe 14' model. Then I used one of these 10-inchers a friend owns and found it does everything I 'NEED' a band saw to do, so I bought it and have been totally satisfied with it. A lot of people whine about it not having miter gauge, and that the miter slot is non-standard. Many also complained about the Rikon Miter Gauge for the 10-305 being junk.
With my calipers in hand, I checked out the Table Saws at Sears knowing that Sears is famous for non-standard size miter gauges; checked out the display models and found thee different miter gauges the were an exact fit to the 10-305's miter slot. I selected what I thought would work best for me and ordered as a replacement part.
Two days later, I took delivery of it, and have been using it on my Rikon 10-305. To tell the truth, it fits my band saw better than it fit the table saw it was designed for. I purchased a top of the line blade for Resawing, and have since resawed hundreds of feet of 3-inch square Maple and Oak. I purposely saw them a little wide and then send them through my thickness plainer. In conclusion I am getting top of the line performance that I expected a 10-inch bad saw to give me. I don't expect it to act like a 14-inch saw! By Brian on Good Saw in Spite of Itself I have owned this saw for 4 months.
First, the good: I have rough cut many, many pen blanks, UHMWPE, PVC, and aluminum on this saw, with the stock blade, and it's done a really good job, and I'm satisfied. Also, it's a good size, as space in my workshop is extremely limited. Secondly, the bad: Why on Earth would they make the miter slot 5/8'?? I have scoured the interweb looking for an upgrade from the Rikon 5/8' miter gauge designed for this saw (which is basically garbage), and there is NOTHING. I would have liked to have been able to perform more precise cuts on this saw. I think the lousy miter gauge and so-so fence will prohibit me from doing that. Overall: As a novice woodworker, I wish I'd have had the knowledge and experience to know to look out for something like a non-standard miter slot.
I might have gone for the 14' and paid a little extra, or just gone a different route, had I known this saw's limitations. I like the saw, but the 5/8' miter slot just seems malicious on Rikon's part. By rijrunner on Rikon 10' band saw Model 10-305 The set up is fairly easy. I had some difficulty with the lower bearing carrage for the blade guide and the trunion for the tble but overall it was not that hard to get running. The lower bearing guide darraige was poorly machined and had to be replaced.
The thrusr bearing did not advance foreward enough to meet the one eighth blade. The replacment had the same problem and the face of the carraige was not machined true to a ninty degree surface so it required adjusting the carraige on the carrier bar to make it reach properly. Poor machining. My saw had a vibration set up by the uppr wheel that made the say operate in an unsafe manner. The replacment wheel that was sent had the same problem but it was less out of balance so the vibration is acceptable now.The mount plate for the lower guide bearings was out of true and had to be adjusted so that the bearings meet the blade properly.
Slightly undr powred but plenty for the home shop. I can cut two and a half inch walnut at about 16 inches in thirty seconds. No where to mount a light over the balde.
I had to manufacture one to fit the top of the saw frame. Heavy enough to not junp around but lite enough to slide around on the bench.Overall construction seems strong enough but the overall machining seems to leave a lot to be desired. Not a bad investment for the small shop and looks like it will pay for itself. Would not recommend for anyone who does not understand machines. Some of the surfaces are not finished that well and can cause difficulty for the ameture but the customer service can solve most problems if you hang in there.
They did send me all the parts I needed to get my saw running properly but at times they seemed somewhat reluctant to accept feedback. I found the trunion that adjusts the table tilt to be hard to assemble and the tightining wing nut is hard to reach without turning the saw. The lower thrust bearing for the blade is hard to adjust because the lower wheel is very close and the adjustment is on the inside instead of the outside. Not impossibel though. The fence is very poor but if youcheck is with a trisquare from the edge of the table it is adequate. By William E on Very Nice This little bench top rocks at making small parts and small projects. Don't buy this saw thinking it will do what a 14' bandsaw will do cause it will not.
However if your using it for making blanks for small lathe projects or making models, small boxes, scrolling etc. It does a really nice job with plenty of power. The after market carter blade stabilizer works really well with 1/8' to1/4' blades.
Get a few after market blades as the blade that comes with it is not very good. I have cut Osage Orange, ebony, paduk, purple heart, coco bolo and several other hard woods with no problems just go a little slower. Some up to 4' thick. The fence is okay but light duty.
I will probably get the carter mag fence for this saw. The table is cast iron and mine is dead flat as far as I can tell with a good straight edge.
@ does offer a knock off of this saw but after looking them over the finish is better on the rikon plus a five year warranty sears only offers 1 year. Great customer service again from Spokane Woodcraft. Thanks great staff. By Rudy on Too many problems This bandsaw was purchased to be setup for small scroll type work in wood, plastic and thin metals. The thought of being able to have a benchtop bandsaw for biulding the smaller model stuff I use, the better. This is my 5th bandsaw between home and work.
I have extensive use with setting up and using bandsaws. The saw has many shortcomings. Tracking the blade is extremely frustrating, the smallest adjustments make the blade jump off of the wheel. I have not checked for the wheels being coplaner, but this could be part of the problem. This is not something that you should have to adjust. The guides are setup for much bigger than scroll work blades.
I plan on using 1/8' blades and the guides cannot be setup like you typically would to ensure high quality cuts. The adjustments of the guides are very course and do not allow for alignment as you would expect. Rather than have adjustment knobs and locking knobs, to cut cost they are integrated into the same thing.
This saw would be ok setup with a 1/4' or 3/8' blade for rough cutting of stock. At this point I cannot recommen it for anything more. By Verne on solid build, well conceived, compact After going through three large band saws in my woodworking career of almost 50 years, it came time to start down sizing the shop in deference to less space, and aging (I am 72) But After a year, I realized I could not survive without some kind of band saw. The Rikon fits the bill for those few times when only a band saw will do, and it does so without taking up a lot of space, or breaking my back to move it, or endless fiddling because of poor design.
Small can be good. By Lee Brown on Nice Small Saw After looking at All benchtop and low end standing band saws I settled on this little Rikon. This is the 3rd tool from Rikon I have owned. The company has top notch Customer service which cannot be Overstated!As far as a Benchtop saw, there is nothing else out there that I found that was really a serious option. Others were poorly constructed and most I doubt could be set up accurately enough to be of real use.
I was a little afraid of the 1/3 hp motor, but after using the saw for a month now, It has plenty of torque for the resaw height. I wish it was variable or 2 speed, but at it's price point that's a bit much to ask.
The blade guides are a bit hairy to adjust but once you hit the sweet spot it's stays there. My setup time took about an hour and a half. I also wish it had a standard miter slot. I am still waiting on the Rikon miter gauge to ship from backorder. I cannot coment on the mitergauge since I have not actually seen it, however it appears to be very cheap.
The rip fence works but It could stand improvement. I have used it to slice some veneer from black walnut and from cherry.
Mind you these are narrow 4' wide pieces, but with a slow steady hand it did an excellent job. Overall I am pleased and enjoy the saw very much. By Chuck on Kinda amazing For the price, I wasn't expecting too much. Also, this is my first bandsaw, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I did not expect the factory blade to rip 3/4' oak as straight and square as can be. I do a lot of very fine woodworking, professionally, mostly by very expensive hand tools, I got this to save time for rough cutting, but didn't expect the precision this thing provides. And I didn't expect this saw to cut smoother than a larger craftsman bandsaw I tried in a colleague's workshop.
Or run so quiet and not vibrate at all. And I didn't expect it to be so easy to adjust.
Not having ever owned a bandsaw, it took awhile to put together, I didn't even know what a trunion was, the manual was adequate, good pics, but still took a a while to figure out what it was trying to say. The table is quite heavy. The rip fence is quite light, feels a bit cheap, but it works. The table tilt seems a bit cumbersome, haven't needed to try it yet, may never need to. All I can say is wow. So easy and cuts so well. By Zoneman53 on Amazing Bandsaw I was a little apprehensive about this saw when I first purchased it, but after getting it home and doing a half hour set up, I was amazed how well it made straight cuts as well as scroll cuts.
It cuts hardwoods like butter and the accuracy is exceptional. The rip guide locks solidly and doesn't move. I had a miter guide that fit the table groove laying around the shop but made a couple of cutting 'sleds' for doing 90's and angles. This little saw is a giant!
Thanks for making such an exceptional piece of equipment Rikon! By Furniture Arts on Good Quality! I am very impressed with the quality/cost of this saw. I did a lot of research on 10' band saws, and most of them are poorly made. I do a lot of small repair work in shop, and in the field and wanted portability in a saw I could rely on to be accurate and last. The machining and casting is well done, table was nicely finished and flat, even the paint work on the case is great! The only 2 things that I can say I didn't like were: 1.the blade height tightening knob is a bit flimsy.
2.the rip fence design could be improved. All in all, this is an excellent little saw, and I would highly recommend it.