Rikon 25-200 12" Jointer\Planer

[BrianInChatham]

I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with this jointer? I'm outgrowing my PM 54-A and if I'd really like to jump up to a 12" rather than 8". My shop space is limited though, so the small footprint of the Rikon is attractive, and the in- and outfeed tables appear to come drilled and tapped for extension tables if I need a longer bed. I'm finding surprisingly little info or reviews online about these though, so am not sure what to think. I get the impression Rikon has a pretty good reputation, but have no first hand knowledge. Opinions?

 

[eyekode]

I have never used one but I did take a good look at the one at woodcraft in Raleigh. Honestly it didn't have much going for it except price. The fence seemed very flimsy and the overall construction was poor. I have not seen it with a helix head either. The current sticker price is higher than Jet's recent sale. I would go with the Jet before the Rikon. Could also consider the new Grizzly. The old grizzly was apparently a nice machine but had a large foot print due to how the fence attached. The new one has the fence attached at the end and has a similar foot print to the Jet.
Good luck on your quest!
Salem

 

[Splint Eastwood]

No experience with machine, but I also am interested in.

WoodCraft has a floor model on "Manager's Special" for @ $ 1,250 ish +tax. (Dont quote me).


Cash tight now, otherwise I would be all over it!

I own the Rikon 14in Bandsaw, and their 6in jointer. Never had any mechanical issues. I did have to call their Tech support and they were excellent. So no issues there!

Lemme know what you decide!

IMHO

M

 

[tkpinsc]

I looked one over very carefully at the Big Atlanta show last summer. They were selling for $1700 and the Jet was $2000. I nearly bought it at the show but didn't like the fixed out feed table as it seemed to introduce the possibility of table alignment issues and would rather order through my local dealer.

Soon after that show the Jet went on sale for $1600 at my local dealer and I decided on the Jet. The Jet was heavier, I liked the footprint better, and I liked that both tables moved together with the fence attached.

I was also considering the Grizzly but at the time it had a much deeper footprint that would have been difficult to fit in my 10 x 25 shop. With the Jet on sale for $100 less then the Rikon it was a no brainer for my needs. When the Rikon was several hundred less then the Jet I considered it a valid option. I did not consider any upgrade heads as the base machines where pushing the upper limits of my budget.

I replaced a lunchbox planer and 6" jointer. I work mostly with hardwoods and did not have room or money for a separate 12" jointer and 15" planer. In my work flow nearly everything gets one face jointed before I plane so I don't need a planer wider then the jointer and I really wanted a 12" jointer. I have a 16/32 drum sander I use to level glued up panels.

 

[riderkb]

I have the Grizzly equivalent and like it a lot. Mine has the center-mount fence that sticks out behind the tool. It doesn't bother me because I stuck it in a low trafic area of the shop. The fence is lightweight aluminum so that you can lift it off, so don't expect it to be as stiff as a cast iron fence.

I've heard some people complain about the time that it takes to change from jointer to planer. For me it is about 60 seconds. The best solution is thinking through the stock preparation routine to minimize the number of switches. I like to joint a face on each piece first, then joint an edge, rip to width on the bandsaw, resaw for thickness, lightly joint the ripped edge to clean it up, then switch over to planer mode and plane to thickness.

In principle, there is only one jointer-planer switch, but in practice my cut list is always missing one piece and I have to go back afterwards.:embarrassed:

Depending on what you've got now, you might want to consider upgrading your dust collector. My jointer-planer makes 15 gallons of shavings per hour.

 

[BrianInChatham]

Thanks for all the good info! I went down and looked at the unit this evening and left with mixed feelings. The pro's are fairly self evident, but I see what you mean about the fence- it's pretty "rinky-dink"- it might have looked good on paper but it was clearly designed by someone who hasn't used anything with a fence before! It easily deflects even with light pressure, and I held a straightedge to it an it seems to be bent a bit (mounted REALLY crooked too). There also are a few items that clearly are not assembled correctly on the unit. The owner of the shop is supposed to call me tomorrow- I'd still consider getting it if the price is right- the issues I found can be addressed with some work and ingenuity- but I'm not sure we'll be able to agree on a price.