FAQ's on Band Saw and Mill/Drill

[NICOLAS LIN]

I believe the Central RF30 even though made in China has parts made to the same specs. Grizzly still carry the equivalent RF30 and I've bough parts from them like lead screw nuts and they have worked just fine on my early RF30 that was sold by Enco.

Both Central and Grizzly nowadays, so call RF30 are not from Rong Fu. But MSC yes.

 

[mikey]

How old is your RF-31 ? Is it working well ?

My machine is from the mid-1990's and works very well. I did have to replace the spindle and drive sleeve bearings because they were well over 20 years old but it runs with under 0.0001" TIR now. Everything works smoothly and I am very impressed at how well it cuts. It has enough mass to meet all the needs of my little hobby shop so unless someone hands me a knee mill, I'll be keeping this one. The round column can be a bit of a pain but only a little. Aside from that, nothing I would change or complain about. And I'm fussy!

 

[C-Bag]

I'm with Mikey with trying to understand how to help with a FAQ. The web and this site are full of folks wondering about buying a RF30 or similar mill/drill. And those of us who find them useful reply with what we have found, mostly trying to get the person to say what they are trying to do and how to apply the mill/drill to it. If they are doing stuff that is say not a cylinder head or something big and expecting to take cuts that a big industrial mill would do, the RF30 or similar class machine can serve the hobby machinist well. I've even read reviews of machine shops who have them and works well for them for small jobs. While not the perfect application there is a reason they are still around after all these years. Same with the 4x6 saw. They are the gap between the little benchtop and the knee mill.

 

[C-Bag]

I am not sure if the Central's made by RONG FU, as there are too many imitation from China. At least Central has not carried RF-30 for long long years.

You are right, it's a knockoff I'm sure. You need to look at their current US site. The same design RF30/31 is still sold by them for about $1200US. It might be the only one they end up selling as they are down sizing their machine tools. IMHO RongFu might have let go of a design that could have been worth keeping as even though other sellers offer the knee version like the 45 it seems like if folks are going that route they bypass it and go a full size knee mill. Just my observation.

It has become a "thing" and selling point if it's made in Taiwan, not China. All machine tools made in Taiwan are more desirable than ones made in China.

The US market is funny. Most are trying to get into the hobby for as cheap as possible but with a machine that has some room to expand. So for me that's why I picked the RF30, that and I was able to find a deal on one used locally for $400 with heavy duty table and some tooling. I get there is more $$$ in big CNC centers, but just by our membership here there are quite a few guys who want to do hobby machining and the 30/31/45 size machine is a good way to get your feet wet without breaking the bank. There are also some of my hero's on YouTube using similar machines and doing outstanding work.

 

[Tim9]

I have a Shop Tech Copy of the RF 45
Got it used and in need of repairs. But it’s a pretty solid performer and fairly tough at @ 750#’s
Now... don’t get me wrong....I like the RF45... but the Millrite is noticeably nicer in many, many ways.

 

[NICOLAS LIN]

Hi Guys,

Can someone help to provide at least 30-50 Frequent asked questions, when the user wants to buy a band saw. Also, for Mill/Drill as well. We will really appreciate that.

Thanks

Rong Fu Ind.

A very simple question like:
Hello! We want to cut 250 round materials with a sawing machine. Which model do we choose?

 

[NICOLAS LIN]

My machine is from the mid-1990's and works very well. I did have to replace the spindle and drive sleeve bearings because they were well over 20 years old but it runs with under 0.0001" TIR now. Everything works smoothly and I am very impressed at how well it cuts. It has enough mass to meet all the needs of my little hobby shop so unless someone hands me a knee mill, I'll be keeping this one. The round column can be a bit of a pain but only a little. Aside from that, nothing I would change or complain about. And I'm fussy!

Hi Mikey, Glad to hear that. If you need any replacement parts, you can call MSC service line to get the parts.

 

[NICOLAS LIN]

I have a Shop Tech Copy of the RF 45
Got it used and in need of repairs. But it’s a pretty solid performer and fairly tough at @ 750#’s
Now... don’t get me wrong....I like the RF45... but the Millrite is noticeably nicer in many, many ways.

Hi, no heart feeling. Would very much like to hear your improvement suggestion on our RF-45, comparing to your current copy one.

 

[NICOLAS LIN]

I'm with Mikey with trying to understand how to help with a FAQ. The web and this site are full of folks wondering about buying a RF30 or similar mill/drill. And those of us who find them useful reply with what we have found, mostly trying to get the person to say what they are trying to do and how to apply the mill/drill to it. If they are doing stuff that is say not a cylinder head or something big and expecting to take cuts that a big industrial mill would do, the RF30 or similar class machine can serve the hobby machinist well. I've even read reviews of machine shops who have them and works well for them for small jobs. While not the perfect application there is a reason they are still around after all these years. Same with the 4x6 saw. They are the gap between the little benchtop and the knee mill.

FAQ is quite easy for you I believe. You go to the store, you have never been to this store, you wanna find something to buy, and you will ask some questions to the clerk to help you finding the right product you need. That's it.

 

[Tim9]

Nic Lin. As far as improvements the first thing that comes to mind is a post I saw of a recent purchased Rong Fu 45.
He was not at all happy with the finish. And in all honesty.... I was very surprised when I saw the pictures he posted. My Shop Tech copy had a much better finish of the bed ways. Much much better. Although worn...my unit shows that it was scraped. His looked like it was finished with a grinder..
Really discouraged me from looking at another RF-45
Only other comment I would offer is that every RF-45 should come with an electric z axis drive. Cranking that damned thing is a real drag. Just make z axis electric drive standard across the board in my opinion. Check below link.
Rongfu 45 not what they used to be