Band Saw Reviews – Compare the Best Band Saws 2018!
Whether you’re new into woodworking, or have decided that you finally need a brand new band saw, the first thing that you need to know is to understand how it works, why it’s needed and how you can get the best one in the market, we discuss what to look for when buying a new saw.
Our Top 5 Band Saws
| images | Blade Size | Motor | Weight | price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | DEWALT DWM120K | 5-Inch | 10.0 amp | 15.0 pounds |   |
 | SKIL 3386-01 | 9-inch | 2.5 amp | 35.8 pounds | |
 | Rikon 10-305 | 10-Inch | 3.5 amp | 73.6 pounds | |
 | JET JWBS- 14DXPRO | 14-Inch | 258 pounds | |
|
 | POWERTEC BS900 | 9-inch | 2.5 amp | 43.6 pounds | |
In general, where is a band saw used? If you’re into cutting the edges or curves of wood, there is no other better tool to use than a band saw.
In addition to which, you have to understand that band saw does more than just cutting edges or wood curves. This tool can also perform ripping stock or smaller pieces of wood, or sewing back the pieces together from thin strips to make larger wood sizes.
Think of it this way – your responsibility to yourself is to educate yourself. You need to know all these tiny bits of information so you can make a sound decision that’s appropriate for your needs and budget at the same time. Before you decide which model works well for you, or instead of making wild guests, listed below is a buyer’s guide that will enable you to find the right one without burning your pockets.
Analyse where and how you’ll Use the Band Saw
Before anything else, it is essential that you are familiar on how you’ll use the band saw, and for which purpose specifically you’ll use it. Having an in-depth knowledge and understanding of your woodworking capabilities and activities will help you decide which tools are most suitable for you.
For example – are you planning on re-sawing a lot? If this is the case, a higher horsepower as well as one that has a wider width blade capacity is needed. There is also a vast difference between blade choices when you’re using it five times weekly; your choices may vary if you’ll need to use them five times hourly too.
In general, it’ll be easier for you to analyse and understand which one to choose if you personally know your purpose and where it’ll be used for. Do a self-analysis – base your decisions according to what you have answered to some of the sample questions listed earlier. Of course, you can formulate more questions on your own – just use these pieces of information to analyse and learn the right brand, model and type fit for your needs.
Choice between Bench Top and Floor Model
There are two general types of band saws: the bench top and the floor model. Bench-top models are those that are portable, and floor models are those that are those that are bigger, more stable and, in general, more power than the other type.
If you think you’ll find yourself cutting or sewing smaller pieces of wood from various locations, the bench top model is more ideal than the floor model. Otherwise, if you have a professional woodworking shop, floor models are typically the better choice as they have the capability to perform heavier and larger rip sawing, as well as decorative work using thicker parts of the wood.
Floor models have higher horsepower as compared to the bench-top models. This is because, with the larger band saw types, it is given that you’ll be cutting larger and thicker pieces of wood. You need a machine that won’t get stuck on the wood you’re working, and the only way to assure that this won’t happen is if the horsepower is enough.
Know What the Throat Capacity Is
This is another reason why it is very crucial that you are aware on where the saw will be used. You need to choose the right throat capacity as this makes a huge difference when it comes to the type of cut that you’re trying to achieve. The easiest way to define the throat capacity is that this is the distance between the frame and the blade This will also determine the measurement of the maximum width that the saw is capable of cutting. So if you’re looking forward to cutting heavier and thicker wood, a higher throat capacity might just do the trick.
Blade Width
It has been discussed earlier how your activity and choice of blade may correlate with each other. Most typical band saws accept the narrower types of blades, especially for producing scroll work. On the other hand, if re sawing is part of your activity, you’ll need to make sure that the band saw of your choice should be able to accept or have wider blades. Why?
Wider blades have the ability to flex more. It also makes it easier for people who use it to have more accurate and faster cuts even with thick stock.
On the other hand, if your activity mostly involves making scroll stock, as mentioned earlier, choosing a band saw that that accepts wider blades isn’t necessarily needed. Again, this is one of the reasons why knowing one’s activity, understanding their needs and analysing their use for band saw plays a crucial role.
Without doing all of these, you might just end up spending money on something that you won’t be able to make use of. This is a typical scenario in the woodworking industry. Many woodworkers, while they started out unaware of these things, ended up paying much money on band saws, and other materials, because they haven’t realized that these tools also differ. Instead of just utilizing the type that they would only need, they’d have a large range of choices, because they have purchased almost everything in the market, without knowing beforehand which one they need.
The good thing is, you can avoid all of these things, and you too, don’t have to worry about spending money on unnecessary tools. It is all about learning what your requirements and activities are, so you can find one that suits you most.
Using Accessories
When it comes to band saws, there are certain situations where using additional accessories may be needed to come up woodwork parts you’re trying to achieve. In general, it would be better to purchase a model that will allow you to use more accessories on than ones that accept fewer applications. An example would be an attachment for cutting wood in perfect circles, or those that even have height extenders especially if you need to cut thicker woods.
Motor Size
It is also a good thing to take into consideration the motor size. The majority of home level brands and models have 1 or ¾ horsepower motor, while those mostly for professional use will have larger and bigger horsepower motor, as well as variable speeds. For professional woodworkers, the variable speed isn’t used that much, and it’s not that important. Slower speeds are mostly used for cutting metals, hard plastics, and other harder materials.
Setting It Up
One of the common mistakes consumers make when buying a band saw is that they fail to check the ease of setting up their model. Some models are easier to set up than others. Some models appear more complicated to set-up because of their advanced features.
Aside from which, you need to learn how easy it would be to adjust blade guides, side bearings or even thrust bearings. All of these play a very crucial role when it comes to operating a saw. No matter how good your tool is, and regardless if it’s the right model for your needs, if you don’t get these settings correctly, you will not be able to make the most out of it.
The best thing that you can do to determine how it is set up is to ask the salesman, manufacturer or refer to the owner’s manual. Usually, everything that you need to know when it comes to setting up your equipment is thoroughly discussed in the manual, and all you need is to read and review it to achieve optimum settings.
Check Band Saw Reviews
Now that you are aware on what your needs are as a woodworker, as well as the type of band saw that works perfectly well for your needs, the search doesn’t stop there. You still need to read what other people think about the said model.
This is a significant aspect because you’ll get the chance to read what other people think about the tool. It’s not just the technical aspects that we’re talking about at this point – it is about how these technical aspects were executed while using the machine, it is also about the personal experience they’ve had with the product such as stability, ease of use and sturdiness altogether.
Wrapping It Up
Buying the best band saw seems complicated at first, if not confusing, especially for first-timers. Surely, it may take more time than you’ve expected, but the steps are not so difficult to follow. You just have to know what your needs are, and concentrate on all the features as well as take into consideration other people’s experience when using the product.
If you’re doubtful about something, you can always send the manufacturer, the store or salesman with your questions. It’s better to know everything beforehand than wasting money on a band saw that doesn’t have the features that you need. You may follow this simple buyer’s guide and never have to worry about wasting money on models you can’t use, either at home or for professional use.