Best Band Saws Reviews - Updated 2022

The bandsaw is the best and highly versatile tool used to cut through wood or metal in different shapes like in a straight line, curve, or irregular shape. Band saws are primarily used for cutting wood or metal and are a staple purchase for any woodshop owner! If you are a woodworking professional and need assistance in selecting the the best band saw, check out our review below!

In a Hurry? Check Out Our Top Pick

The price of RIKON 10-305 may varies, so check the latest price below:

RIKON 10-305 BAND SAW WITH FENCE

Considering its pricing and size, the RIKON 10-305 Bandsaw is one of the best and most efficient band saws on the market for woodworking hobbyists and professionals alike. It is perfect for projects that require low cutting capacity and for users with limited workshop space. It is also useful for people who need to use a certain saw for specific cuts, but might not be extremely well-versed in power tools because there are a handful of easy installation, operation, and storage features. It is a 0.33 horsepower, 10-inch steel-framed woodworking machine with a 13-inch cast-iron table that provides a sturdy work surface, uncommon for a relatively small, company saw. Because of its small size, another perk is that it is easy to transport when not in use.

Furthermore, the RIKON 10-305 bandsaw comes with a rip-fence that you can easily attach to the tabletop, or remove when you need to do some freehand work. A miter-gauge and a fence are also available with a large knob on the side for adjusting the blade tension. With the 70-1/2 inch long, 1/6 inch blade, it works well with the machine’s 2780 feet-per-minute cutting speed to deliver smooth, perfectly cut workpieces for your woodworking projects.

Coupled with these features, the table is capable of tilting as much as 45 degrees away from the frame in case your workpiece requires cutting at an angle. It is also equipped with a 2-1/2-inch dust port to keep dust away from your work area.

In all, the RIKON 10-305 provides the same quality features that you can find in larger, more expensive, band saws and is the ultimate money, time, and energy saver.

Featured Band Saws

Overall Top Pick

RIKON 10-305

Best High-End Band Saw

JWBS-14DXPRO

Best Mid-Range Band Saw

WEN-3962T

Best Budget Band Saw

WEN-3959T

Best Band Saw For Metal

SHOP FOX W1715HP

Best BAND SAWS in 2022
WHICH ONE SHOULD YOU BUY?

Even though there is a wide variety of band saws that are available to choose from, ranging from their area of application to their pricing, you must consider the types of operations you intend to perform, as well as your budget when making your pick. We know how precious you time is, so we have curated the ultimate buying guide for the most efficient, pocket-friendly machine to opt for.

BEST HIGH-END BANDSAW

The price of JET JWBS may varies, so check the latest price below:

JWBS-14DXPRO

The JET JWBS-14DXPRO deluxe bandsaw is unique and convenient with its inbuilt riser kit which saves you around $50 or so. The built in riser kit also saves you the pain of having to install a riser kit yourself. The JWBS-14DXPRO comes with a 1-1/4 horsepower and 115/220-volt motor that provides high cutting capacity for your woodworking demands, and it can boast a cutting speed of 3000 feet per minute, a maximum cutting height of 12 inches, and a cutting width of 13.5 inches.

This massive, cast-iron framed beast cuts through a wide range of materials quickly and easily—like the proverbial knife through butter. Additionally, it has a sturdy 15 X 15-inch cast-iron table with a miter slot ,and a familiar slot for changing blades. It can also tilt 45 degrees to the outside and 10 degrees back towards the frame for angled cuts which helps those working on fine detailed projects. Moreover, the JWBS-14DXPRO is versatile enough to provide smooth and perfectly cut workpieces, offering you as much flexibility as your job requires.

THE JWBS-14DXPRO

The motor comes mounted on the lower saw housing making the belt tension easier to adjust and to switch between the 1500 – 3000 feet-per-minute blade speeds. With its upper and lower ball bearing guides that help to reduce friction-induced wear, the blade itself runs on a pair of cast-iron spoked wheels, fitted with high-quality polyurethane tires that are colored yellow and pivoted on sealed steel ball bearings. This gives the blade a longer life and better performance. The yellow coloring on the driver wheels makes the blade a lot easier to see. Along with that, the driver wheels are encased in a compartment with a handy blade-tracking window that affords you a full view of the blade’s position while you work.

CAST IRON SPOKED WHEELS WITH YELLOW POLYURETHANE TYRES

Favorably, it is equipped with a calibrated blade tension adjustment knob that makes it easier to increase and decrease the spring tension. This type of bandsaw comes with a tension release handle that provides fast and effortless adjustments or replacements for the blade. And when you are done with replacing or adjusting the blade, all you need to do is pull the handle down until the lever locks in place and secures it. This applies the full tension that you have specified to the blade.

TENSION RELEASE HANDLE WITH ITS CALIBRATED SCALE

On top of all that, the JWBS-14DXPRO offers a whole five years warranty!

BEST MID-RANGE BAND SAW

The price of WEN-3962T may varies, so check the latest price below:

WEN-3962T

As far as mid-range band saws go, we simply have to go for the WEN-3962T for reasons that are about to become obvious.

For starters, the WEN-3962T comes with a super silent 1.5 horsepower, 3.5amp motor with aluminum cooling fins on it, and delivers cuts up to 6 inches deep in materials up to 9-3/4 inches wide. This bandsaw uses a 72-inch blade anywhere from 1/8 to 1/2 inches in width. It can provide both heavy and smooth cuts, depending on the type of material being operated on.

WEN 3962T 3.5-AMP 10-INCH TWO-SPEED BAND SAW WITH STAND AND WORK LIGHT, BLACK

This 73.5-pound cast-iron framed machine comes factory assembled, with the table and the stand being the exception. Thankfully, these parts can be easily put together as they come with all of the necessary wrenches, bolts, and nuts. Even a complete beginner would have no problems with the assembly. This machine boasts a 14-1/8 inch cast-aluminum worktable that can bend at an angle of up to 45 degrees and cuts at a two-speed selection range of 1520 or 2620 feet per minute. There is also a dust extraction port that keeps your workspace clean and free of dust.

THE WEN-3962T WORKTABLE WITH FENCE, LAMP, AND BLADE

A safety feature is that the fence can easily be moved and locked in tightly after being adjusted. Also, the machine has bolts attached to the calibrated scale on the fence slides to help align the fence accordingly, giving you accurate and precise cuts. Coupled with that, you get a miter gauge for holding your workpiece at an angle while you cut.

As for the blade tension adjustment, a knob on the top of the machine allows just that. The blade alignment mechanism can also be found on the back, along with the lock knob, for ensuring that the blade does not slide out of alignment during cutting.

Raising and lowering the top blade height on a bandsaw has never been easier with the blade locking knob at the side of the WEN-3962T that you can loosen, make adjustments to, and tighten again. As a bonus, the WEN-3962T comes with a powerful LED work light perfect for working under conditions with less than adequate lighting.

BEST BUDGET BANDSAW

The price of WEN-3959T may varies, so check the latest price below:

WEN-3959T

Another powerful yet highly efficient bandsaw that is the perfect buy for users with small budgets is the WEN-3959T. The WEN-3959T comes with a complete and compartmental cast-iron frame and a very simple design that makes its components easy to adjust, replace, and assemble. You don’t need to make as many adjustments to this machine as you would to a regular bandsaw since it comes ready to use.

THE WEN-3959T

Its powerful, yet silent 120 volts and 2.5 amp motor consumes minimal power, rotating the blade to cut at up to 2500 feet per minute. Coupled with the ball bearings that ensure the blade moves smoothly and an adjustable blade guide, the blade scores a perfect ten out of ten when it comes to durability and long-term performance.

Like the 3962, the WEN-3959T is packaged with a fence for straight cuts that can very easily be removed or adjusted, and a miter gauge that makes cutting workpieces at an angle easier and more precise. Weighing about 40 pounds, this 59-1/2 inch bladed saw performs way better than you’d expect from a bandsaw with this price tag, cutting straight, curved, and even jagged lines smoothly and effortlessly through your workpiece.

THE WEN-3959T WITH TABLE, FENCE, AND MITER GAUGE

As with most modern band saws, the WEN-3959T has its blade attached to a pair of spoked wheels powered by the motor. The 12-1/4 cast-aluminum table bevels at an angle of 45 degrees away from the frame, giving you almost infinite control over the angling of your cuts when used with the miter gauge.

The side windows on the wheel housing allow you to look through and ensure that the blade is tracked properly, and the dust port works tirelessly with the chip sweeper, helping to keep your work area free of dust and debris.

To top it all off, this machine comes with a two-year warranty.

BEST BANDSAW FOR METAL

The price of Shop Fox W1715HP may varies, so check the latest price below:

Shop Fox W1715HP

Metalworkers… Assemble!

While the topic of this buying guide so far has been woodworking band saws, the entire section would be incomplete without leaving a little present for the metalworkers.

Specially for you, we have an economical, portable, and easy-to-use metal-cutting monster in mind. One that is capable of cutting metal, wood, and even plastic. And that beast is called the SHOP FOX W1715HP.

THE SHOP FOX W1715HP

This band saw is an excellent choice for small, medium, and large-scale operations. It runs with a super quiet 3/4 horsepower, 110-volt single-phase motor that drives the blade at a three-speed selection of 78, 108, or 180 feet per minute, cutting smoothly through a variety of materials depending on their hardness and the kinds of cuts you’re looking to make.

It has a sturdy, heavy-duty mobile base with wheels that make it easier to move from one place to another and it’s ideal for workshops with limited floor space. With its 64-1/2 inch long blade, rotated by a v-belt drive housed in a compartment attached to the motor, this machine can make cuts up to 4-1/2 inches deep and 6 inches wide.

It comes with a precision milled cast-iron table that has a vice for firmly securing workpieces during horizontal cutting operations, as well as an angle scale for positioning your workpiece to be cut however you need. The vice is strong enough to hold materials for straight and angled cuts of up to 60 degrees.

THE SHOP FOX W1715HP’S PRECISION CAST-IRON WORK TABLE

The blades are protected by a pair of ball bearing guides, affording the blades durability, longer life and saving you the stress and cost of changing them unnecessarily.

BALL-BEARING BLADE GUIDES

Like woodworking band saws, the SHOP FOX W1715 can be configured to make vertical cuts and can easily cut curves, irregular shapes, and patterns.

DRIVER WHEELS AND VERTICAL CUTTING CONFIGURATION

A cast iron stop comes installed to the machine for horizontal cuts, giving you consistent and similar results when you need to make the same cut multiple times. This saves you from having to make the same measurements and mark-outs repeatedly.

Most importantly, safety was obviously extremely important in this machine’s design. It comes with an automatic shutoff switch that triggers when the blade successfully cuts through the material and leaves the machine on standby, allowing you to examine cuts on your workpiece or fetch another one you intend to cut.

BUT...WHY GO FOR A BANDSAW ANYWAY?

Because BANDSAWS. ARE. AMAZING! Plain and simple. They are one of the single, most versatile tools you can have in your workshop. Once you have a tool that can cut clean and accurate curves and lines in thick and thin material alike, you open up a whole new world of woodworking. And the possibilities are endless! Trust us: there comes a time in every woodworker’s life where a very thick board or beam shows up, just begging to be turned into a beautiful rocking chair.

But first off, why the name?

Well, band saws, as their name implies, are power saws with a continuous ‘band’ of toothed metal, stretched between two or more wheels that are rotated by an electric motor and are used to cut material. The wheels’ diameter indicates the size of the saw, meaning that a bandsaw wheel with a 14-inch diameter will have a 14-inch diameter blade. The continuous rotation of the wheels moves the blade continuously in one direction, providing smooth and efficient cutting action.
Both new and seasoned bandsaw users fail to understand everything a bandsaw can do. A few of us have heard people call band saws ‘a waste of money,’ arguing that any kind of curve or line can be drawn easily with a jigsaw, but there are a few things wrong with this argument.

Unlike jigsaws and scroll saws with back and forth blade movement, the blade of a bandsaw always moves downwards towards the tabletop. This ensures that there is no vibration, minimal noise, and almost no strain on the arms of its operator. The very cutting action of the machine itself helps to hold your material down against the table.
In addition, a bandsaw can effectively cut materials that are a lot thicker than usual which can be tedious or even impossible for other kinds of power saws. The starting point for the material thickness that most bandsaws can allow is an amazing 6 inches, and a significant amount of bandsaws can go far beyond that, cutting materials as thick as 9 to 12 inches with no problems.

The obvious reasons to use a bandsaw have been mentioned, but there are many other kinds of woodworking operations that you may not have considered using a bandsaw for.

Read on, will you?

We all know that jigsaws are efficient in cutting long, sweeping curves and circles of any size in the material, but anyone who has ever used one before probably knows that the arm strain that comes from using them simply isn’t worth it in most cases. Coupled with that, jigsaws are highly problematic and can be almost impossible to use on thicker material when your project involves metal juttings such as corbels. With the right blade on a bandsaw, you have a lot more control and an almost effortless way to cut tighter curves and as many lines, patterns, and notches as you like.

A TYPICAL EXAMPLE OF A 10 INCH THICK CORBEL.

Corbels Are Supports For Supplemental Weight That The Wall Might Not Be Able To Carry On Its Own, Like Ceilings And Door frames.
They Are Fashioned From Poplar, Pine, Or Maple

Bandsaws can also cut non-ferrous metals like aluminum, brass, and even copper. They can also be used as a sawmill to repurpose and optimize moderately sized scrap logs and rough beams into useful lumber.

Safety is also why people tend to use bandsaws. While a jigsaw’s blade moves up and down, throwing dust up into the air and making it hard to grip with how violently it vibrates, the bandsaw is relatively safer and a lot easier to use. The blade moves down toward the workpiece, producing minimal noise from its vibration, and driving the dust below the table where the already attached dust port and chip sweeper can dispose of it. With properly marked-out workpieces, you’d be surprised at the precision of your results once you get the hang of it.

On the other hand, jigsaw blades are flexible and dangerous. During cutting, the blades can bend, leading the line you’re trying to cut away from your mark. This hitch is an even more prominent problem when what you’re trying to cut is a curve. A properly set-up bandsaw can cut a perfect square in very thick material.

Stacking an already cut piece of wood on top of an uncut one, you can easily make the same cuts over and over again without having to worry about measuring material one after the other. A bandsaw can take stacks of up to four or even six boards and cut them all consistently and identically. This can be a huge time saver because with a jigsaw, you have to cut one piece of wood at a time due to the shortness of its blade. This makes room for errors, waste, and unnecessary stress and forces you to dispose of material that comes out less than adequate.

You can cut and create beautiful bandsaw boxes of any size and can make compound cuts on pieces/parts of furniture, including those fancy wardrobes, mirror stands, and rocker chairs that have become so popular with simply a bandsaw. Even furniture designer and woodworking legend Sam Maloof regularly used bandsaws to create and sculpt those lovely pieces of furniture he became famous for.

The truth of the matter is that bandsaws are exponentially better, and you can create designs and make cuts that you would never attempt with any other kind of power saw because of its safety and abilities.

They are medium to heavy-duty power saws with electric motors and a long, continuous blade that can easily cut straight, curved, and irregular shapes in metal, wood, and even plastic. They are similar to highly versatile jigsaws with a lot more mechanical features. Popular uses for these types of saws are curved cuts, resawing (cutting wood into two thinner pieces), milling lumber, resetting boards, and cutting non-wood materials.

Take out some money and invest in a bandsaw today. We promise you won’t regret it.