Best Small Band Saws for Crafts 2023

October 4, 2023

If you’re a newbie in woodworking and want to get serious in this craft, it is reasonable to invest in a band saw designed for making wood crafts. Besides, if you’re going to make furniture, it will be best to invest in a quality bench bandsaw. You can use a bench bandsaw to make picture frames, making hole cuts, or making intricate designs. 

You can likewise use it to cut precise curves. Moreover, you can use them to cut tenons and smaller rabbets. Plus, it is perfect for ripping small stock pieces and resawing larger wood pieces.

Most Recommended Small Bandsaws for Crafts

However, choosing the best bench bandsaw can be a bit tricky, given the myriads of options at hand. Yet, if you are familiar with the following most recommended small bandsaws for crafts, the choosing process becomes a bit easy for you:

Last update on 2024-08-22 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

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1) Grizzly Industrial G0803Z

The Grizzly Industrial G0803Z is a 9-inch benchtop bandsaw that comes with many features you would surely love. Its most sterling feature is its blower and laser guidance system. These features make the cutting process for you safe and easy. 

It also comes with a LED light that you can adjust with ease. This LED light lets you enhance your ability to see the cutline.

Moreover, it features an adjustable rip fence and a tilting table. Besides, it has a dust port and rigid construction. This bench bandsaw is a perfect tool for smaller woodworking jogs. It is likewise an excellent option. 

Pros:

• Comes with a Laser guide and LED light
• Offers precision cutting
• Easy to set up and adjust

Cons:

• A bit expensive

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2) RIKON 10-305

Another excellent option for a bench bandsaw is the RIKON 10-305. It is a ten-inch bandsaw with a sturdy steel frame. A 1/3 HP motor also powers it. You can use this bandsaw to cut various workpieces. You can likewise use it to cut metals and hardwood. 

Its table is made of cast iron. It also features a dust port and guidepost that is micro-adjustable and lets you lower the guide quickly. Moreover, it comes with a rip fence allowing you to engage in free-hand cutting. Lastly, it comes with an excellent warranty of five years.

Pros:   

• Features a durable frame
• Comes with a powerful motor 
• Compact and lightweight
• Capable of heavy-duty cutting
• Excellent warranty

Cons

• A bit expensive

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3) POWERTEC BS900

Another excellent option is the POWERTEC BS900. It is a combo of a benchtop bandsaw and a miter gauge. It can deliver precision cuts while allowing you to make irregular-shaped cuts with a maximum depth of 3-5/8 inches. You can also cut workpieces up to nine inches wide. If you are a DIY or a professional one, you will find this bandsaw very useful. 

The POWERTEC BS900 offers precision cutting and comes with a miter gauge for accurate miter cuts. It also comes with angle stops with incremental control. Moreover, it offers a patented adjustment of its blade guard. 

It also features a quick-release lever for its blade tension. Furthermore, it makes the changing of blades relatively fast and easy. Besides, it comes with a blade-tracking window. Its table also allows for pinon and rack adjustment for easy tilting to forty-five degrees.

Pros:

• Lightweight and compact
• Offers excellent tension lever and perfect blade
• Works relatively quiet

Cons:

• Comes with a small motor
• Doesn’t come with a rip fence and dust bag

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4) SKIL 3386-01

The SKIL 3386-01 gets powered by a 2.5 HP motor. This motor makes this bandsaw excellent on metal and wood. It offers clean and precise angular cuts with its ribbed table tilts. It also features an LED light (articulating) for an enhanced view of your workpiece. 

The 3386-01 also comes with a 1-1/2″ dust port to keep your workbench and work area free of dust. Moreover, it’s easy to set up and adjust. It also comes with a miter gauge and a rip fence.

Pros:

• Compact and lightweight
• Features a dust bag
• Quiet when operating
• Easy to set up and use

Cons:

• Its wheels can be wobbly
• Not suitable for heavy-duty tasks

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5) WEN 3959T

The WEN 3959T is another excellent option if you’re looking for a bench bandsaw. It is compact yet powerful. Furthermore, it gets powered by a 2.5-amp motor that allows the blade to rotate at a maximum of 2,500 feet/minute. It can cut different materials. 

The 3959T comes with a 59-1/2″ blade that can vary in size between 3/8″ down to 1/8″. You can make cuts up to nine inches wide and three and a half inches deep. Moreover, it comes with a dust port (2-1/2″) that you can connect to a vacuum hose. 

The WEN 3959T offers a spacious table with 12-1/4″ by 11-7/8″ dimensions. You can also tilt it at a maximum of 45 degrees. With it, you can create angled cuts on various materials. You can also use it on any sturdy flat surface, given its compact form. 

Its ball bearings also ensure that it will run smoothly and provide the clean cuts you are desirous of getting. Besides, it features a blade guard that you can easily adjust to prevent kickbacks. It also comes with a two-year warranty.

Pros:

• Offers spacious worktable
• Easy to set up and use

Cons:

• The durability of the blade guard is questionable
• The fence may tend to flex

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Essential Factors to Consider When Buying a Bench Bandsaw

Aside from knowing the most recommended bench bandsaws, it will likewise help if you are mindful of the following crucial factors to consider when selecting a small bandsaw:

Frame

One essential factor you should consider is the bandsaw frame. You might not think of the frame as very important, yet it plays a significant role in the bandsaw’s proper functioning. First, it determines the strength and stability of the unit. It is the support that makes a bandsaw works well. Hence, it will help if you choose a bandsaw made of solid and durable materials. 

In this way, you can ensure that the internal components of the bandsaw are well supported. Buying a bandsaw with a subpar frame is equivalent to buying an inferior machine. Most bandsaw frames are wrought in welded steel, die-cast, or cast iron. The cast-iron frame, of course, is the most recommended for it is more robust and heavier.

Teeth Per Inch (TPI)

The TPI will also play a crucial role in the efficiency and effectiveness of your bandsaw. It is the teeth per inch of your bandsaw blade. It is also termed pitch. Pitch is a critical factor in the performance of a bandsaw. The coarser your bandsaw blade, the faster it would cut. Nevertheless, the result will also be coarser. 

Contrariwise, the finer the saw blade’s teeth, the cleaner and more precise the results. If you cut thicker materials, it will be best to use a coarse saw blade. If you cut hard, thin, and brittle materials, it will be best to use finer saw blades.

You will indeed cut various material types ranging from fine, medium, and coarse materials in your works. Hence, it will help to choose the pitch type appropriate for the material you are cutting.

Wheel Weight

The bandsaw blade is attached to two giant wheels behind the wheel’s covers. These wheels rotate and move the saw blade in a vigorous downward position. These wheels need to be heavy to do their job correctly. 

Most wheels are of cast aluminum or cast iron. Each option has its pros and cons. Cast aluminum, for example, is lighter and can rotate faster. On the other hand, cast iron wheels are heavier and provide better control.

Versatility and Ease of Use

Bandsaws come in various brands and models. So, you must carefully choose the bandsaw you would buy. It will be best to buy something easy to set up and use. It should be versatile. Moreover, you should look for something with an adjustable rack, tables, and pinions that let you make angular cuts. 

It should also come with helpful accessories like a rip fence, miter gauges, etc. Besides, if you use it at home, it should be compact, lightweight, and portable.

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Frequently Asked Questions on Making Wood Crafts with Bandsaw

Aside from knowing the most recommended bench bandsaws in the market today and the essential factors to consider when buying one, it will also help if you are familiar with the FAQs about bench bandsaws for these FAQs might be the questions you have in mind likewise:

What Types of Bandsaw Do You Need?

The bandsaw type you should select depends on how you intend to use it and how often you use it. If you want to use it on lighter and smaller wood, you can select a lightweight bandsaw, sans a stand. This bandsaw type is often called benchtop bandsaws. Nevertheless, if you intend to resaw or cut thicker wood, you might as well settle for a heavy-duty one with many sterling features. 

Can a 1HP Bandsaw Work Well for Making Woodcrafts?

You’ll be surprised as you shop around for a bandsaw, for most bandsaws come with only one horsepower. Well, one horsepower is enough to power a bandsaw. If you use less than 1HP bandsaw, you can only use them for your smaller projects. So, the higher the HP, the heavier the tasks you can engage in.

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Conclusion

Benchtop bandsaws are the favorites of most woodworkers, including hobbyists and DIYers. Benchtop bandsaws can enable you to engage in different types of cutting with precision and ease. Yet, among the power tools, the benchtop bandsaws often take the background, though more and more woodworkers are finding the usefulness and ease of use of bandsaws very appealing. But if you are serious about raising your woodworking skills and endeavors a notch higher, it will be best to invest in a quality bandsaw.