Band Saw Blowout

WHERE TO STARTI’d suggest looking at 14" band saws.There’s just no question that a 14"band saw is the right size for most home woodworking shops.The com-bination of power, features and price that these saws offer make theman easy choice.

So with that as our starting point,we gathered up six of the mostpopular 14" band saws on the market and put them to the test.

What we wanted to know is what qualities made one band sawbetter than another.

HOW WE TESTEDBecause band saws are so varied, even within the 14" size range, weneeded a variety of opinions to best evaluate these tools.So we roundedup five experienced woodworkers to grade the saws in 12 different cat-egories.

Before the saws were turned on, we graded them on things suchas ease of assembly, the clarity of the owner’s manual, and their overallfit and finish.

Then we pushed each saw to its limit, making curved cuts andresawing thick stock (see Test Cuts).

As we made our cuts,comparing power and precision,we also paidclose attention to some of the finer details that helped us rank thesaws. Several of those are featured in Details That Make a Difference onpages 3 and 4.

TEST RESULTSFor a complete list of the categories we graded and the average gradeeach saw received, turn to the Band Saw Report Card on page 8.

In addition to the final rankings and the details that make a dif-ference, we’ll also tell you our overall impressions of each saw, alongwith the important facts and figures about each.Finally,we’ll tell youwhich saws we’d choose for own shop and why.

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ARD OF QUALITYEDITOR’S CHOICE

WORKBENCH

® Band Saw BlowoutBand saws rank high on many

woodworkers’ wish lists. Andwith good reason. From resawing

to cutting curves, ripping to crosscut-

ting, cutting circles and even intricatescroll patterns, there is no other wood-working machine that can match theversatility of a band saw. Unfortunately,

choosing which band saw isn’t nearly aseasy as deciding that you need one.That’sbecause there’s such a wide range of bandsaws to choose from.

Six band saws compete for top honors.Which saws make the cut?

TOOLS & TECHNIQUES SERIES

April 2002

From Workbench Magazine page 1 © August Home Publishing Co.

Plans N O Ww w w . p l a n s n o w . c o m

®

Blade Guard

Trunnion

Blade Tension Knob

Guide Post

Guide PostAdjustment

Knob

Upper BladeGuide Carriage

BladeTable

Lower BladeGuide Carriage

Dust CollectionPort

Lower Wheel

Motor

Table TiltLock Knob

ON/OFF Switch

Frame(cast-ironshown)

Upper Wheel

Wheel Bearing

TEST CUTS

GuideBlockLock

Screw

Guide Block

Guide BlockCarriage Lock knob

Guide BlockCarriage

AdjustmentKnob

ThrustBearing

Lock Knob

ThrustBearing

AdjustmentKnob

Guide Post

ThrustBearing

BLADE GUIDE DETAIL

CUTTING CURVES{ Effective guides, a clear sight line,and little or no vibration are essentialto making crisp, curved cuts.

Band saws are largely measuredby their ability to cut clean, accu-rate curves and to resaw thickboards into thinner pieces withpower and accuracy.

To compare the curve-cuttingabilities of the saws in this test,we cut elaborate patterns out of3/4" -thick red oak using identical1/4" carbon-steel blades (Fig.1).

For our resawing evaluation, wemounted a 1/2" carbon-steelblade on each machine. Then weresawed 2"-thick oak boards atthe maximum capacity of eachsaw (Fig. 2).

BladeTensionKnob

Upper Wheel Cover(backside)

Frame

BladeTensionGauge

BladeTracking

Knob

BladeTrackingLock Nut

ANATOMY OF A BAND SAW

BLADE TENSION DETAIL

RESAW CAPACITY{ Resawing requires awell-tensioned blade, good guides,and plenty of power.

21

From Workbench Magazine page 2 © August Home Publishing Co.

Details That Make A Difference

WHEEL COVERS AND CABINET ACCESSOpening up the wheel guards or other cabinet compartments onyour band saw isn’t something you’ll do everyday. But when youdo need to get inside the machine for service, cleaning or bladechanging, it should be as easy as possible.

Wheel covers that are held closed with threaded knobs make get-ting to the inside of the saw inconvenient (Photo D).The cam-styleclosures in Photo E,on the other hand,allow quick,easy access to thewheels and still hold the doors closed securely.

We also liked the large knobs and spring clips that were typicalon the wheel covers of the saws we tested.

Among these saws, only the Jet has hingeddoors on all of the compartments (Photo F).Other saws require screwdrivers or nut drivers toremove cabinet covers to get to the motor orpulley compartments.

Jet also used a nifty snap-out latch on themotor cabinet door for a professional touch.

BLADE GUIDE SYSTEMSAll band saws have blade guidesabove and below the table. Theguides support the blade and limitside-to-side and backward move-ment of the blade during cuts.

To keep the blade from movingside-to-side, there are two supportmembers in each guide. These areeither block type guides (Photo B), orbearing guides (Photo C).

Behind the blade is a thrustbearing.This bearing keeps the bladefrom being pushed backward off thewheel.The thrust bearing can be seen

at the top of Photo C or in the BladeGuide Detail on page 2.

In our test, we found that all ofthe guides on the saws we looked atwere able to support the bladethrough a variety of cuts.What dif-ferentiated these guides from onesaw to the next was how difficult itwas to set them up and then keepthem set up.

Remember, every time youchange a blade, you’ll need to adjustthe guides. If that’s difficult to do,you’ll be less likely to change blades,

which will limit the effectiveness ofyour saw.

Our favorite guides were theones that required few or no toolsto change the setup.

The guides shown in Photo B arethe best example of easy setup.Andthis same guide system has anotherfeature we really like. The guideblock carriage and the thrust bearingare both positioned by turning aknurled knob (you can just see oneof the knobs at the right edge ofPhoto B).This makes positioning theguides much more precise than thetype that slide back and forth byhand.

You’ll also want to take a look atthe guidepost on a band saw (Photo A).The post can be moved up and downto accommodate different widths orthicknesses of stock.

Because the upper guides aremounted on this post, it’s criticalthat the post remain parallel to theblade as it moves. Otherwise, you’llhave to reset the guides each timeyou change the height of the post.

<< The cam-lock knobs onthe Generallock the coversfirmly, but stillprovide easyaccess.

{{ Threaded knobs like those on thePowermatic make it inconvenient toopen the wheel covers.

>> The Jetmakes it easyto service theentire saw byhinging everycabinet door.

{{ General’s ten-sioned guidepostoperates smoothly.

{{ Adjusting the guides on thePowermatic proved to be a nuisancebecause it requires wrenches.

{{ Thumbscrews on Ridgid’s guidesystem make it completely tool-less.A knurled knob positions the guides.

GuideBlock

GuideBearings

ThrustBearing

KnurledKnob

ThumbScrews

GuidePost

TensionBolts

Adjustment knob

A B C

D

E F

Snap-OutLatch

From Workbench Magazine page 3 © August Home Publishing Co.

The saws we tested have two types offrames: two-piece cast iron (Photo G)and welded-steel (Photo H).

Quite honestly,we weren’t able tofind any performance differencesthat we could directly relate to theframe type.There are,however, someimportant differences that you’llwant to consider when you selectyour band saw.

The most important differencein the frame types is really resawcapacity. As a rule, welded-frameband saws have more resaw capacityright out of the box.Most two-piececast-iron frames, however, have theoption of adding a riser block thatcan as much as double the saw’sresaw capacity. Welded-frame sawscannot be expanded.

Another important structural ele-ment of a band saw is its wheels. Anine-spoke wheel, such as the one inPhoto G, is heavier than the six-spokewheel in Photo H.

The extra weight means thewheel will produce more centrifugalforce, and thus more cutting force.Heavier wheels also absorb morevibration.

BLADE TENSION ADJUSTMENT

Band saw blades require a great deal of tension in orderto resist flexing. If a blade tensioning knob is too small,poorly positioned,or uncomfortable to use, you may notbe able to apply the necessary force to tension the blade.

Large rubberized knobs (Photo I) or the lever-styletensioner in Photo J ranked high among our testers.

SIGHT LINES

If you can’t see the line, you can’t follow the line. It’s assimple as that.

Some saws offered a clear view of the blade and cutline while still allowing the guides to come very closeto the workpiece (Photo K).

On other saws, the blade guard interfered with the lineof sight (Photo L).This blade guard also held the guidesmuch further above from the workpiece, which makesthe blade more likely to flex.

FRAME & WHEELS

{{ Cast-iron frames have less resaw capacity outof the box, but can be expanded. The heaviernine-spoke wheels help dampen vibration.

{{ The Delta’s guidepost provides aclear sight line — even with theguides very close to the workpiece.

{{ The Powermatic guidepost has ablade guard that greatly obstructsthe view of the blade and cut line.

<< Ridgid’s largerubberized knobsmake tuning thesaw painless.

>> General’squick-releaseblade tensioner isa pleasure to use.

{{ Welded frames start with greater resawcapacity, but are not expandable. The lighter six-spoke wheels absorb less vibration.

BladeTensionKnob

Cast-IronFrame

Welded-SteelFrame

Quick-ReleaseBlade

Tension Lever

BladeTracking

Knob

H

I J

K L

G

From Workbench Magazine page 4 © August Home Publishing Co.

JET JWBS-14CS

DELTA 28-280

The Jet impressedus right out of thebox with its clear,thorough assemblyinstructions andillustrations.Once it was put

together, the Jet’s per-formance was second to

none. It powered throughevery cut with ease.And evenduring the most aggressivecuts, it was one of the qui-etest, smoothest-runningmachines we tested.

The Jet also has one of thebest blade guide systems ofthe bunch. It’s completelytool-less, and fine tuning theguides is incredibly easy.

The guide block carriagesand thrust bearings areadjusted with knurled knobsand then locked with thumb-screws. The guide blocks

themselves are also lockedwith thumbscrews.

The fit and finish of thismachine also earned highmarks. It has a flat, well-pol-ished table that tilts smoothly.And every adjustment on thissaw is made with large com-fortable knobs. It was also theonly cabinet that didn’trequire tools to get to at leastsome part of the machine.Everything about the Jet bandsaw shows incredible atten-tion to detail.

Amazingly, this is also oneof the most affordable saws ofthe group. Hard to believethey could deliver this kindof quality for under $600, butthey did it.

So,if you’re looking for highperformance at a moderatecost, this is your saw.

At a Glance:Price: $599Motor: 1 HP, 115V/10 Amp

or 230V/5 AmpResaw Capacity: 6"Rip Capacity: 131/2"Blade Range: 1/8" - 3/4"Blade Speed: 3,000 SFPMWeight: 185 lbs.Dim: 19"D x 26"W x 68"HWarranty: 2 years

Virtues: Powerful, quiet-runningmotor; Tool-less blade guideadjustments; Superior quality cab-inet; Large, comfortable adjust-ment knobs; Large table; Greatprice.Vices: LightweightVerdict: This is a superior-qualityband saw from top-to-bottom at anunbeatable price.

Jet . . . 800-274-6848www.JetTools.com

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®

At a Glance:Price: $799Motor: 1 HP, 115V/9.6 Amp

or 230V/4.8 AmpResaw Capacity: 61/4"Rip Capacity: 133/4"Blade Range: 1/8" - 3/4"Blade Speed: 3,000 SFPMWeight: 224 lbs.Dim: 18"D x 25"W x 66"HWarranty: 2 years

Virtues: Heavy-duty construction;Excellent guide adjustment; Bestoverall fit & finish.Vices: Mild vibration; Tools arerequired to adjust guide blocks andto access the cabinet. Verdict: This is an outstandingsaw that has long set the standardfor what band saws should be.Worth the higher price.

Delta . . . 800-438-2486www.DeltaWoodworking.com

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®

Delta has longmade some of thebest 14" band sawson the market.Thistool continuesDelta’s fine tradi-

tion, though it doescome at a price.

This saw met orexceeded every one of ourexpectations in terms of per-formance. And overall, manyof the testers felt it was thebest-built saw of the group.

The table had the nicestgrind and polish among thisgroup of saws.And the heavy,nine-spoke wheels — whichhelp dampen vibration andincrease cutting power — wasanother feature we all liked.Aswas the resilient-mount motor,which also minimizes vibra-tion and is further evidence ofsolid construction.

The blade guide system,while requiring an Allenwrench to loosen the blocks,also impressed us. In terms ofpositioning the guide blockcarriages and the thrust bear-ings, the large, knurled knobson the Delta were the easiestto reach and use.

Where this saw lost a fewpoints was with things like athumbscrew to adjust the upperwheel tracking — it’s under-sized and uncomfortable to use.We all preferred the large plasticknobs common on the othermachines.

The dust port on this toolwas also an issue; it just alwaysseemed to be in the way.

But even with a fewquirks, you’d never regretbuying this first-class, solidly-built band saw — no matterwhat the price.

From Workbench Magazine page 5 © August Home Publishing Co.

GENERAL INTERNATIONAL 90-100

CRAFTSMAN PROFESSIONAL

The General band saw hasseveral unique and worth-while features that earned itthird-place in our test.

First, it has two speed set-tings.The slower speed is fordense hardwoods.The fasterspeed is well-suited to softermaterial. This is a nice fea-ture that will appeal to manywoodworkers.

Another feature we likedwas the blade tensioninglever. The lever flips up toinstantly release the tensionfor blade changes or whenthe saw is not in use. Oddlyenough, this band saw did nothave a tension gauge on it.Which puts an unfortunateblack eye on an otherwisewell thought-out tensioningsystem.

On a positive note, thecabinet doors of this band saw

are secured with cam-lockknobs that make opening upthe machine a snap.

The solid cabinet con-struction was another plus.

Finally,a smooth operatingguidepost,which is tensionedto keep it from slammingdown on the table, also wonhigh praise.

Unfortunately, the guide-post didn’t move exactly par-allel to the blade.

Another place the Generalsuffered was in its crude guidesystem. An Allen wrench isneeded for most adjustments,and the lower guides are dif-ficult to reach.

Overall, the saw performedwell, had some great features,and a reasonable price.With afew refinements, it could def-initely contend for a higherspot.

At a Glance:Price: $650Motor: 1 HP, 115v/11amp

or 230v/5.5amp Resaw Capacity: 7"Rip Capacity: 133/4"Blade Range 1/8" - 3/4"Blade Speed: 2,300/3,250 SFPMWeight: 210 lbs.Dim: 25"D x 16"W x 67"HWarranty: 2 years

Virtues: Two speeds; Powerful;Quiet & smooth running; Largeresaw capacity; Quick-release ten-sion lever; Easy cabinet access.Vices: Crude guide adjustments;No tension gauge; Guidepost didnot stay parallel; Verdict: A good saw with somedisappointing flaws.

General Intl. . . . 514-326-1161www.General.ca

At a Glance:Price: $499Motor: 11/2 HP*,

120V/10 AmpResaw Capacity: 6"Rip Capacity: 135/8"Blade Range: 1/8" - 1/2"Blade Speed: 2,700 SFPMWeight: 194 lbs.Dim: 33"D x 21"W x 64"HWarranty: 1 year

Virtues: Solidly built; Nice guideadjustment; Heavy castings;Sturdy open base; Great price.Vices: Loud; Poor belt guarddesign; Table adjustment knobs aretoo close to the table.Verdict: Not a fancy saw but per-formed very well. Top Value atunder $500.Craftsman . . . 800-549-4505

www.Craftsman.com*Craftsman claims 11/2 maximum-developed HP which

means the motor only reaches thisoutput under extreme loads.

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TOP VALUE

The Craftsman delivered per-formance that we all felt was wellbeyond its reasonable price.

Despite being powered by whatis essentially a 3/4 horsepowermotor (Craftsman claims 11/2

“maximum developed” horse-power, which is a bit deceivingwhen rating induction motors),this saw handled even our mostdemanding cuts. It stalled onlywhen our feed rates outpaced ourgood sense.

Additionally, the Craftsman hasa blade guide adjustment systemvery similar to the much higher-priced machines.

The overall construction of themachine also impressed us. Thecastings were sturdy, and the largetable was nicely polished.

What cost the Craftsman ahigher ranking were things such asa poorly designed guard for its drivebelt, which actually shook off at

one point.That alsospeaks poorlyof the exces-sive vibrationwe experi-enced whenmaking heavy cuts.

Having to remove theblade guard to changeblades and the noisyoperation of the sawwere our other bigcomplaints.

Overall, theCraftsman is not aparticularly fancysaw,but certainlyan effective one.Based on that,and a price tagunder $500,we awarded itTop Value honors.

From Workbench Magazine page 6 © August Home Publishing Co.

POWERMATIC 044

RIGID BS-1400

At a Glance:Price: $669Motor: 1 HP, 115V/7 Amp

or 230V/3.5 AmpResaw Capacity: 9"Rip Capacity: 14"Blade Range: 1/4" - 3/4"Blade Speed: 3,000 SFPMWeight: 212 lbs.Dim: 27"D x 23"W x 71"HWarranty: 1 year

Virtues: Smoothest-runningmotor; Large resaw capacity; Largetable; Strong tension spring.Vices: Difficult assembly; Poormanual; Threaded knobs are incon-venient; Tensioning knob is uncom-fortable; Guides are hard to adjust.Verdict: Some really good thingshere, but overall, it’s hard to recom-mend this saw at this price.

Powermatic . . . 800-274-6848www.Powermatic.com

At a Glance:Price: $499Motor: 3/4 HP, 120V

10 AmpResaw Capacity: 6"Rip Capacity: 135/8"Blade Range: 1/8" - 3/4"Blade Speed: 2,800 SFPMWeight: 178 lbs.Dim: 32"D x 17"W x 68"HWarranty: Lifetime

Virtues: Guides are tool-less andeasy to adjust; All knobs andthumbscrews are large and rubber-ized; Good fit and finish; Greatprice; Lifetime warranty.Vices: Heavy vibration; Excessivenoise; Lightweight stand;Underpowered for heavy resawing.Verdict: At this price, it’s a rea-sonable saw for light-duty use.

Ridgid . . . 800-474-3443www.RidgidWoodworking.com

The Powermatic is best describedas equal parts good, and equalparts bad.

On the good side, this saw wasfar-and-away the quietest,smoothest-running saw we used.That’s a huge advantage when

you’re cutting intricatecurves.In fact, this saw ran so

smoothly that the minimal vibra-tion in some of the other saws inthe test seemed downrightannoying by comparison.

Also in the Powermatic’sfavor was its enormousresaw capacity — nearly2" more than the nextlargest saw.

The tension springin this saw was easilythe strongest. Thatgives the saw greaterability to tensionwide blades.

Unfortunately, this saw wasplagued by a few too many prob-lems to be ranked any higher inthe test.

For instance, the blade guidesystem was absolutely maddeningto adjust.And the knobs for bladetensioning and tracking werealmost painful to use. Also,threaded lock knobs made gettinginto the cabinet inconvenient.And finally, the guidepostintruded into the sight line sobadly that it made us all feel cross-eyed (see Details That Make ADifference, page 3).

Just the same, this saw has alot of potential.

If you want a powerfulmachine that’s solidly built, this isa good choice.And if you can jus-tify the cost of an after-marketguide system and friendlier knobs,this saw could be as good as anywe tested.

Except for a smaller motor andan open stand, the Ridgid isalmost a clone of the Jet.

Most notably, the Ridgidboasts a nearly identical guidesystem to the Jet. Interestingly

enough, Ridgid wentone step further andrubberized all thethumbscrews. In fact,

every knob on this saw is rub-berized and extremely com-fortable to manipulate.Theseare small touches, but good

ones.Another plus for Ridgid

is a lifetime warranty com-pared to the one- or two-year warranties on all theother saws in this test.

Unfortunately, somemembers of our teamfound the 3/4 hp motorto be inadequate foraggressive cutting.

During the resaw testing,the Ridgid stalled easier thanwe would have liked.

The saw also had an exces-sive amount of vibration.Thatmay be due to its open stand,which seemed too lightweightto supporting a tool of thissize.

Those things alone wereenough to knock the Ridgidinto the bottom spot.

And yet, despite its poorplacement in this test,everyoneagreed that the saw wouldwork well for occasional, light-duty use.

We can’t recommend theRidgid for resawing.But, withthe money you save on theprice of this saw, you couldbuy plenty of high-qualityblades that would maximizethe saw’s performance in allother situations.

From Workbench Magazine page 7 © August Home Publishing Co.

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Assembly/Set Up

Owner's Manual

Fit & Finish

Table Tilt

Dust Port

Blade Guides

Blade Changing

Blade Tensioning

Noise Level

Vibration

Resawing

Curve Cutting

Overall Grade

Jet Delta General Craftsman Powermatic Ridgid

BFBB-C-D+CC+B+B+B-B-C

B+C+B+A-BABBBBB+B+B

B+C+A-A-C+B+BBBBA-B+B

BCBBBCBA-B-B-B+B-B-

C-C+BB+C+C+B-BC+BB-B-C+

CCB+B+C+AC+BC+CC-CC

EDITOR’S CHOICEForgive me for riding the fence.There’s just no other way.

The Jet is a great saw.The Deltais a great saw. I searched for a reasonto give one of them sole claim tothe Editor’s Choice award. But nomatter how I came at it, I justcouldn’t rationalize making eitherone of them the “bridesmaid.”

Unfortunately,my test group wasno help in solving the stalemate.They liked them both, giving themidentical final grades.

So, is the Jet the automatic winnerbecause it is priced significantlylower? For some people, yes. Forothers, the American workmanshipand the heritage of Delta tools jus-tifies the additional $200.

In reality, either of these sawsshould last you a lifetime.Both willhandle the vast majority of cuts youcan demand of them. The bladeguides on both saws are effectiveand easy to use. The overall con-struction of both machines is nearlyflawless.

So rest assured, whether youchoose the Jet or the Delta, eithersaw is worth every dime.

TOP VALUEIf you want to spend as little as pos-sible to equip your shop with acapable band saw, then the Craftsmanis easily the Top Value.

Admittedly, this saw isn’t as heavy-duty as the pricier models we tested.And its motor,which Craftsman mar-kets as a 11/2 maximum-developed hp,actually produces 3/4 continuous hp.

Despite that, and a few other smallquirks that we discovered during ourtesting, this saw impressed us. Weespecially liked the way it handledfast feed rates when resawing. It alsocut curves smoothly with little effort.

Overall,we felt that whatever lim-itations the Craftsman band saw mayhave, they are more than offset by itsrelatively low price.

Final Recommendations

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BAND SAW REPORT CARD

JET JWBS-14CS DELTA 28-298 CRAFTSMAN PROFESSIONAL

From Workbench Magazine page 8 © August Home Publishing Co.