What You Need to Keep in Mind When Buying a Band Saw

First and foremost, examine your needs. Going to be doing a lot of ripping of heavy stock? How bout ease of movement? Lots of fine woodworking? How about the size of wood you're going to be working with? Luckily, many of the band saws we'll show today can handle all of these questions.

Once you've looked at your requirements, look at the amount of space between the blade and frame (the throat area). The space there is going to be the determining factor on the size of stock you'll be able to cut.

Next, make sure the saw can take a number of different sizes of blade. You'll want to be able to switch the blade out depending on the type of cut you're making.

Finally, make sure the saw has a miter gauge and a rip Fence. These will make your life a lot easier when cutting. If you plan on using the band saw for beveled cuts, make sure the saw has a tilting table.

Now that you have an idea what to look for, let's examine the two types of band saws on the market.