Resawing & curves
The band saw is the only machine in the shop that cuts curves and splits a board through its thickness. We compare resaw height, wheel diameter, guide design and — the specification manufacturers are quietest about — whether the frame can actually tension a wide blade.
Tool-free blade change · ball-bearing guides
The most consistently priced saw on this page — around €160 to €175 everywhere in Europe — with ball-bearing guides at that money.
Best for: A first band saw, where the ability to change blades quickly matters more than capacity
250 W · 80 mm (3.15 in) height · 190 mm (7.48 in) throat
A small curve-cutting saw that publishes every figure it has — and those figures say plainly that it is not a resaw machine.
Best for: Curves, small parts and model work — the jobs a jigsaw does badly
350 W · 80 mm (3.15 in) × 200 mm (7.87 in)
A €100 band saw that publishes its two capacities honestly. At this price nothing else on this page competes.
Best for: Occasional curve work on a small budget, in Germany
≈ $350
900 W · the first real resaw machine here
The step up from a curve saw to a machine that will actually split a board — and the price step that goes with it.
Best for: A workshop that wants to resaw its own stock rather than buy it thicknessed
Two speeds · 720 & 1,000 m (3281 ft)/min
The only saw here with two blade speeds, which is what lets one machine cut aluminum and plastic as well as timber.
Best for: A mixed workshop where the same saw meets timber, aluminum section and acrylic
Einhell · 245 class · €264 in Germany
A bigger Einhell than the 200/1 at about €100 more — and a listing that says almost nothing about what the extra buys.
Best for: A buyer who has confirmed the capacities with Einhell and wants the larger frame
900 W induction · two speeds · stand included
A proper induction-motor bandsaw with a stand, an LED and a restart guard — sold without either of the two figures that define a bandsaw.
Best for: A settled workshop that wants one quiet machine for curves and resawing
900 W · two different references in Europe
A serious Makita band saw — and the first product on this site that is sold under two different Amazon references depending on the country.
Best for: A workshop buying its last band saw rather than its first
In resawing the motor works continuously over the full height. It is the available power that stops the blade deflecting under load.
Here it is not power that decides but the quality of the guides. With no comparable figure available, the highest-rated model in the aisle is the safest starting point.
Even a modest machine opens up possibilities no other saw offers. The most affordable model in the aisle is enough to see that.
To the machine's indication for the blade width in use. A blade too slack wanders and cuts crooked; too tight it breaks and tires the bearings.
Almost always a dull blade or an uncompensated natural drift. Every blade has its own drift angle, which has to be measured and followed with the fence.
The narrower the blade, the tighter the radius. A 6 mm (0.24 in) blade turns around a 15 mm (0.59 in) radius; a 20 mm (0.79 in) blade cuts practically straight.
It is the machine's most rewarding use. It needs a tall fence, a coarse-toothed blade and a slow, steady feed.
It is the safest of workshop saws: the force pushes the piece against the table and there is no kickback. The main risk is direct contact with the blade.
Bearings or blocks a hair from the blade, not touching it at rest, and the rear bearing only just touched during the cut. Guides set too tight heat up and wear the blade.
On entry-level machines, yes: a blade left tensioned deforms the wheel tires over time. A few seconds that add years to the machine.
Yes, and it is the figure that decides resawing capacity. A hundred-millimeter clearance will not resaw a hundred-and-twenty-millimeter board, even in two passes.
The bandsaw is the most versatile and the safest machine in the workshop. The blade and the guide settings do more for cut quality than power, and a modest well-set machine beats a big neglected one.
There is no table here, and the reason is in the listings. The figure published most often across these 8 products is motor, given by 5 of them — short of the four in five a column needs to compare rather than to display gaps. Each product page says what its own maker published.
Specifications: manufacturer sheets for woodworking machines and the matching Amazon product pages. Prices and availability: Keepa.
Most recent revision in this category: August 12, 2026.
Prices quoted in these summaries are dated readings. The live price is shown next to each product.
