Band saws
Most saws sold as band saws under €300 cannot resaw anything worth resawing. That is not a fault; it is a different machine. This guide separates the two.
A saw with 80 mm (3.15 in) of height and 350 W is a curve saw. It will follow a shape better than any jigsaw, and it will not split a board. Machines at 900 W with a frame to match are where resawing starts.
Resaw height is rarely published, and when it is, the figure assumes a properly tensioned wide blade. Ask for it. The difference between 160 mm (6.30 in) and 200 mm (7.87 in) is the difference between splitting a board and nearly splitting it.
Width sets the minimum radius you can follow: roughly 6 mm (0.24 in) for a 20 mm (0.79 in) radius, 13 mm (0.51 in) for 60 mm (2.36 in). Pitch decides whether the gullets clear — three teeth in the cut, always.
Slicing a thick board into thinner ones. It is the use that justifies a large band saw and it demands tension and a wide blade.
The extreme of resawing: thin slices where blade drift and wander show immediately.
A narrow blade on a smaller machine. Wide-blade resaw machines cut curves badly.
Where a band saw is safer than any other saw, because the cutting force pushes the work down onto the table.
| What you cut | What it needs | What suffers |
|---|---|---|
| Thin veneers | Tension and a wide blade | Curve cutting |
| Curves | A narrow blade | Resaw capacity |
| Wide boards | Height under the guides | Shop headroom |
| Green timber | Aggressive tooth pitch | Finish quality |
A band saw is a machine of adjustments rather than parts. Blade tension, tracking, guides and clean tires between them decide whether it cuts straight, and all four drift with use.
A continuous blade under tension, with the cutting force pushing the work down.
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
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
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
Splitting a board through its thickness — turning one 50 mm (1.97 in) plank into two 22 mm (0.87 in) ones. It needs height under the guides, a frame stiff enough to tension a wide blade, and power to keep it moving.
Usually the blade, then the tension, then the guides. Keep at least three teeth in the cut, tension properly, and set the bearings close. Drift is also normal: every band saw needs its fence angled to match.
The height under the upper guides, which is the thickest board you can stand on edge and slice. It is the defining specification of a resaw machine.
Usually a dull blade, insufficient tension, or guides not set. Drift is far more often the blade than the machine.
As wide as the machine will tension for resawing; narrow enough for the tightest radius when cutting curves. The two uses want different blades.
For long idle periods, yes: it spares the tires and bearings. For a lunch break it makes no difference.
The cutting force pushes the work down rather than back, so there is no kickback in the same sense. It is still a moving blade and needs the same discipline.
Most often dust packed on the tires, or tracking not set after a blade change. Clean tires and set tracking before blaming the blade.
For cutting: A workshop that wants to resaw its own stock rather than buy it thicknessed
Where it shines: 900 W — nearly three times the motor of the entry saws here
Where it disappoints: The listing publishes the motor rating and little else
For cutting: A workshop buying its last band saw rather than its first
Where it shines: 900 W and a full-size frame
Where it disappoints: Two different Amazon references across Europe, on the same EAN
For cutting: A first band saw, where the ability to change blades quickly matters more than capacity
Where it shines: Ball-bearing blade guides rather than friction blocks
Where it disappoints: Einhell publishes no cut height or throat depth on this listing
Blades, inserts and spares from the same aisle, at the price we recorded. Check they fit the saw you pick before ordering: it depends on the bore and the part number, which the listing states.
The saws above are drawn from the catalog of this site. Specifications are the published ones, from the maker and from the Amazon product page; prices are the Keepa figure for the date below, and both shift. Ranking uses declared specifications, the balance of stated strengths and stated limits, and price. No machine here has cut wood for us, and the page claims nothing else.
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Prices quoted in these summaries are dated readings. The live price is shown next to each product.
Table saws and planers swing by a hundred dollars or more across the year, and the biggest "discounts" often land at prices the same model sold for six weeks earlier. UniverTrack tracks the real price history across retailers, spots fake reductions, and alerts you when it is genuinely the moment to buy.
