Metabo BAS 318 Precision WNB review

Every figure is a manufacturer specification, read off the listing itself, and the judgments are ours — drawn from how the specification behaves in this class of machine and from what long-term owners consistently report. Where a figure is missing, we say so rather than fill it in.

What the specification says

900 W. Part number 619009000. Metabo publishes little else on this listing, which is a recurring problem in this category rather than one maker’s failing.

What “resaw” means, and why most of these cannot

Resawing is splitting a board through its thickness — turning one 50 mm (1.97 in) plank into two 22 mm (0.87 in) ones. It is the job a band saw does that no other machine can, and it is the reason serious workshops own one.

It needs three things at once: enough height under the guides, a frame stiff enough to tension a wide blade, and enough power to keep the blade moving through a long cut. A saw with 80 mm (3.15 in) of height cannot resaw anything worth resawing, however good it is at curves — and most saws sold as band saws under €300 are in that group. That is not a fault; it is a different machine, and the listings rarely say so.

At 900 W and a frame in this class, this is the first machine on the page that belongs on the right side of that line — the entry saws above are all 250 to 350 W with 80 mm (3.15 in) of height.

What “Precision” is meant to mean

Metabo’s Precision range is built around the two things that decide whether a band saw holds a line: how much tension the frame can put into a wide blade without flexing, and how well the guides hold it once tensioned. Those are also the two things no manufacturer publishes a number for, so the range name is a claim rather than a measurement — but it is a claim with a consistent reputation behind it.

The one figure to confirm

Resaw height. It is the specification that decides whether this machine does what you are buying it for, and it is not on the listing. Ask before ordering: 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.

Availability

Catalogued and unsold: the American Amazon shop lists the reference with nobody behind it.

Read from Keepa on the day this page was last revised; stock and price both move without notice.