Best bandsaw for a garage shop

A 14 in bandsaw is the garage size. It has a throat of about 13-1/2 in, a footprint under 2 ft square, and it runs on a household circuit. Smaller saws, with a 9 or 10 in throat, are benchtop tools that struggle with anything but thin stock. Larger saws, 17 in and up, need more floor, more power and often 240V. A 14 in saw fits a one-car garage and does most of what a hobbyist wants: curves, tenons, small resaw, cutting round stock and breaking down rough lumber.

The garage adds three questions: how much floor, how much power and how much noise. A bandsaw is quiet next to a planer or a table saw, which makes it a good choice for an attached garage and a family that goes to bed early. It also makes less dust, though the dust it does make is fine and wants a hood. And it is a tall, narrow machine: the Grizzly G0555 is 24.5 x 17.5 in and 66-1/2 in tall, which suits a corner better than the middle of the bay.

This page was researched from manufacturer listings, published specifications and owner reviews, not a cutting test. Figures for the G0555 are from the Grizzly briefs; for the WEN, JET and RIKON they are the titles and listings, and we say where a figure is not stated.

Yes, with a plan. The car takes the center of the bay; the bandsaw takes a corner or the back wall. The G0555 stands 24.5 x 17.5 in, so it needs about 2 ft by 1.5 ft of floor plus space to stand and to swing a board. With 12 in around it for the operator zone to the side and in front, its footprint grows to roughly 4 x 3.5 ft.

Long boards are the problem. A 6 ft board passing through the saw needs space on both sides. In a 12 x 20 ft bay with a sedan, the clear zone behind the front bumper is about 3 ft, so you cannot feed a long board past the saw while the car sits there. A bandsaw on a mobile base slides out to the center when the car is gone and back when it returns. The G0555 fit sheet runs the footprint through all six garage sizes, and the layout calculator lets you drop your own saw in the bay.

A mobile base like the BORA PM-1100 (a universal adjustable kit) or the WEN 500 lb base does the job. At 207 lb shipping weight the G0555 is well inside the WEN's 500 lb rating, but the base also raises the table, which is worth a check against your height.

A 1 HP, 14 in saw runs on 120V without trouble. The G0555 lists 11 A at 120V and 5.5 A at 220V; a 15 A circuit carries it alone. The WEN BA1411 and the JET JWBS-14CS are listed as dual-voltage, 120V or 240V. The benefit of 240V is lower current for the same power, but a 1 HP motor is not a big load either way, so the garage does not need a new circuit for a bandsaw.

For a 1-3/4 HP resaw saw, check the listing. The RIKON 10-1414 is listed at 1-3/4 HP and the Grizzly G0555XH at 1-3/4 HP; either saw draws more current, and 240V is the gentler choice. Use NEC Table 430.248 for the motor current (a 1-1/2 HP single-phase motor is 20 A at 115V and 10 A at 230V; a 2 HP motor is 24 A and 12 A), then size the breaker and the wire from 125 percent of that full-load current. The 240V circuit calculator returns the numbers, and a licensed electrician should confirm.

Whatever voltage you pick, avoid a long extension cord. A bandsaw that bogs down in a cut because of voltage drop wanders off the line. The voltage drop calculator shows how bad a 50 ft cord is, and the 240V in a garage explained guide covers what an outlet takes.

Resawing means cutting a board along its thickness, turning one thick board into two thin ones, or making veneer. The resaw height is the distance from the table to the upper guide at its highest. The G0555 lists 6 in of resaw, enough for a 6 in wide board on edge, which covers most hobby work. The RIKON 10-1414 lists a 14 in resaw capacity on its title, which suggests a tall riser block; read the listing to see what that means in practice.

Resawing is the hardest job a bandsaw does. It needs a wide, sharp blade with the right tooth count, a tall fence, good tension and a motor with some reserve. A 1 HP saw can do it in 6 in stock with a sharp blade and patience. If you resaw wide hardwood every week, a 1-3/4 HP saw is the better tool, and so is an upgraded blade. For most garage woodworkers, 6 in of resaw is plenty.

Ask yourself what you will cut. If it is curves and joinery, the base WEN or G0555 is plenty. If it is veneer and bookmatched panels, the extra money for a resaw saw pays for itself in wood you do not waste on a planer.

A bandsaw makes a fine dust that falls below the table and gets blown out the bottom. Most saws have a 4 in port on the lower cabinet; some add a second port above the table. A table saw, bandsaw and jointer all want about 350 CFM at the hood, per the shop dust guidelines this site uses, and the bandsaw is the easiest to serve with a small collector. A 4 in duct carries about 349 CFM at 4,000 fpm, so a 4 in hose to a collector is the right size.

A small bag collector like the WEN 12-gallon unit or a wall unit like the POWERTEC 1 HP can serve the saw in a one-car bay. See the dust collector roundup for the sizes and the dust collector calculator for your own machines. A P100 respirator such as the GVS Elipse is cheap protection when you cut a lot of fine dust. These are general safety notes; follow the saw manual for guard, blade and push-stick use.

A good bandsaw is mostly about setup. Three things matter more than the brand.

• Blade: the stock blade is usually a compromise. A good blade of the right width and tooth count for the cut changes the saw more than the motor does. The G0555 takes a 93-1/2 in blade; check the length for any saw you buy.
• Tension and tracking: set tension for the blade width, track the blade to the center of the wheels and set the guides just clear of the blade. Do it each time you change the blade.
• Table and fence: a flat, square table and a rigid fence make straight cuts. The G0555 has a 14 x 14 in cast-iron table; check yours for flatness.

Add hearing protection like the DECIBEL DEFENSE muffs and wipe the table with a rust inhibitor such as Boeshield T-9 to keep the cast iron from rusting in a damp garage. For a damp bay, see the dehumidifier page.