Band Saw vs Table Saw- Which One is Better for You?

band saw

Ah, the confusion just never seems to end with these two! Woodwork is a fine piece of craft, just like the outcome it puts out if everything’s done right; and choosing the right saw is very important, in case you want to do real justice to the log lying in your workshop and turn it into something awesome.

And this is where the problem starts because different saws work in different ways, and no matter how much you want all of the choices available to you, sometimes you have to give in for just one considering the state of your bank account.

The comfort of operating matters as well. And other times you might be just too rookie to gamble.

So, which one is it going to be, band saw or table saw?

To understand where your position should be in this tough battle of choosing the right armor (or weapon, to be more literal), first you must learn what these saws are all about; in case you don’t already know. Yeah, for the sake of comparison, we’re going to pretend everyone here’s a beginner, shall we?

The Structure and The Use

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What is a Band Saw Used for?

Band Saw

Band saws are most well-known for their attribute that allows them to cut throw logs in irregular curves, and that also in the most perfect way.

The saw is available typically in two forms, either portable one that has to be fitted to a benchtop or table for work, or a giant model that sturdily stands on the floor. The choice for these two avatars definitely depends on what type of labor you’re going for.

The engineering is pretty much the same in these two models. Big wheels are included above and below the sawing table, which are primarily responsible for the saw to function. A slander sharp blade with teeth is attached to the saw, which rotates as the wheels start to operate. To help place a log for ripping, a table is placed between the slots holding the wheels. That’s pretty much the standard structure of a band saw.

There’s a motor that constantly provides energy to keeps the wheels running and the blade rotating. We already mentioned at the very beginning what the specialty of band saw’s blade is; all the bizarre shapes you want, all the perfect circles and waves, this is the saw for that.

The floor model one is capable of resawing as well. And cross-cutting or cutting in thinner pieces is the least of things that have to be mentioned to explain the awesomeness of the wonder that a band saw is.

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What is a Table Saw Used for?

A Table saw : band saw vs table saw

Table saw is pretty much the circular saw with extra miles, definitely making the job easier than using a regular circular saw. Many even DIY their own table saw because of this design. But that doesn’t mean the technology working behind this, is super easy.

Basically, how table saws are, there is this circular blade with teeth that comes connected to an arbour, and the arbour is linked to a motor that operates the blade. The table can feature a mechanism that might allow the user to ascend or lower the blade; might as well move it sideways or slightly tilt it. The blade is placed a tad bit below the middle-level of the table.

What’s the best attribute of a table saw when it comes to ripping? You can really focus on ripping smoothly as you get to be in the charge of moving the wood piece, which is straight up not the case with a regular circular saw. This is the saw for smoothing the edges.

Well, we hope this was sufficient for a proper understanding of these two structures, now let’s compare!

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Band Saw vs Table Saw

Band Saw vs Table Saw

Pros of Using a Table Saw

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Adjustment Abilities: Table saw’s best feature is the adjustment abilities it comes with, unless you DIY one and screw up on that part. The height can easily be adjusted for sawing or ripping convenience, some even got the features that allow the user to move or tilt them a little for approaching a specific cutting style.

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Perfect for Straight Ripping: Table saw’s blade placement and motion makes it a more convenient choice than a band saw for making crosscuts and ripping logs making perfect horizontal cuts.

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Smooth Edges: Table saw is the most perfect saw for smoothing out the edges; even the cabriole shapes or curves that you attain through using a band saw, table saw is what you’d require to give those cuts a good finishing touch.

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Pros of Using a Band Saw

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Less Noisy Environment: Yes, it makes a lot less sound than a table saw, the whole mechanism works in an almost quiet manner. And if you’re lucky, you might end up with one that doesn’t make any sound at all.

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The Curves: Those fancy beautiful cabriole legs? Definitely, something your upright table saw can’t give you. The band saw on the other hand….

The way its blade is placed, and the slender shape of it; makes pivoting a log through an act of some sophisticated art form. You can easily rip the log in any shape, any curve, the saw will give you exactly what you want.

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Thinner Serrated Blade: Blades of a band saw is thinly serrated, which allows for less sawdust flying around. And never likely to pop a big piece of a chunk when you’re trying to shape a big log. And speaking of big log and smooth curve, the slender shape of the blade goes through any wood piece pretty well, so this is a major plus point.

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Safer and Versatile: Yes, its position makes it a lot safer than a table saw to operate on. Moreover, you can even cut plastic or similar material. Band saws are pretty popular in the market for slicing meat and bones.

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Cons of Using a Table Saw

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Blade for Professionals: The blade happens to have more blunt teeth compared to that of a band saw, and also you can’t be as much as precise with the motion of your hands with them being over a continuously spinning saw; this makes it a more risky choice for the beginners since they have a bit more way to go for their hands to find own groove.

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Chunks Splattering: Due to blunt teeth and fast space, sawdust flying around is a more aggressive event with the table saw, and sometimes bigger chunks tend to splatter while the work is in progress; so, you got to be careful with that.

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Not versatile: The way this saw functions, you shouldn’t attempt to cut metal or plastic with it if you don’t like to live dangerously and have a passion for surfing with the shark. An appropriate choice for woodcutting only.

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Cons of Using a Band Saw

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Height is Non-adjustable: The blade comes adamantly attached, so there’s no scope for adjusting the height for convenient ripping at times.

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Bad for Straight-up Ripping: While the saw works excellently to give a wood piece a curvy shape, it’s not quite the standard saw for straight-up ripping or resawing.

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Rough Shape: Even though the band saw is the best option for curves and many shapes, it can’t do justice to smoothing those edges out. The sturdy structure and the incompatibility to height adjustments really get in the way of a good finish afterwards.

So, if we think from all the pros and cons mentioned above, we can see how far the comparison of the table saw vs band saw can go actually, and boy, it’s pretty far.

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Compatibility of Band Saw and Table Saw at Different Aspects

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Straight Cut: Band saw is not technically bad at this, but the table saw is the boss.

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Irregular Shapes: For any of your funky woodcraft idea and those fancy furniture curvy shapes you have in mind, band saw should be the armor of your choice. Not the expertise area of the table saw.

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Smooth Edges: After ripping and cutting, comes the smoothing part; and the band saw’s serrated blade is definitely made for that work, it’s the table saw’s jam.

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Safety: Safety obviously should be your topmost priority, although many woodworkers after a while don’t seem to care about that. However, you should nevertheless. While, because of the motion, shape, and how you can swivel your hands around the blade, band saw is quite safer to use in comparison; it’s always required to handle the table saw with more precaution due to the same reasons.

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Adjustments: Adjustment is a null feature with a band saw; it’s just not structured that way. On the other hand, the table saw does come with several options for height adjustment, and sometimes even for beveling or tilting a bit at one edge.

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Versatility: Band saw is quite popular for meat cutting, as well as splitting metal objects and plastics; and wood, obviously, as a matter of fact, not out of the question. The table saw is only good for wood.

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Noise: In case you’re okay with having to cope with loud sound while trying to rip a log; the table saw is okay to go. The band saw blades do work quite quietly though, so working place peace will be easy to maintain throughout the whole session.

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Conclusion

So, as you can see, judging from different aspects, both saws have some advantages and downsides. Which one is going to be the best for you depends completely on what you’re expecting to get done with your saw.

However, professionals tend to lean more towards the table saw due to its features being more up to their working nature, but band saws are more convenient for beginner level sawing. Anyhow, choose wisely.

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New from the blog:

How to Choose a 14 inch Bandsaw Perfectly?

A List of Our Favorite Contractor Table Saws.

How to Pick a High Quality Hybrid Table Saw?

A Quick Look at Our All-time Favorite Portable Band Saws.

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Recommended Product for Your Safety:

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