Are Any 10" Band Saws Worth Buying?

[Steve H Graham]

Are any small (10" more or less) band saws worth buying?

I got my big saw fixed up recently, and while I was changing blades, I realized I was not having fun. It's a 15-minute job at best. It would be neat to have a smaller saw that always has a 1/4" blade on it.

I saw an old Rockwell on Craigslist, and I read up on them. Apparently they have plastic wheels! Sometimes really old Incas and American Craftsmans pop up.

[Larry Browning]

I got my big saw fixed up recently...
How big is your big saw? If it is a 17" or bigger then a smaller saw for you would be a 14" and I would start there. I think a 14" saw is pretty common and there should be lots of used ones available. Anything smaller will probably be in the plastic wheel class. Also, it would be pretty limiting in what you could with it. I thoulgt I would be replacing my old shopsmith band saw when I got a Griz 17", but soon discovered that blade changes were quite a PITA. So I now keep a 1/4" blade on the shopsmith and mostly use the Griz for resawing with the 3/4" blade.

[Jim German]

I've got a small craftsman 3-wheel saw. I keep a very small blade on it, and use it for very fine work. Its not great but it does come in handy from time to time. If you have the space to keep it and its cheap I'd go for it.

[Steve H Graham]

The big one is a 19" Shop Fox. It surfaced on Craigslist during the last economic dump.

To change the blades, I have to move the drill press and the saw so the bottom door of the saw cabinet will open. Ain't nobody got time for that.

Seems like a 14" saw is pretty close to the 19" in size, and it would also be a bigger expenditure than 10".

[Kyle Iwamoto]

I really enjoy my Rikon 10". I think it's a good saw. For a small saw. Since you have a bigger saw, it will be fine for those small projects.
I'd agree with Larry though, if your big saw is 17", a 14" with a small blade would be the way to go. My "big" saw is 14". LOL

[David Kumm]

There are a million used 14" Delta and clone saws out there. Bandsaws are simple machines so time doesn't hurt them. Older ones generally have decent cast iron in the frame and wheels and can be found pretty cheap. Dave

[glenn bradley]

I'm in the 17" and up needs a 14" for a "small" saw. I have a 17" and a 10" and the 10" (although it does well for what it is) can be lacking for a lot of "small" jobs. Another thing to look into might be why it takes so long to swap a blade on your larger saw. Some saws are definitely more adept at this than others but, snappy blade changes is not a design parameter for a lot of larger saws. If yours falls into this category, that is not a bad thing, just a thing. I can swap blades on my 17" in just a few minutes and it is easy enough that I don't hesitate to do so. That being said, if I had a 14" saw that supported quick blade changes (many do not) I would probably change blades on the larger saw a lot less ;-)

[Allan Speers]

Seems like a 14" saw is pretty close to the 19" in size, and it would also be a bigger expenditure than 10".


Maybe not. You have to figure in all the extras you'd probably immediately buy for a small, used saw. Those all cost the same:

New wheels
Task light
Mobile base
Possibly better guides - Esp with a smaller saw.
Possibly a Carter stabilizer, for 1/8" blades
better fence - Although you may not nee one with a "small blade only" saw.
Possibly better (CI) pulleys and cogged belts

After all that, the difference between $100 and $300 for the saw itself doesn't matter much, and you sometimes see old (basic) Delta 14's for $200 or less. You don't need a fancy one, nor a powerful motor, so a basic vintage machine will work fine for you.
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I have the same quandary right now: I recently got a 21" Grizzly. I still have my old Delta 14" X5, which is a fabulous saw, and also a 1940's Craftsman 12". I really need to sell the Delta as the Grizzly broke my budget, so I'm looking hard at making that Craftsman work.

The Craftsman has CI wheels, ci trunnion, and a 1 HP 4-pole motor, plus a few other nicely made parts, but it also has some serious negatives: Horrible guides, aluminum wheel pulley, and very questionable wheel hangers which are known to break. I could replace the cheap parts and beef-up the hangars, but then I've spent 3X what I can sell the machine for, and I would also have spent about as much as I can sell the Delta for. It would end up a very cool and very nice machine, but I dunno.....

The Delta has 2HP, a slightly larger table, (though most 14's do not) fantastic guides, etc, etc, and both machines are actually about the same depth & width. My Delta has a riser, so using the craftsman would let me put one ore small shelf on the wall, but in your case you'd just get a 14" without a riser block.

[David Ragan]

There are a million used 14" Delta and clone saws out there. Bandsaws are simple machines so time doesn't hurt them. Older ones generally have decent cast iron in the frame and wheels and can be found pretty cheap. Dave

Great advice.

[Phil Thien]

If you can find an old Skil HD3640, buy it.

Fantastic saw, 7" under the guides, 1/2-HP motor, aluminum frame, terrific guides. Better than the Inca units I've had in many ways, and inferior in none. And that is saying something.

Unit was also sold under the Dremel name and that one had two speeds.

[ken seale]

You really can't go wrong with a craftsman/ricon 10". It's the perfect companion with my MiniMax and cheap too!

[Steve H Graham]

I never would have guessed that Skil made a good saw.

[Brian W Smith]

We have a Rockwell 10" that was donated(freeby).It is built like a tank except as you noted,plastic wheels.

It didn't/dosen't matter as we converted it to a band sander.And wouldn't take 500 for it....it's that nice.The wheels are really a joke,but you don't run anywhere near the tension on the sander belts so it's a win/win.I'd snag a nice older Delta 14".It along with a bigger,sort of dedicated resaw BS setup,is pretty durn nice.14 for contour and small stuff and bigger for resawing.Good luck with your search,BW.