Benchtop bandsaws, usually with 8 to 10 in (200 to 250 mm) wheels, are many people’s first bandsaw. They take short, narrow blades, and their lengths vary more than the saws’ similar looks suggest. Two saws that sit side by side in a catalogue can need blades a couple of centimetres apart, and that is enough for one of them not to fit.
The lengths you will meet.
- 1400 mm. The most common length among the benchtop saws in our catalogue, documented for several Axminster, Clarke, Einhell and Scheppach saws.
- 59-1/2 in (1511.3 mm). Common on North American 9-inch saws such as the JET JWBS-9.
- 62 in, 1575 mm, 1712 mm and 1790 mm. Lengths for slightly larger benchtop saws, including several 10-inch models.
Look closely at near neighbours. Clarke’s manual for the CBS205 gives a 1400 mm blade; its manual for the CBS190 gives 1425 mm. A 25 mm difference sounds small, but a benchtop saw’s tensioner has little travel, so the wrong one may not tension at all. Always use the length documented for your exact model.
Width and thickness.
Benchtop saws take narrow blades. Their documented ranges typically start at 1/8 in (3 mm) or 6 mm and end at 3/8 in, 12 mm or 13 mm; the JET JWBS-9, for example, takes 1/8 to 3/8 in. A 1/4 in (6 mm) blade with about 6 teeth per inch is a common all-round choice and is often what comes with the saw.
The small wheels bend the blade sharply on every turn, so benchtop blades are thin. Stay with the thickness your manual gives; a thicker blade from a larger saw will fatigue and crack quickly. A wider blade than the saw is made for won’t tension properly either, which makes it wander in the cut.
Getting the most from a small saw.
- Match the blade to the job. A narrow blade for curves, the widest the saw takes for straight cuts. Blade width and curves has the charts.
- Keep it sharp. A small motor can’t power through with a dull blade; the cut wanders and burns.
- Set the guides carefully. On small saws the guides do a lot of the work of keeping a narrow blade straight. Your manual has the settings.
Lengths documented for benchtop bandsaws.
These are the blade lengths in our catalogue for benchtop bandsaws, with the number of saws documented for each. Open a size to see every machine that takes it.
| Size | Machines of this kind | For example |
|---|---|---|
| 1400 mm55.12 in | 13 machines | Axminster Craft AC1400B, Axminster Workshop AW1400B, Clarke CBS205 |
| 59-1/2 in1511.3 mm | 6 machines | Bauer 24702E-B, CRAFTSMAN CMXEBAX69434602, JET JWBS-9 |
| 1712 mm67.4 in | 4 machines | Charnwood BS410, Charnwood W715, Einhell TC-SB 245 L |
| 1790 mm70.47 in | 4 machines | Axminster Hobby AWHBS250N, Draper BS245/420SF, Scheppach HBS261 |
| 1575 mm62.01 in | 4 machines | Clarke CBS225, Draper BS228/300D, Holzstar HBS 231-1 |
| 62 in1574.8 mm | 3 machines | RYOBI BS904, Shop Fox W1878, WEN 3939T |
| 1425 mm56.1 in | 2 machines | Clarke CBS190, Clarke CBS190B |
| 1490 mm58.66 in | 2 machines | Carbatec BS-B200H, Scheppach BASA1 |
| 70-1/2 in1790.7 mm | 1 machine | Laguna Tools V:10 |
| 67-1/2 in1714.5 mm | 1 machine | Record Power BS10 |
Counts are the machines of this kind documented for each exact size today. A size page also lists other kinds of machine that take the same size.
Find your bandsaw’s blade length ↗︎