Top Uses for a Band Saw

As one of the most diverse woodworking tools available, the bandsaw can be used in workshops, classrooms, and other creative spaces such as hobby shops or makers clubs.

This guide explains the top 5 things the bandsaw can be used for.

1. Constructing Veneer

Veneer can be used for all sorts of things from laminate flooring to furniture and the bandsaw is one of the best tools to use to create it. The small but sharp and accurate blade can easily cut through thicker boards to produce thinner, flexible pieces that can be used as part of a multitude of projects. When measured and marked with a pencil, it is possible to create different thicknesses of veneer quite effectively.

2. School Projects

Many school technology departments will have at least one bandsaw available for the students to use. With proper instruction and supervision, a bandsaw allows even inexperienced users to cut out irregular patterns and shapes with relative ease. This type of saw is particularly effective for cutting out shapes that have been drawn on to larger MDF or softwood boards.

3. Crafts and Hobbies

Whether you are a professional artist who makes wooden products for sale in an online store or perhaps just an enthusiast who enjoys making things in their spare time, a bandsaw is a versatile tool that can be used to cut the kind of shapes that require free-hand manoeuvring. Shaping the base of an ornament or display piece will be relatively simple providing you can keep your hand steady as you guide the blade through the wood.

4. Shaping Small Logs

The versatility and accuracy of the bandsaw mean that smaller pieces of unrefined wood such as logs can be used to create all kinds of household implements. With some skill and practice, a small log could be easily cut into the shape of a chopping board, door stop, or table mat for use around the home. Alternatively, you may also use a bandsaw to chop logs for use on a wood burning stove or bonfire.

5. Tidying up Rough Edges

Used in conjunction with other tools in the workshop, the bandsaw can be an essential part of a larger production process. If you are working with older wood that has split or splintered, the small but relatively strong blade can be used to neaten up any ragged edges so the board or log you are using can be used as part of a larger project.