WEN 9-Inch Band Saw, 2.8-Amp Benchtop (BA3959)

The WEN 9-Inch Band Saw, 2.8-Amp Benchtop (BA3959) is an excellent addition to my growing collection of WEN products. I’ve become a huge fan of their tools, and this band saw lives up to the high standards I’ve come to expect.What Makes This Band Saw Stand Out:Sturdy and Durable: The build quality is impressive. It feels solid and reliable, making it ideal for both occasional DIY projects and frequent use.Smooth Performance: The 2.8-amp motor provides plenty of power for precise and consistent cuts, even on thicker materials. It runs smoothly and handles a variety of tasks with ease.Compact and Practical Design: The benchtop design is perfect for smaller workspaces without sacrificing functionality. It’s easy to set up and use right out of the box.Great Value for the Price: You won’t find a better band saw at this price point. It delivers high-quality performance at a fraction of the cost of other brands.Reliable Brand: WEN continues to impress me with their affordable, high-performing tools. This band saw is no exception.If you’re looking for a reliable, affordable, and well-made band saw, this is an excellent choice. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants professional-grade performance without breaking the bank.

Similar to other 9" bandsaws. I won't be pushing it beyond it's limits...no resawing 3 1/2 inch hardwoods, for instance. The manual is clear but misses a few finer points of setup process. And it does need to be set up! But once it is dialed in, it works like a charm. Rips or crosscuts 3/4 inch Cherry or Walnut with ease. I have managed to rip strips consistently as narrow as 1/4" or less.It's a solid, basic, somewhat unrefined design. The guide rollers are finicky, there is no tension release lever, the clamp-on fence has limited usefulness and is a pain to square up to the blade, and the miter guide fits loosely in the (1/2 inch, not 3/4!) slot, making it impossible to cut accurate 90 degree crosscuts.It may sound like I'm complaining. But I'm not. Once you set it up properly, as long as you don't expect too much of it, it cuts like a dream.The keys to success include setting the guide rollers very carefully, centering the blade on the wheels, and tensioning the blade (a bit looser than you might imagine. Look up Alex Snodgrass's videos for an excellent walkthrough. The other thing it to get a small, high quality machinist square or 6" combination square, to adjust the limit screw on the table so that the blade is absolutely perpendicular to the table when in the un-tilted position. This is harder than it needs to be, as the bolt is secured to the frame by two 10mm nuts. One nut cinches down to the top of the lower wheel's cover, and the other is inside the lower wheel cover behind the wheel, pushing upward.In order to lower the height of the bolt, you have to first loosen the nut on top of the wheel cover, then turn the bolt while reaching into the lower wheel with a finger to keep the lower nut from spinning. Then, you have to continue to hold it in place while tightening the upper nut. Then put the table back to horizontal and check level again and repeat if it's not level.The other head-scratching issue is the non-standard vacuum hose port. Very hard to find the correct solution to hook it to a 1 7/8 inch vacuum hose end. The solution that I finally found (and it works great!!) is to buy a $12 "ID 1.75" to 2.5" Silicone Reducer Coupler Hose" here on Amazon. These are found in the automotive department and there are several manufacturers. Once I discovered this solution, it's smooth sailing! Keeping sawdust out of the lower wheel section, where it can get imbedded in the rubber tire and mess up the blade tracking, it important. Running the saw without a shop vac is asking for trouble down the road.

This is a well built budget saw. Yes, the miter guage is a bit sloppy. Yes, you can rip the long edge of a 2 x 4 and the results are uneven if you are careful. But that is not the traget markt. It is cheap and it cuts well for small projects.Pros:CostQuality for the costMiter guageFence (use a square)Table seems greatCons:Not good for big cuts but works for them if you correct3/8 inch max blade width (modles at 1/2 plus cost much more)Blade drift on large cuts. Not good for milling lumbarWorks for me on small fine wood parts. Awesome for what I will use it for

Works well for smaller projects. I used it during installation of tongue and groove flooring and it was reasonably quiet and efficient. I wish the index was sturdier. I had some difficulty getting exact straight cuts.

Product is as advertised. Setting up was easy, only issue was missing bolt washers and wing nut. Phone to customer service and it was shipped to me. Assembly instructions are clear and easy to follow. Blade needed no adjustments and cuts straight. The additional fence and miter gauge are great at this price point. Metal doors that open independently is a design feature that is really appreciated. More metal than plastic is a sign of quality and should make this very durable. It cuts straight and no bogging down wit h maple or poplar when re-sawing.

Very high value band saw, as with any high quality band saw I made minor adjustments and it makes precise cuts, it is well balanced. Setting the fence for a cut takes extra time but for the price this saw is a VERY GOOD BUY, comes with good manual including a parts list. This saw is all steel construction - no plastic here. I would buy this again for the quality/price. I've read up on many other bandsaws and this one has best reviews - Im not surprised this is a very nice bandsaw.

Maybe small but is perfect for my small shop. Makes smaller jobs with curves very easy. Great price and quality compared to other bigger name brands.

I feel Wen doesn't get much respect in the power tool market. But I've purchased several Wen products including a drill press and a small lathe and both have exceeded expectations for usefulness and durability. So I expect the same from this tool. I'm just an occasional woodworker and make projects that aren't cabinet quality, and these tools are always more than adequate. This band saw fits the bill for my needs and joins the Wen group in my workshop. It went together easily, worked right out of the box, and feels durable. I'll get a lot of work out of it.