# WEN 3960 9" Benchtop Band Saw



## Sappheiros (Sep 14, 2016)

Hey there everyone!

When I started turning, I got a miter saw (Hitachi C10FCE2 15-Amp 10-inch Single Bevel Compound Miter Saw).  A miter saw was probably not the best choice for me and since then I've been looking into getting a bandsaw.  For my birthday, I'll be getting a bandsaw and I've been looking at the WEN 3960 9" Benchtop Band Saw.

Now, I would like to know if anybody has purchased this bandsaw before or has any advice for me on the subject.  In an ideal world, I could get a larger one, but as my primary needs would be for pen turning, a bench top should be sufficient I think.  Any thoughts on the subject or advice for myself going forward?


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## Dan Masshardt (Sep 14, 2016)

No experience with this one but make sure you ask yourself if you are gong to turn anything bigger like bowls or process down bigger chunks for pen blanks.  

The build quality really seems to go up on 14" floor models.    

If you really want to stick with the Benchtop, I'd strongly recommend going with a 10" saw - probably the rikon or the craftsman.  If you go to sears and look at the difference between their 9" and 10" saws the difference is pretty undeniable. 

I know it's really substantially more expensive but the new rikon 14" open stand on sale at woodcraft for $699 is a great deal for a saw that will carry you into the future.  

So practically, go for a 10".  If you are crazy like me get the 14" and don't look back.  ;-)


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## campzeke (Sep 14, 2016)

You may want to check Craigslist for a used bandsaw. I frequently search in my area and you can find some pretty good deals there. Search for bandsaw and band saw. I have purchased several tools off of Craigslist including my lathe.


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## SteveG (Sep 14, 2016)

There is an approach that I (and I believe, many others) have taken when shopping for tools. The basic idea is to always buy a step up (or more steps up) from what you think you need. When you get going with the new tool, you will appreciate that you did so.

A second principle would be to be sure to comparison shop, whether in person or by what you are doing with this thread.  This was provided to you by Dan, and although I have not seen either of the table toppers that he compared, I would go with his advice. A 9 inch bandsaw is at or near the very bottom end of the range of availability. What that means is that the design engineers aimed to make the very cheapest thing that could be called a bandsaw. The goal was cheap...not function, not quality, not durability. The result will likely be disappointment, unless you want exactly what the designers aimed for. I doubt that you do!

Now get on with your comparison shopping, and happy turning...


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## southernclay (Sep 14, 2016)

I have a cheap 10" craftsman I use only for cutting blanks and got it at a pawn shop. It was cheap and it ran : ) I have a grizzly 14" that I got at an estate sale for a great price and love using it. However the cutting height is limited at 6"ish inches. Eventually I'll get a 12" height capacity with a strong enough motor to handle capacity and sell the 14". I love the little craftsman though. Remember you may find you want a nicer than stock blade as well as an extra one so the $150 turns into $200+ easily. Craigslist and/or pawn shop would be my route personally. Seems like the 10" Rikon gets pretty good reviews if you go the new route and happy with size. As mentioned above if you can stay one step ahead of where you think you may can live with it's always better as the power of the vortex is strong!


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## jttheclockman (Sep 14, 2016)

I suggest you check the reviews on that saw and pay attention to those that gave a 1 start and 2 star rating and you get a pretty good feel for the saw. Not my choice but I hate all those bench top saws. A bandsaw does not take up that much room. Put it on a set of casters and roll it out of the way. Stick one of those on a table and you have taken up the same footprint. Just my thoughts. Good luck.


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## rudya7 (Sep 14, 2016)

There was a similar thread in June about the smaller band saws. Maybe this will help: 

http://www.penturners.org/forum/f30/one-10-band-saw-141472/


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## dogcatcher (Sep 14, 2016)

I would skip the Wen, in my 2 cents it is too small and under powered.   I have both a newer 10" Craftsman and an older 1970's model 12" Craftsman.  The 10" was a gift, not my choice but it only barely hangs in there, the 12" has been used and abused by me for all of these years and still works like new.  

I wouldn't buy any bandsaw that is less than 12" or one that does not have a separate motor is a belt drive.   You live in an area that has a lot of used equipment that is for sale.  It may take awhile, but the bargains do come along.


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## Skie_M (Sep 15, 2016)

I got the Harbor Freight Band Saw last Christmas.

Recently tuned the blade so that it cuts straight, and it's been a great help for me to be able to cut alabaster stone blanks down to appropriate size for my lathe.

It's only a 9 inch throat depth, so I'll be somewhat limited in what I could do with it, but as my lathe turns a max 8 inches between the spindle and the bed, what's the point getting something bigger?

I'll be attaching a fence for my bandsaw so that I can do some fine resaw work for the purpose of segmenting and laminating blanks.  I've cut alabaster that was nearly 4 inches thick (raised the guard all the way up), and it was slow going ... just had to push the stone into the blade slowly enough for the blade to do the work.  Teeth are still nice and sharp, as it still makes easy work of 1 inch thick MDF and oak.

Adding a larger table for handling larger pieces of wood is in the cards, but for now this is more than enough for me.  I do have a power miter saw as well, but using it for making such small and precise cuts is just asking for trouble.

Again, even if you get the smaller and thus lower power model ...  All you really need to do is make sure you never try to push the tool beyond it's capabilities, and tune your blade to cut straight.  Always cut only as fast as the blade can remove the material, and never try to force the stock into the blade with any real pressure - it should just glide right through.  NEVER EVER PUT PRESSURE ON THE SIDES OF THE BLADE WHILE CUTTING, unless you are making a gentle curve in your cut, in which case you barely want the back of the blade in contact with your stock.



There are plenty of videos out there on the subject of tuning your bandsaw blade to cut straight, and it's fairly easy to do.  A bandsaw's wheels have a crown on them to help the blade track true.  You want the TEETH OF THE BLADE to be on the very CROWN of those wheels when tracking ... in this way, the blade's teeth will track straight from one wheel to the other and not want to flex in either direction, making for a straight cut.  Don't worry about the rest of the bandsaw band, as it will simply follow in the kerf of the cut.


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## farmer (Sep 15, 2016)

*Re saw*

Re saw not band saw ......

You want a fence ............

14 inch band saw with a fence is a 14 in re saw .............

I got a new Ridgid 14 in ban saw off craigs list for 225.00 
Then a Kreg Fence for  75.00.   then the best blade I could put on it for another 35.00.


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## adirondak5 (Sep 15, 2016)

I have a few friends that have the Rikon 10" or the Craftsman/Rikon 10" , they do mostly guitar work with them , no re sawing . With good blades(TimberWolf) and keeping everything tuned on them they do quite well . I had a 14" Grizzly GO555 for about 10 years that I recently sold , it was a good saw , now I have a Laguna 1412 with a carbide tipped Resaw King blade , needed more power for re sawing . My rule of thumb with power tools has always been buy your second (any machine) machine first , but I still fail with that rule sometimes


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## Dan Masshardt (Sep 15, 2016)

farmer said:


> Re saw not band saw ......  You want a fence ............  14 inch band saw with a fence is a 14 in re saw .............  I got a new Ridgid 14 in ban saw off craigs list for 225.00 Then a Kreg Fence for  75.00.   then the best blade I could put on it for another 35.00.



Not exactly sure what you're talking about with the re saw.  

A 14" bandsaw will not Resaw 14".   Resaw is cutting a board thinner.    Most 14" bandsaws will only Resaw 6" wide out of the box.  Some - like the rikon and Laguna or the standard design with a riser block will Resaw 12 or 13".   

The 14" is ether the wheel size or the throat clearance - depending on who you ask.  

Either way, it seems as though the OP isn't very interested in resawing.


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## JimB (Sep 15, 2016)

I guess it really depends on exactly how you think you will use it. If your goal is to be able to cut larger pieces of wood into pen blanks you will be limited by the 3-5/8 cutting height. It may seem like plenty of height right now but when you get that first piece of wood that is 4" thick that you want to make into pen blanks you will wish you had bought a larger saw.

When I started turning I thought I would be doing just pens with my Jet 1014vs. No need for big tools. Then I started making other small items. Then small bowls. Then I wanted to make bigger bowls. Needed bigger lathe. Bought one. Then needed a different saw as I was using a miter saw up until then. I bought the Grizzly G0555 14" and a riser block to give me 12" of height. Glad I did. I have used every inch of its capacity.

Even if you will never turn large bowls you may turn bottle stoppers, small bowls or other small items that will require you to cut larger pieces of wood to size. 

My advice is to get a bigger saw. I knew absolutely nothing about bandsaws but did my research just like you are doing. I am so glad I bought the one I did. For what I do now a small saw would be useless.


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## Sappheiros (Sep 15, 2016)

I'm torn because on the one hand, I'm really just focusing on pens but at the same time, I do eventually want to extend my work into other areas. I could have purchased a mini lathe or even a pen lathe, but I went with the machine a step up as many have advised: Delta 46-460 MIDI lathe.

I don't have a dedicated workshop, though. I use a portion of the garage. One concern I had was voltage, but from what I've seen, the garage outlets would be able to handle any choice. I have just enough space in the garage for what I do there. 

I really don't know what to do. I'd like to buy the machine that will let me do all I wish to do, but I know that as a graduate student that is not very practical. This isn't a purchase, but a birthday present also. I wasn't sure what I would like and have been concerned with the safety of using the miter saw where a band saw was truly needed so I thought that might be a nice gift.


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## JimB (Sep 15, 2016)

You are talking about a significant jump in price going to a 14" and as this is a gift that probably isn't going to work. Look at the other saws that were recommended above and do some comparisons. 

As far as power goes, unless there were outlets added, most likely you have 15amp outlets. If you are using your miter saw out there on those outlets you shouldn't have an issue with the bandsaws being discussed. Larger saws, more than 14", usually require 220 service. Just check the specs. Also don't run anything else at the same time on the same outlet/breaker.


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## Anglesachse (Sep 15, 2016)

My wife is always on my back because I usually try to buy cheap, (be it clothes or anything), then she says I always regret it.

Nowadays I listen to her and buy a "step up".


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## farmer (Sep 15, 2016)

*Resaw*



Dan Masshardt said:


> farmer said:
> 
> 
> > Re saw not band saw ......  You want a fence ............  14 inch band saw with a fence is a 14 in re saw .............  I got a new Ridgid 14 in ban saw off craigs list for 225.00 Then a Kreg Fence for  75.00.   then the best blade I could put on it for another 35.00.
> ...



To be polite ,   You said you don't really know what I am talking about.

I am willing to except that.

To be polite again You said you really didn't understand what I was talking about, and then did your reply.
Not once in your reply did you ask me to explain to you what I was talking about so you could understand fully so your replay would be educated and accurate .

I don't know what part of putting a fence on a ban saw makes the band saw so it can be used as a re saw ... you don't understand ?

And I don't know any pen maker who wouldn't want a re saw ...
So when they buy a plank or wood slab they cant cut it into pen blanks  without wasting any more wood then they need to.

My last to be polite ,    
Your ending statement seems the OP is not interested in re sawing wood .
I have to ask , why buy a band saw if you are not going to re saw wood ?

I can only assume that you have some kind of personal issue with me because of the way you attack what I said with your own words saying you really didn't understand what I was talking about .

But yet you still did your little last sentence slam .

To think a fence on a band saw isn't useful to a pen maker is being willingly ignorant.


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## KenV (Sep 15, 2016)

Avi,

Some days you get what you need for the short term and know you will write it off to learning and limits of space and money.   It allows you to build the "someday list"

Bump up to a better 10, watch the sales (Highland Hardware in Atlanta and Woodcraft have sales on these) and enjoy.  

There is always someday after graduate school (been there done that).


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## jttheclockman (Sep 15, 2016)

Hello Mike

I will let Dan answer for himself which I am sure he will

But I will address your definition of a resaw. I too have never heard of a bandsaw as a re saw. One capabilities of a bandsaw is to be able to resaw but you can do that with any size saw but limited in what size you can resaw. You can resaw with a table saw. It has a fence, does that make it a re saw too. You can resaw without a fence also and there are many who do just that. 

So I too did not follow your line of thinking and there was no malice in asking.


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## maxwell_smart007 (Sep 15, 2016)

I think there's been a bit of a misunderstanding in this thread.  While we are always technically 're-sawing' when we cut lumber smaller (as the tree has already been sawed down) - a 're-saw' is a specific type of bandsaw or setup - often used for bookmatching and veneer making...it is predicated upon owning a good saw and a good fence.   

A bandsaw is measured not by it's 'resaw' height, but rather by the distance from the blade to the bandsaw body...so the 'width' that it can cut.  

That being said, I'd like to ask anyone who's feeling a bit heated to take a deep breath before posting - as always - and remember that we're all here to help each other!  Emotions and meaning behind words are always tough to 'read'...assume the best in people! 

Andrew
assistant moderator


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## Dan Masshardt (Sep 15, 2016)

farmer said:


> To be polite ,   You said you don't really know what I am talking about.  I am willing to except that.  To be polite again You said you really didn't understand what I was talking about, and then did your reply. Not once in your reply did you ask me to explain to you what I was talking about so you could understand fully so your replay would be educated and accurate .  I don't know what part of putting a fence on a ban saw makes the band saw so it can be used as a re saw ... you don't understand ?  And I don't know any pen maker who wouldn't want a re saw ... So when they buy a plank or wood slab they cant cut it into pen blanks  without wasting any more wood then they need to.  My last to be polite , Your ending statement seems the OP is not interested in re sawing wood . I have to ask , why buy a band saw if you are not going to re saw wood ?  I can only assume that you have some kind of personal issue with me because of the way you attack what I said with your own words saying you really didn't understand what I was talking about .  But yet you still did your little last sentence slam .  To think a fence on a band saw isn't useful to a pen maker is being willingly ignorant.



I didn't mean to offend.  I think that maybe we are talking past each other on definitions.   

Cutting blanks using the fence I'd call making a rip cut or even more practically 'cutting blanks'

Making a board thinner I refer to as Resaw.    Generally speaking, Resaw is not something that we usually here use as a word for cutting blanks, although it's okay I'm sure.   

So on one of your comments that a good fence is   A necessity, I'm in total agreement.  

Thanks for clarifying.


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## Skie_M (Sep 15, 2016)

In many milling operations, the basic idea is to take a natural log or large awkward chunk of wood and break it down into usable pieces.

There are many options out there, with one of the most basic being to simply hold the lumber in place with any of a dozen different methods and just cut pieces off with a hand saw or chainsaw and then take that to a bandsaw, power miter saw, or table saw for further work.

If you are looking to take natural logs (or branches) and turn them into fence blanks, you are going to want to look into the use of a band saw sled or table saw sled to use as a jig in assisting you with getting a smooth straight cut that you can use to place against the fence or table and make additional cuts at 90 degrees.  This helps you end up with square cuts that help maximize the area of usable wood you can obtain from a given chunk of lumber.

If the lump is too large to fit on the bandsaw, then it's probably quite safe to do some work with it using the power miter saw or the table saw.  If it's too large for either of those options, then you'll have to get out the elbow grease and a hand saw or break down and go get a chainsaw or a larger power tool that can handle the cuts you need.


Common sense is the most important tool you can have ... that and a firm understanding of your budget and what it can handle.  After that, your safety and a good understanding of your tools and what they can handle are very important, as using a tool for a purpose it wasn't intended for or pushing it past it's limitations are really poor judgment calls for both your common sense and your budget.


Is a cheaper tool within your budget?  yes, certainly ... 

Can it do the job you want it to do now and for the near foreseeable future?  most definately.

Can it do the job you need it to do and perhaps a bit more with some slight and common sense upgrades?  now you've got a winner ....


Woodworkers of all stripes are of the "do it yourselfer" breed.  If we can't do it with the tools we have, we can build a jig or make modifications to the tools we do have to make a new tool or give our tools new capabilities.  If all else fails, you can always go out and buy the tool you need. The woodworker is responsible for their own safety in making such jigs and modifications, and that is a common sense approach to life in general that we all share to some extent.

If you don't have the workspace for your shop, build it.

If you have a circular saw but you need a table saw, you can build a table around your circular saw to do the exact same job, just with somewhat lower capability.

If your table saw doesn't have a proper fence, build it.

If your lathe tailstock is out of alignment, fix it or build a replacement or repair it.

If your lathe chisel handles get damaged, replace them with new handles that you turned yourself.


We are all do-it-yourselfers to varying degrees.  Some of us are capable of doing all those things, while others have difficulty, but the plan is for all of us to one day get there or learn in the trying.


Telling someone that they NEED to have their bandsaw set up for resawing and that's all it's good for just doesn't pan out.  You can use freehand methods of cutting with the bandsaw for curves and freeform objects.  You can use it for rough cutting of stock to rough dimensions or you can use it for fine cutting to specific dimensions.  You can use it with a fence for precision milling operations like resawing or cutting specific angles or to a specific length, or you can use a sled for similar needs.  You can even set up zero clearance blade inserts or overlay a piece of sheet goods on the table for a larger work area.  It's all within your power once that tool is in your shop.  You can even set up a circle cutting jig that will make it VERY easy to cut bowl blanks on your lathe .... and the throat depth has NOTHING to do with how large a bowl blank you could make with that method.


For those of you who think this wall of text is a little too long and you don't want to bother reading it: Just as beauty is in the eye of the beholder, a woodworker's tools are in the realm of their imagination.  You shape and mould the tools in your shop like you create a work of art.  They fulfill your dreams and imaginations, and bring them into the real world for anybody to touch and see and share.  

Please don't limit someone else's dreams and imaginations with your own by enforcing your ideals onto them.


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