New Complete Guide to Band Saws | Book Review

About the Book

This book is indeed a complete guide to band saws, but without reading like a boring textbook. It covers everything from buying a bandsaw (and what to look for in both new and used models) all the way through to cutting curves and using homemade jigs for special cuts that can be made on the band saw.

All the key topics you would hope for are covered: understanding the different parts of the band saw and what they do, how to pick the right blade for each cut, how to set up a new band saw and adjust as you go (including real-world troubleshooting advice), up to how to make various types of cuts from basic to advanced.

New Complete Guide to Band Saws | Book Review

What I Like About the Book

First off, this book is well laid out with clearly organized chapters and a natural progression, building on concepts learned in the previous chapters. This makes the book light and easy to digest.

Moreover, this book isn’t all theory; quite the contrary. The author shares tons of practical real-world advice and examples. I especially liked the chapter on band saw blades. Not only does it go into size, number of teeth, tooth pattern and differences in blade materials, the author also provides a decision tree approach on how to choose the right blade for each cut. In addition, he shares the most common commercially available blades and the main ones you should start off with.

What I Don’t Like About the Book

I won’t hide that I’m a big fan of this book. The only thing that bothers me is that the book definitely shows signs of its age (like a lot of woodworking books do!). Despite being the “NEW” edition, updated in 2014, the references and images often focus on older Delta style band saws rather than the newer European models that many woodworkers are turning to in North America (I’m a relatively new owner of the Rikon 10-326 European style bandsaw myself). One major difference is the set up: Delta’s have metal guide blocks and a diagonal thrust bearing, whereas mine has side bearings and a parallel thrust bearing.

Rest assured that the European models are also touched upon in the book and the author often takes the time to point out the differences, but still felt like some of the information was wasted on me and left me wishing for the 2022 edition to be published.

Book Review: The Verdict

Bottom line, if you own a band saw or have ever considered purchasing one, you need to own this book. Forget reading the user’s manual, this is where you’ll find the answer to all of your questions when it comes to band saws. Duginske definitely speaks from experience and knows what he’s talking about. It’s no wonder this book is rated 5-stars on Amazon.

Without a doubt, it is indeed a complete guide to band saws with loads of useful information. If you are relatively new to the bandsaw world of thinking of taking the plunge, I highly recommend this book. In fact, I think even experienced user will learn a few things form this book.

The book is laid out progressively, with concepts first introduced and then built upon in future chapters, which makes it easy to read and digest. I learned a lot from this book and will without a doubt be referring back to it time and time again.

Pros & Cons of This Book

Pros

• Well laid out, which makes it easy to read and digest; won’t overwhelm the reader
• Tons of practical advice with real-world examples
• A must-have reference for bandsaw newcomers & buyers

Cons

• Focuses mainly on older style band saws (like Delta); not as much on newer European style
• Does not cover metal cutting band saws

The next book I’ll be reading is all about woodworking tips & tricks. It’s called BEST TIPS on Finishing, Sharpening, Gluing, Storage and more. It’s essentially a collection of short articles and cool tips from the editors of Fine Woodworking magazine. Be sure to check back next month for the review!