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Benchtop or floor-standing bandsaw

Updated: 21 October 2026

The timber is mostly ply and short lengths, and you are unsure whether a small saw is a false economy. A benchtop or floor-standing bandsaw is a capacity choice. The bench saw is the right class when the work fits inside about 200 mm of throat and 80 mm of height. The floor-standing saw is the right class when you resaw wider or thicker boards. An 800 W claim on a compact listing does not create a third class in between. None of the seven amazon.co.uk rows in the [bandsaw comparison](/hub/power-saws/bandsaw) is a floor-standing wood saw. The Products Compared editorial team compared the listings on 19 October 2026 with public UK shop pages. We did not run a resaw test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

The timber is mostly ply and short lengths, and you are unsure whether a small saw is a false economy. A benchtop or floor-standing bandsaw is a capacity choice.

Our top picks

KATSU Tools KATSU Tools 200 mm bandsaw 100552

Best overall

KATSU Tools KATSU Tools 200 mm bandsaw 100552
6.2/10about £119.99
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KATSU Tools KATSU Tools benchtop bandsaw 100555

Rank 2

KATSU Tools KATSU Tools benchtop bandsaw 100555
7.4/10about £109.99
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Draper Draper 200 mm bandsaw 82756

Rank 3

Draper Draper 200 mm bandsaw 82756
5.3/10about £138
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.What a bench saw in this set can take
  2. 2.What it cannot take
  3. 3.Why 800 W is not a third class
  4. 4.Money and space

What a bench saw in this set can take

The two KATSU rows are the clearest bench saws here. The 100555 at £109.99 and the 100552 at £119.99 each state an 80 mm cut and a 200 mm throat, with a 350 W motor and a 6 TPI blade about 1400 mm long. That opening will take model parts, ply edges and a short curve in 50 mm stock. Axminster’s buying guide suggests keeping about 20 per cent of the throat unused, so you plan around 160 mm of width. They weigh about 18–19 kg. The Draper 82756 at £138 is the same 200 mm class, with 230 V stated and the cut height missing, so you cannot promise an 80 mm cut from that page. Reviewers use it for awkward shapes and also report blades that leave the wheels. How to read throat and watts is on the bandsaw buying guide.

What it cannot take

It cannot resaw a board taller than the stated cut. An 80 mm KATSU will not turn a 100 mm oak blank into veneer, because the blank does not fit under the guide. It is a poor match for long, heavy planks that need a large cast-iron table. The KATSU listings say the table is metal. They do not say cast iron. That contrast with Record Power and Axminster cast tables is forum experience, not a measurement of these ASINs. Record Power’s Sabre 250, listed at Yandles, claims a 245 mm throat, a 127 mm cut and 550 W. Charnwood’s BS410 claims a 245 mm throat, a 100 mm cut and a UK 3-pin plug. If your boards need those numbers, the bench rows are the wrong class. The shortlist lead inside the bench rows is on the best bandsaw UK page.
KATSU Tools KATSU Tools 200 mm bandsaw 100552

Testsieger

KATSU Tools KATSU Tools 200 mm bandsaw 100552
6.2/10about £119.99
View offer

Why 800 W is not a third class

The RETRIN at £206.99, the Generic mini saw at £209.99 and the Generic vertical saw at £248.99 all claim about 800 W, a cut around 70 mm and a throat around 90 mm. The Generic vertical listing calls that 90 mm figure kerf depth. None has a review line, and none states a voltage. A watt number more than double the KATSU’s 350 W sits on an opening less than half the throat. Putting one of them on a stand does not make it floor-standing. Floor-standing, in the shop guides, means a larger throat, a taller cut and a heavier frame, not a compact saw lifted off the bench. If you only need curves in small timber, the extra watts are not the upgrade. Curves a small saw can still do well are on bandsaw for curves. If you need the taller cut, buy the saw that states the taller cut.

Money and space

The bench band in this set is about £110 to £140 for the KATSU and Draper rows. A public round-up puts floor-standing saws at about £240 to £650. Those figures are the round-up’s prices, not a fresh check of every model on 19 October 2026, so treat them as the scale of the jump. You pay it for capacity you can name, such as the Sabre 250’s 127 mm cut, and you give up bench space. A mobile base, which Axminster suggests for a small shed, does not shrink the throat. A bench saw that does not fit the work is the expensive one, because you buy it and then buy the larger saw anyway.

Common questions

Is a benchtop bandsaw enough?
It is enough when your pieces fit the stated throat and cut height, with a little spare. In this set that means about 200 mm across and under 80 mm thick on the KATSU rows, for model parts, ply and short curves. It is the wrong tool when you regularly resaw thicker timber or you need a heavy table to support long boards. Space on its own is not the test. The board is the test.
What can an 80 mm saw not do?
It cannot cut a piece that is taller than 80 mm under the guide. Resawing a deep oak board, or slicing a thick blank for a bowl, sits outside that number. A wide panel that needs more than about 160 mm of clear throat, once you leave Axminster’s 20 per cent spare, is the other miss. Curves in thin stock are still inside the machine.
Is 800 W on a small vertical saw the same as a floor saw?
No. The 800 W listings here claim about 70 mm of cut and about 90 mm of throat, cost £206.99 to £248.99, and have no reviews. A floor-standing example such as the Sabre 250 claims 127 mm of cut and 245 mm of throat. The watt line on the compact saw does not equal that frame.
Can I put a bench saw on a stand and call it floor-standing?
A stand changes the working height. It does not change the 80 mm cut or the 200 mm throat. The KATSU saws remain bench saws on a stand. Floor-standing, for this decision, means a larger capacity. If the board does not fit, the stand will not make it fit.
What if I only cut model parts and ply?
Stay with the bench class. Model parts and ply edges fit an 80 mm cut and a 200 mm throat, which is the KATSU specification, provided you accept the mixed reviews on tracking and fences. A floor saw’s extra cut height is unused capacity in that workshop, and you still have to give it floor space.

Related pages

How to use a bandsaw

Bandsaw

Best bandsaw UK: sensible shortlist for small wood

Bandsaw buying guide: throat, fence and blade size

Bandsaw for curves: blade width and minimum radius

Sources

Public UK sources and the amazon.co.uk listings compared on this page. Shelf date 19 October 2026.

  1. HSE WIS31 (retrieved October 2026)
  2. HSE WD1 (retrieved October 2026)
  3. HSE: Wood dust (retrieved October 2026)
  4. PUWER overview (retrieved October 2026)
  5. Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008 (retrieved October 2026)
  6. GOV.UK machinery guidance (retrieved October 2026)
  7. Axminster, what bandsaw to buy (retrieved October 2026)
  8. amazon.co.uk Band Saws Best Sellers (retrieved October 2026)