Eastern Massachusetts Guild of Woodworkers - Experience with Harbor Freight Bauer 14" Bandsaw

December 15, 2025 10:14 AM

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Message # 13573020

Mark Curran

Anyone have direct experience with the HB Bauer 14" bandsaw? I'm looking for a hobby-level bandsaw that has some moderate capacity for resawing. I like their price, but am cautious about the short time it's actually been on the market. I'd appreciate hearing any feedback (pro/con) before I make a decision. Thanks.

January 14, 2026 4:03 PM

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Reply # 13585369 on 13573020

Bob McKee

I'd suggest looking on Craigslist and FB Marketplace, where you will see well known brands offered at very reasonable prices. I bought my first band saw, a 12" Laguna, that way. It had not been used much and sold for a few hundred dollars. Nearly all of my power tools have been high quality tools purchased used and all have served me well.

January 15, 2026 5:55 AM

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Reply # 13585526 on 13573020

John LeJeune (Administrator)

I second what Bob said.

Chris Schwarz also points out:

I think your best bet is to buy a machine through Craigslist, eBay or Facebook Marketplace. There are companies out there that resell industrial machines, but those machines can be pretty ragged out. I think you are better off buying machines from people who used them in a home or school shop.

And I think you should look for mid-range models.

For many years I’ve recommended people buy a 14" Delta band saw made in Mississippi. It’s a great entry-level saw. There are a lot of them out there. But some of them have seen some s%$t because these saws walk the line between industrial and home-shop use. They were built for home use. When the saws are used in industry, they are pretty messed up. Home saws, on the other hand, work like new. So you have to be cautious.

I think another good choice (if you can’t find a General band saw made in Canada) is the Powermatic 14" band saw, such as the Model 141 or 143. These saws were built for industry. But they were also used in homes. And in schools. There are a lot of them out there. When I find them for sale, they are about $1,000, give or take. And they beat the pants off new saws that cost $5,000.

Most of the good Powermatic saws are green with white stripes – those are easy to spot. Buy them if they look clean. Others are gold with black stripes. For those, you have to dig deeper. After Powermatic was taken over by the parent company for JET Tools, they shut down the Tennessee facilities and moved everything overseas.

So there are some gold Powermatic machines that were made in Tennessee, and some made in Taiwan. I recommend the Tennessee-made machines without reservation. (The overseas Powermatic machines aren’t bad. But they aren’t worth chasing after.)

Like lumber, old machines are like street drugs. At first, they seem impossible to find. But once you put the word out, they will appear with remarkable regularity. I recently found a 1950s-era Delta tilting-table table saw on Pershing Street – two blocks from where I live. It was in totally workable condition.2

Be patient. Open your eyes. Put out lots of feelers. These machines were designed to last long past your lifetime. So it’s worth taking a few months (or more) to find an ideal machine.

January 17, 2026 9:42 AM

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Reply # 13586374 on 13585369

Mark Curran

Bob McKee wrote:
I'd suggest looking on Craigslist and FB Marketplace, where you will see well known brands offered at very reasonable prices. I bought my first band saw, a 12" Laguna, that way. It had not been used much and sold for a few hundred dollars. Nearly all of my power tools have been high quality tools purchased used and all have served me well.

Thanks Bob, that seems to be the prevailing wisdom; thanks for your time and thoughts.

January 17, 2026 9:44 AM

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Reply # 13586375 on 13585526

Mark Curran

John LeJeune wrote:
I second what Bob said.

Chris Schwarz also points out:

I think your best bet is to buy a machine through Craigslist, eBay or Facebook Marketplace. There are companies out there that resell industrial machines, but those machines can be pretty ragged out. I think you are better off buying machines from people who used them in a home or school shop.

And I think you should look for mid-range models.

For many years I’ve recommended people buy a 14" Delta band saw made in Mississippi. It’s a great entry-level saw. There are a lot of them out there. But some of them have seen some s%$t because these saws walk the line between industrial and home-shop use. They were built for home use. When the saws are used in industry, they are pretty messed up. Home saws, on the other hand, work like new. So you have to be cautious.

I think another good choice (if you can’t find a General band saw made in Canada) is the Powermatic 14" band saw, such as the Model 141 or 143. These saws were built for industry. But they were also used in homes. And in schools. There are a lot of them out there. When I find them for sale, they are about $1,000, give or take. And they beat the pants off new saws that cost $5,000.

Most of the good Powermatic saws are green with white stripes – those are easy to spot. Buy them if they look clean. Others are gold with black stripes. For those, you have to dig deeper. After Powermatic was taken over by the parent company for JET Tools, they shut down the Tennessee facilities and moved everything overseas.

So there are some gold Powermatic machines that were made in Tennessee, and some made in Taiwan. I recommend the Tennessee-made machines without reservation. (The overseas Powermatic machines aren’t bad. But they aren’t worth chasing after.)

Like lumber, old machines are like street drugs. At first, they seem impossible to find. But once you put the word out, they will appear with remarkable regularity. I recently found a 1950s-era Delta tilting-table table saw on Pershing Street – two blocks from where I live. It was in totally workable condition.2

Be patient. Open your eyes. Put out lots of feelers. These machines were designed to last long past your lifetime. So it’s worth taking a few months (or more) to find an ideal machine.

And thanks to you as well John. Really appreciate you taking the time to share your experience in such depth.

January 18, 2026 10:00 PM

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Reply # 13586691 on 13585526

Mark Curran

John LeJeune wrote:
I second what Bob said.

Chris Schwarz also points out:

I think your best bet is to buy a machine through Craigslist, eBay or Facebook Marketplace. There are companies out there that resell industrial machines, but those machines can be pretty ragged out. I think you are better off buying machines from people who used them in a home or school shop.

And I think you should look for mid-range models.

For many years I’ve recommended people buy a 14" Delta band saw made in Mississippi. It’s a great entry-level saw. There are a lot of them out there. But some of them have seen some s%$t because these saws walk the line between industrial and home-shop use. They were built for home use. When the saws are used in industry, they are pretty messed up. Home saws, on the other hand, work like new. So you have to be cautious.

I think another good choice (if you can’t find a General band saw made in Canada) is the Powermatic 14" band saw, such as the Model 141 or 143. These saws were built for industry. But they were also used in homes. And in schools. There are a lot of them out there. When I find them for sale, they are about $1,000, give or take. And they beat the pants off new saws that cost $5,000.

Most of the good Powermatic saws are green with white stripes – those are easy to spot. Buy them if they look clean. Others are gold with black stripes. For those, you have to dig deeper. After Powermatic was taken over by the parent company for JET Tools, they shut down the Tennessee facilities and moved everything overseas.

So there are some gold Powermatic machines that were made in Tennessee, and some made in Taiwan. I recommend the Tennessee-made machines without reservation. (The overseas Powermatic machines aren’t bad. But they aren’t worth chasing after.)

Like lumber, old machines are like street drugs. At first, they seem impossible to find. But once you put the word out, they will appear with remarkable regularity. I recently found a 1950s-era Delta tilting-table table saw on Pershing Street – two blocks from where I live. It was in totally workable condition.2

Be patient. Open your eyes. Put out lots of feelers. These machines were designed to last long past your lifetime. So it’s worth taking a few months (or more) to find an ideal machine.

John, I hate to bother you again, but a scan of Facebook Marketplace turned up a Delta 14" bandsaw (Model 28-243F) for $500 in Plymouth (which is fairly close to me). Since that was a brand you (or Chris Schwarz) spoke highly of, I have a question for you. The information posted on FB indicates the motor is 1/2 HP. That seems under powered for resaw tasks, which is what I primarily would be using a bandsaw for (I do wood carving and hope to begin resawing rough cut wood for that purpose; rarely greater than 8/4 starting thickness). I know I'm not providing much information, but am I right that 1/2 HP may be less than I need (I've been told by some that I should focus on 3/4 HP or greater)? Any thoughts on that would be appreciated.