SKIL 9-Inch Band Saw
Last updated: April 29, 2019
We looked at the top Band Saws and dug through the reviews from some of the most popular review sites. Through this analysis, we've determined the best Band Saw you should buy.
Product Details
In our analysis of 83 expert reviews, the SKIL 9-Inch Band Saw placed 5th when we looked at the top 7 products in the category. For the full ranking, see below.From The Manufacturer
The SKIL 3386-02 120-volt 9-inch band saw features a 2.5-Amp motor, a ribbed aluminum table with tilting adjustment ranging from 0 to 45, and a blade guide adjustment for custom depth settings. This versatile band saw is intelligently designed with an attached flexible lamp for increased visibility and a mitre gauge. The table top is a full 11-13/16-inch square and the cutting depth is 3-1/8-inch with a throat depth of 9-inches. It comes with a flexible work light, blade, parallel guide, miter gauge, and hex key.
Expert Reviews
What reviewers liked
Packs plenty of powers for smaller porject.
All its features, from the LED light to the rack and pinion adjustment, work in harmony to ensure consistently excellent cutting results every time.
The whole idea around portability and compactness works quite well. We like how easy it is to operate this machine without any previous experience.
And, the band saw is extremely light in weight, and has an adjustment grip, so you can easily carry it and transport it to different job sites.
- Toolsy
The Skil 3386 includes a miter gauge, which is a very good addition to this tool. It helps to produce clean cuts by acting as a guide for the work that you are doing. You will find that you achieve higher accuracy, especially with cross cuts.
- Zentiz
The Skil 3386-01 is definitely the best buy for the money, it has a one-speed motor that is speedy and cuts easily through plastic, metal and various metal materials.
The saw has a precision-guided LED light that helps you make accurate cuts.
At 3 ½ inches, the 3386-01 has an impressive cutting capacity that gives you extended range to accommodate several different sizes of workpieces.
This band saw has articulating LED work light and it illuminates the darkness from the cut line for ensuring proper visibility as well as cutting properly.
One of the nicer things about the SKIL 3386-01 9-Inch Band Saw is that it is very portable for a bench/standalone band saw. It measures just 31.1 x 16.2 x 12.8 inches in dimensions and under 38 pounds. It will be easy to relocate from one place to another!
You can set the angle and height of the saw easily, thanks to the rack and pinion adjustment, and a 1-1/2 inch dust port ensures your workspace doesn’t get clogged up.
The tool is very attractive to look at and while it is quite tall, the thin profile and sleek design help it to blend seamlessly into your workshop
There is a rack and a pinion table which makes for adjustment to the height or angles really easy to make
A dust port (1 ½) is integrated as well. It will eliminate the debris that will be made during the cutting. It is a real pleasure having this small feature into a band saw. This is one of the reasons why we liked this model so much!
I personally love that it doesn’t make so much noise for a power tool. (I can comfortably give audible instructions to my students while the machine is running).
What reviewers didn't like
Not appropriate for high volume work or mowing through a bunch of hardwood.
Comparably flimsy and light compared to other stationary band saws or even table saws
The other thing we didn’t like is the amount (or lack) of power. Even though the motor is rated at 2.5 amps, it doesn’t seem powerful enough to handle some materials, especially metal. If you’re looking for a heavy-duty piece, this one isn’t a good choice.
Many users have reported that when they try to saw larger pieces of wood, the saw stops operating suddenly, messing up what could have been a clean cut.
- Zentiz
There is also a limited dust port so whilst the user can push the dust and clear their workspace of it, the workspace they would be working with is very limited thus meaning you can’t cut what you need and work normally on the worktop.
The biggest complaint with the 3386-01 is its blade. It’s nice to have one included with the saw, but unless you’re cutting small, softer wood materials, you’re going to have a bit of a hard time getting smooth cuts with low effort.
At the time of working vibration can cause the cutting unpleasant and inaccurate.
If there’s anything negative about this machine, it would the wheels, which we feel, is slightly loose. Not the end of the world, but it affects work.
There have also been issues with the motor heating quickly, and you may need to do more adjusting than in larger saws.
Unfortunately nothing is perfect though and the first downside you’ll notice when using it, is that it tends to wobble quite a lot when under pressure. This can be frustrating and especially if you are trying to make a very fine cut.
There really is no disadvantage to this model; the only real negative aspect that there is to this band saw is how there is not that much power behind it when it is being used. This can lead to a mess when cutting or when trying to get a lot of work done and what not.
The bottom blade adjustment is a bit tricky.
View our Band Saw buying guide for in-depth advice and recommendations.