After the usual woodworker’s careful research of price, features and benefits, I decided on the Craftsman Professional 14” Band Saw, model 22401. I’ve lived with this machine for about nine months, and the drivers of my purchase decision were the pricing and features that start the review below. I purchased the unit online but arranged for local store pick-up. If you don’t live near a Sears (unlikely as that may seem) you will have to factor in shipping, but if your local Sears doesn’t stock it, you can have it shipped to the Sears store and pick it up there. Be sure to bring a small pickup or station wagon. You won’t get this in the trunk!

This is my first band saw, so do keep that in mind as you read my comments.

There are a number of band saws available in the $450 to $550 price range from Delta, Grizzly, Rikon, Jet… The list price of the Craftsman is $499, but is typically “discounted” to $479 and goes on sale on a regular basis for $459 or $429. Sears will refund the difference if you ask for it should the price drop within 30 days of purchase.

• 1 HP
• Resaw capacity 8” (actually a scrunch more than that)
• Single side guide bearings, both top and bottom, and top and bottom rim-mounted thrust bearings.
• Type - steel “European Style” - cannot be fitted with riser block
• Blade size - 99 1/2” (but see comments below)
• Two blade speeds - 1620/3340 fpm
• Blade tracking window
• Task light
• Two dust ports - both 2 1/2” and 4”
• Basic fence - no drift adjustment
• T-slots for miter gauge
• Cast Iron wheels
• 20-3/8 x 15-3/4 in. table
• Rack-and-pinion guide column height adjustment

The unit was fairly easy to assemble, but it’s a heavy sucker - you will need help getting it into the shop and getting the saw unit onto the base. My 15-year-old son mocked me for following the assembly instructions, and for once he was right. Look at the pictures. The written instructions will have you missing a few important steps and you’ll have to back-track to get it together right. Most of the bolt holes were Ok, but keep a 1/4” bit in your cordless drill handy for cleaning up a couple of minor mis-alignments. Total assembly time was about two hours.

I’ve been very, very pleased with my purchase. The saw has done everything I’ve asked of it without significant issues. The dust collection is excellent, and the resawing has been so reliably accurate that I’ve been able to ignore most of those web and magazine articles about resawing techniques. I set the fence, slap an 8” plank of oak against it, and saw. No drift. No bowing of the blade. The one article that I did read that seems to have some relevance is that drift is more a function of getting the blade centered on the wheels. The tracking window makes this very easy on the Craftsman, and is, I think, the reason for my success in resawing. Blade changing and guide re-adjustment (required any time you change the blades) is easy (with one caveat - see below) in part because the blade slot is at the front of the table, not the side.

The worklight saves the expense of adding-on this essential accessory, but it’s positioned (as you can see in the picture) on the BACK of the column. It also has a separate plug. I corrected both issues by drilling a hole and re-mounting on the front of the column where it can shine on the line I’m cutting to, and wired it into the hot side of the power switch, eliminating the extra cord. Time to do this modification wasn’t more than 30 minutes.

I’ve always used the scale on the upper wheel housing to set the tension and have never had any issues. However, there is no provision for quick-release of the blade tension, and this is a bit of a nuisance. The blade tension wheel on the top is awkward to grab for people of average height or less (I’m 5’8”), and takes a bit of torque to turn at the higher tensions. I plan on fabricating a larger wheel that’s easier to grasp and gives more leverage.

The storage in the bottom cabinet is great. I keep blade lubricant, blades, gloves for blade changing, a miter gauge (not included) and the fence in the lower cabinet and have room for more stuff there if I need it.

The two dust collection ports can be used simultaneously. I stuck a 4”-to 2 1/2” wye to the 4” port and ran some 2 1/2” DC hose to the 2 1/2” port. That way I’m sucking dust both from immediately below the table and inside the lower wheel housing. As a result, I get NO dust accumulating inside the cabinet.

There have only been two quality issues I’ve encountered since purchase. One was the loss of the dust shield on one of the lower guide bearings that caused it to become packed with sawdust and inoperable. The bearings are a standard item available from any bearing supplier, so I bought several (at about $7 apiece) anticipating that I might have a problem with another one, but so far only the one has failed.

The second (and I’m assuming that it’s a QC issue) is that I purchased a set of Timberwolf blades before I tried blade-changing. I discovered that when fully de-tensioned, the 99 1/2” blade is still tight on the wheels and must be eased off while rotating the upper wheel, and the new one worked on again while rotating the wheel. My next set of blades will be 1/2” to 1” longer to compensate.

Also, be prepared to make a zero-clearance insert. I’ve yet to find a commercial insert that fits this machine, and the insert that comes with it sits below the table surface by about 1/16” - just enough to be an issue when cutting small pieces - you have to carefully hold it against the table, as resting against the insert will move the cut out-of-square.

The table has a minor issue when changing angles. The trunnion is at the back of the table, so when loosened the weight of the table causes the front edge to sag, forcing you to re-square the table in both axes when you tighten it down. Not difficult, but it would have been nice if it would have kept it’s for-and-aft alignment when changing the horizontal angle. This is my first band saw, so maybe this isn’t an unusual issue.

My complaints in the end are minor, and I wouldn’t hesitate to buy this unit again or recommend it wholeheartedly. There are other, better units out there, but at a premium - usually in the $700 - $800 price range - that provide more horses, better resaw capability, and conveniences like rack-and-pinion table angle adjustments. But in this price range, I think this unit is the best value out there.

If you have any specific questions, send Steve a Personal Message or email via the SEMIWW discussion forum