If you check out any number of our guides that list out the best bandsaws, you almost always find this model on the list. Whether you want a benchtop model, a full-sized model, or a budget-friendly model, this particular option can stand up to the test and it is all of the above.
Of course, it’s hard to really get to know a machine from a guide that simply narrows down the market. That’s why we’ve put together this detailed review of the Wen 3962 two speed band saw. There is a lot to know and understand about this inventive machine and we’re here to break it down for you.
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In this guide, we will talk about changing blades, the stand and work light, a spacious work table, cutting performance, and even compare the cost to performance ratio for you. You will find a lot of great things and learn some of the places that the Wen 3962 may not be able to do every single thing out there.
We think you will find the Wen 3962 to be a quality choice but we will let you decide for yourself as you check out this power tool review.
Table of Contents
About Wen 3962 Two Speed Band Saws
About the Company
Let’s start with the basics, why don’t we? That seems like a good place to just take a look at the general information about the Wen 3962 two speed band saw. There is much to know and yet it’s a simple band power tool as well. We promise to explain as we progress!
Wen is not new in the world of power tools. They’ve been creating a multitude of tools since 1951 and this band saw with stand is just one of them. This company is known for their initial work in creating power tools – the development of tools using both tools and electricity to function.
The Wen line is known for their innovative approach to designing things like chainsaws, jigsaws, soldering guns, knife and wet wheel sharpeners, and more. If you are at all familiar with random orbital technology, Wen is known for that breakthrough.
Now, they’ve entered the world of woodworking tools and they create options like the Wen 3962 two speed band saw but they also make drill presses, bench grinders, tool chests, nailers, miter saws, generators, air compressors, and more.
The company is headquartered in Illinois and they strive to continue to produce reliable and affordable woodworker supplies, while still being imaginative in their approach.
About Wen 3962 Two Speed Band Saws
You’ve learned about the company but let’s take the time to really look at the Wen 3962 two speed band saw up close. We will discuss the two speeds, dust port, miter gauge, cutting abilities, stand and worklight details, the standard table, and more!
General Saw Overview
In a general overview, Wen 3962 Two Speed Band Saws was made with a 3.5 amp motor, which is right around 3/4 of a horsepower. While this isn’t as powerful as some of the saws out there, it’s still a powerful motor for a bandsaw motor of this capacity. While this comes on a stand, it is really designed to work like a benchtop model but with the ability to present as a band saw with a stand for you. This is pretty cool because you can either use the band saw with the stand or you can remove the stand and have a benchtop.
The Wen 3962 can make various cuts, including curved cuts. It can be straight or it can handle ripping lumber and resawing. You may notice that there is more vibration with some harder materials and that is because of the power. You might also experience lower speed for certain materials, which is also related to the 3.5 amp motor.
In these cases we want to point out, it’s not necessarily the quality of the saw but rather the power available. This may not measure up to some table saws in terms of speed and power but the Wen 3962 is still a very capable machine.
You can use different band saw blades on the Wen 3962, anything that fits within 1/8 to 1/2 an inch in size as far as blades are concerned. This means you can change out for sharper blades or specialty blades to have the right blades for your needs on the Wen 3962.
This doesn’t have variable speed but does two speeds that give you a high speed and a low speed to work with. Again, with thicker workpieces, you may need a more powerful motor or expect to work slowly as you go, with potentially more vibration as well.
We feel the Wen 3962 is really great for small projects and working with wood. There’s definitely a sweet spot for getting the best results.
Wen 3962 Two Speed Band Saw Features
Alright, we’ve given you a basic overview of the saw so let’s now dig deeper into the features of the Wen 3962 two speed band saw. There’s really a lot of ground to cover so we will try to keep it short but informative at the same time.
Cutting Capacity
The Wen 3962 two speed has a pretty great cutting capacity, considering the power of the machine. This power tool has a greater throat size than most benchtop band saw, giving you amazing cutting ability in comparison.
You can make angled cuts, straight cuts, curved and variable cuts, bevel cuts, and high cut capacity cuts. The throat is 9 3/4, which is pretty substantial for depth. You should be able to cut wood with up to a 6 inch depth with the right blade. Being able to cut 6 inches deep is a great cutting capacity for a two speed band saw of this size.
In addition to the 6 inches deep ability, you also have a fence and miter gauge. The rip fence is sturdy so you can push thicker wood along the work table, just like you might with table saws. You can create cuts on the blade, rip lumber, or stick to curved cuts with more capability than the scroll saws.
The Wen 3962 cutting capacity is accurate. The guide is useful and accurate as well, allowing you to cut your lumber right on the glue line with ease. It’s pretty user friendly, which is always nice as well.
Miter Gauge
You will find that the miter is very useful. It can also be removed so it’s not in the way. The fence and miter gauge are both included with these band saws, making it even more versatile to handle the needs of a standard table.
The miter allows you to miter, but you can also make bevel cuts and there are instructions for this in the buyer’s guide. Again, we feel like these simple things make the purchase of your tool more versatile and functional.
It’s not always just about the blade and the motor, as you will see expressed in all of these feature details we cover on this band saw mode.
Blade
The Wen 3962 uses 72 inch blades. You can buy your 72 inch blades anywhere that you can find them. They are relatively easy to change on the band wheels but some users do mention adjustment issues when trying to get the tension just right. The modal window may be helpful here, as well as the buyer’s guide but you might find even more help with YouTube woodworkers who walk you through just how to change the blade on this saw without much problem.
Again, the blade can be 1/8 to 1/ 2 inches in size for this saw. You can always utilize sharper blades but be aware that the tension knob does take some getting used to, and this is perhaps one of the biggest complaints you will find related to this particular saw.
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LED Light
This saw is equipped with a work light. The work light is an LED light and it’s on a flexible pole, attached to the saw. This allows you to move the light to wherever you need it so you can make straight cuts and always have the best visibility for your work.
With the stand and worklight, you almost have a significant stand apart from that alone in this work table. The stand and worklight are also both removable or adjustable so you can cater the design to your needs and always ensure that you won’t have something extra in the way of doing your work in the process.
We like the light because it’s a simple added feature that can absolutely be necessary when you’re working. Whether you use it or not, it’s nice to have that light available should you need it. With so many of these saw options, the light is not included so we like having it here.
The Motor
The motor is crucial to understand. This is a 3.5 amp motor, which allows you to use two speed based on your needs. The high speed is 2620, while the low speed is 1520. This gives you a broad range so you can slow down to make bevel cuts or you can speed up for ripping lumber along the fence, among other things.
We love that this motor is a good middle ground to power and simplicity. For the size of the band saw, it’s sufficient. This is 3.5 amps, which is about 3/4 of a horsepower. Most benchtop models are comparable when it comes to the band motor and we feel this is sufficient for the saw. Keep in mind, it may not be able to handle everything. The band motor will be more challenged for thicker materials or metals.
Band Table and General Saw Build
The table is another band saw feature that matters as well. This is a 10 inch table so it allows for six inches deep and 9 inches wide on most things. You can also work with smaller items that are perhaps more like 2 inches in size.
The 10 inch band saw mostly refers to the table size and not the overall measurements or depth abilities. With the fence in place, the 10 inch band saw here can handle 6 inches deep and 9 inches wide on a single use.
The 10 inch band saw ultimately gives you a cross between a larger model and something that is benchtop size at the same time. 10 inch saw models are rarely this functional as a whole.
Dust Port
As is important with any saw, this Wen model sports a dust port. While there are no fancy dust extractor hoses, you can easily connect to a vacuum hose and use that in coordination with your dust ports to really keep the work space clean while you do what you need to do.
The dust port has a user friendly design so your blade can do the work and not have to worry about hanging up on dust and debris. When the blade is cutting, the dust and debris is quickly exiting. This is true of bevel cuts, lumber rips, straight work, curved work, and more!
Let the blade do the work and the dust collector will keep your space clean so it can! It’s a 3 in 1 dust port
Pros and Cons
Now, let’s take a quick look at the pros and cons to be sure we have a clear picture. These pros and cons will be focused on the specifics of this saw to really bring together what we love and what may not be as wonderful when you consider the saw as a whole.
- This saw is well-made for the price
- A budget-friendly saw
- Comes standing with the capability to remove the stands
- Sizable worktable with plenty of blade space
- Versatile and function
- Two speed option to work with on the saw
- Easy to change the blade
- Includes necessary safety feature additions on the saw
- This saw may not be able to handle thicker or harder materials as easily
- This saw makes the blade change simple but adjusting the tension is more challenging
- The saw is slightly more flimsy than some of the models from the brand
- This exact saw has been discontinued but look for the 3962T as an alternative saw
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Wen Band saws Any Good?
There are a lot of models to consider and the Wen 3962 is really one of our favorites. It’s a classic machine that you can depend on. Wen bandsaws are known for being affordable but also reliable and we feel like that rings true here as well.
While we certainly didn’t dig into every Wen bandsaw on the market here, if we were to make a judgement based off of this saw, we would certainly recommend the Wen label to anyone looking for an option.
Is Wen 3962 Discontinued?
We are very sad to say that Wen did recently announce they would be discontinuing this particular saw. It’s been one of our favorites through the years and we think it will continue to be so. If you want to get your hands on it, don’t wait as it has been discontinued.
On a more positive note, they have already present the 3962T to the market, which is meant to be an upgrade of the same model and we can’t wait to find out more and how it compares as a saw! From all accounts, it looks to be a similar option with a few slight modifications.
What is the Best 10 Inch Band Saw?
If you’re looking for best overall band saw, this would be our pick. We highly recommend the Wen 3962 and we have the feeling we will recommend the 3962T on a similar scale. While it may pull up against some limitations here and there, it’s an all-around good saw. It’s functional and versatile and we love that you can use it on the stand or on the benchtop, depending on your needs.
For what this saw is and represents, it’s a great choice and you won’t do much better for the price. It’s certainly budget friendly and who can argue with the quality and the price on this bad boy?
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Laguna 1412 (2022 Review)
If you’re searching for a good full size bandsaw, you will find that there are a lot of great saw options out there on the market. The thing is, when it comes to looking at the Laguna 1412 and some similar models, you just never really know if they are as good as the company claims they are.
Conclusion
If you’ve been considering the Wen 3962, consider no more. It’s a really great saw that comes at a really great price and you really can’t go wrong here. While this model has been discontinued, we think you will find the 3962T to be similar and hopefully be just as great. If you want this saw in particular, we recommend that you act soon so you don’t miss out!
Expert Tip
Be prepared for some challenges with the blade tension. Use the opportunity to look at resources and watch videos to help you have fewer struggles when you need to make adjustments here.
Did You Know
Did you know that Wen was one of the earliest innovators in creating power tools? They worked to bring electricity to the power of tools and they’ve been working hard on innovation and reliable tools ever since!
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- 3.5 amp motor creates cuts up to six inches deep and 9-3/4 inches wide
- Uses 72-inch blades anywhere from 1/8 to 1/2 inches in size
- Spacious 14-1/8 x 12-1/2 inch cast aluminum work table bevels up to 45 degrees
- Operates at two speeds of either 1520 or 2620 FPM
- Includes a 2-year warranty, a work light, a 3-in-1 dust port, a fence, a miter gauge, and a 3/8-inch blade (6 TPI)
- 2.8-amp motor rotates the blade up to 2500 feet per minute
- Create cuts up to 3-1/2 inches deep and 9 inches wide
- Uses 59-1/2-inch blades anywhere from 1/8 to 3/8 inches in size
- Spacious 12-1/4 x 11-7/8-inch work table bevels up to 45 degrees
- Includes a 1/4-inch-wide blade, a 2-1/2-inch dust port, a rip fence, a miter gauge, an adjustable blade guard with ball-bearing supports, and a 2-year warranty
- Product 1: 3.5 amp motor creates cuts up to six inches deep and 9-3/4 inches wide
- Product 1: Uses 72-inch blades anywhere from 1/8 to 1/2 inches in size
- Product 1: Spacious 14-1/8 x 12-1/2 inch cast aluminum work table bevels up to 45 degrees
- Product 1: Operates at two speeds of either 1520 or 2620 FPM