A bandsaw is one kind of saw having a sharp blade. This long blade has a continuous toothed metal band which situates between more than one wheel. The blade rotates continuously with its wheels to cut various items.
A band saw can be used to cut curves, even in thick lumber, such as in creating cabriole legs, to rip lumber and to crosscut short pieces. The most common use for the band saw, however, is in cutting irregular shapes. The second most common use is in resawing or ripping lumber into thinner slabs. When looking to cut precise curves in wood, in most cases there is no better tool to choose than the band saw. With that being said, a quality band saw will do a lot more than just cut curves. They are great for cutting tenons and some smaller rabbets, for ripping small pieces of stock, and for resawing thin strips from larger pieces of wood.
There are two main types of band saws—floor-standing cabinet models and units that are shorter—for mounting either on a dedicated stand or on a benchtop. Cabinet models are typically built for professional use, whereas the smaller units are better suited for the home-based woodworker.