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Quietest band saw: Powermatic's PM1500 prints 72 dB, JET's floor saws 75

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· 6 min read

Illustration of a floor standing woodworking band saw with a board on its cast iron table

Powermatic's PM1500 is the quietest woodworking band saw on its maker's figures, at "72 dB at 39” (1000mm) from blade, without load", and every Powermatic floor saw we found prints that same 72, up to the 24 in. PM2415B.

JET's JWBS-15 and JWBS-20 print 75 under the same wording, and JET's J-3130 metal cutting saw 70. JET's JWBS-9 benchtop saw is the outlier at 90.

These are unweighted dB with no standard named, taken with the saw idling, and they come only from JPW Industries, which makes both brands; Laguna, Rikon and Grizzly manuals print no figure.

On this page
  1. How we chose
  2. Our picks
  3. How to choose
  4. Comparison
  5. FAQs
  6. Bottom line
  7. Review history

A quick look at the quietest band saws

A stationary band saw runs a continuous steel blade around two wheels, driven by a motor in the base or, on benchtop models, behind the lower wheel. The quietest band saw on maker figures depends on the brand more than the size, because only one company prints numbers.

That company is JPW Industries, which sells band saws under the JET and Powermatic names. Its US manuals give a "Sound emission" row in plain dB, with the distance from the blade and, for most models, the words "without load".

Laguna, RIKON, Grizzly and WEN's 3962 and 3959T print no figure in the manuals we read, so the ranking below is JPW's alone. Handheld saws are covered in the portable band saw guide.

How did we pick these band saws?

Every saw here carries a maker noise figure from a US manual naming the model sold here, and a figure ranks only beside others taken at the same distance and condition.

We read the US pages and manuals for every current JET woodworking band saw and a range of its metal saws, every Powermatic band saw family, and Laguna, RIKON, Grizzly and WEN manuals. JET marks no listed band saw as discontinued.

Powermatic prices are from powermatic.com and WEN's from wenproducts.com, as shown on November 4, 2026. JET shows no machine prices, only a dealer link, so JET saws carry none.

We did not measure any band saw ourselves; the 70, 72, 75 and 90 come from JET and Powermatic manuals, and WEN's 75 from its own manual.

QuietSpecs' picks of the quietest band saws

Quietest woodworking figure, 72 dB

Powermatic PM1500 15 in. Woodworking Bandsaw, 3 HP, 230V 1Ph

  • Noise: 72 dB at 39 in. (1000 mm) from blade, without load (Powermatic manual, Edition 10 04/2023)
  • Price: $4,179.00 maker's list price, checked Nov 4
  • Best for: A home shop that resaws and wants the lowest printed idle figure for a woodworking saw
  • Skip it if: Your shop has only 120V outlets, where the JWBS-15 runs prewired at 115V

Powermatic's manual for the PM1500 lists "Sound emission" as "72 dB at 39” (1000mm) from blade, without load", 3 dB below JET's 15 in. JWBS-15 on identical wording.

It is the smallest Powermatic saw with a figure: a 3 HP, 230V saw with 15 in. cast iron wheels, 14 in. of resaw height and a 14-1/2 in. throat, weighing 394 lb. Powermatic listed it at $4,179.00 on November 4, 2026.

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Lowest figure of all, for metal, 70 dB

JET J-3130 5 x 8 in. Horizontal Metal Cutting Bandsaw, 1/2 HP, 115/230V

  • Noise: 70 dB at 40 in. (1 m) from blade, without load (JET manual, Edition 15 01/2022)
  • Price: No maker list price
  • Best for: Cutting steel bar, pipe and angle to length in a home or small fabrication shop
  • Skip it if: You cut wood, where its slow blade speeds are the wrong tool

JET's J-3130 and J-3230 manual prints "70 dB at 40” (1m) from blade, without load", the lowest number on any band saw we found and on the same footing as the woodworking saws above.

This is a different machine, though: a 1/2 HP horizontal cutoff saw running its blade at 85 to 200 surface feet per minute through a worm gear, for bar and tube up to 5 in. round. JET's page shows no price.

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18 in. of resaw, still 72 dB

Powermatic PM1800B 18 in. Woodworking Bandsaw, 5 HP, 230V 1Ph

  • Noise: 72 dB at 39 in. (1000 mm) from blade, without load (Powermatic manual, Edition 4 12/2025)
  • Price: $7,776.00 maker's list price, checked Nov 4
  • Best for: Resawing wide boards for veneer or bookmatched panels
  • Skip it if: Your stock is under 14 in. wide, where the PM1500 prints the same 72 dB for less

The PM1800B shares a manual with the PM2013B and PM2415B, and that manual gives all of them "72 dB at 39” (1000mm) from blade, without load", in single phase and three phase.

So a 5 HP saw with 18 in. wheels and 18 in. of resaw prints the same idle figure as the smaller PM1500. It weighs 840 lb and was $7,776.00 on Powermatic's site on November 4, 2026.

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115V JET floor saw, 75 dB

JET JWBS-15 15 in. Woodworking Bandsaw, 1-3/4 HP, 115/230V 1Ph

  • Noise: 75 dB at 40 in. (1000 mm) from blade, without load (JET manual, Edition 7 09/2025)
  • Price: No maker list price
  • Best for: Garage shops on 120V that still want a 14 in. resaw
  • Skip it if: You have 230V and want the lowest woodworking figure, the PM1500's 72

JET's JWBS-15 and JWBS-20 manual prints "75 dB at 40” (1000mm) from blade, without load" for every model it covers, 3 dB over Powermatic's floor saws on the same wording.

The JWBS-15 is a 1.75 HP saw that runs on 115V out of the box, with 14 in. of resaw height, 14-3/4 in. wheels and blades to 1 in. It weighs 382 lbs. JET shows no price on its site.

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Closer meter, 75 dB at 900 mm

JET JWBS-14SFX 14 in. Steel Frame Bandsaw, 1-3/4 HP, 115/230V 1Ph

  • Noise: JET manual, Edition 9 06/2023: 75 dB at 900 mm (3 ft.) from blade, idling
  • Price: No maker list price
  • Best for: A first floor standing band saw in a 120V garage
  • Skip it if: You need resaw height past 13 in., where the JWBS-15 offers 14

JET rates the JWBS-14SFX at "75 dB at 3 ft. (900mm) from blade" without load, a meter 100 mm closer than the one behind the JWBS-15 and the Powermatic saws, so it is kept in a group of its own.

The black JWBS-14SFX-BLK prints the same row. It is a 1.75 HP steel frame saw with 13 in. of resaw height and 14 in. wheels, at 272 lb. JET shows no price.

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Benchtop saw, loudest figure at 90 dB

JET JWBS-9 9 in. Benchtop Bandsaw, 120V

  • Noise: JET manual, Edition 1 05/2026: 90 dB at 1 m (39 in.), idling
  • Price: No maker list price
  • Best for: Small curved cuts and crafts where floor space decides the saw
  • Skip it if: Noise is your first test, since every floor saw here prints 15 to 18 dB less at one meter

JET's new JWBS-9 benchtop saw is the one small band saw with a maker figure, and it is the loudest here: "90dB at 39” (1m) Without Load", 15 dB above JET's own floor saws at the same distance.

It is a 40 lb, 120V saw with a 9 in. throat, 3-1/2 in. of cutting height and cast aluminum wheels, from a manual dated May 2026. JET shows no price.

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How to choose

New to the units? Read dBA explained or sones vs decibels.

Which band saw is the quietest?

Powermatic's PM1500 is the quietest woodworking band saw on maker figures, at 72 dB 39 in. from the blade without load. JET's J-3130 metal cutting saw prints 70 on the same wording.

Ranked at one meter from the blade, idling:

  • JET J-3130 and J-3230 metal saws: 70 dB
  • Powermatic PM1500, PM1500T, PM1800B, PM2013B and PM2415B: 72 dB
  • JET JWBS-15, JWBS-15-3, JWBS-20-3 and JWBS-20-5: 75 dB
  • JET JWBS-9 benchtop: 90 dB

A 3 dB gap between Powermatic and JET is small, and neither manual gives an uncertainty. The 90 for the benchtop JWBS-9 is a different matter, 15 dB over JET's own floor saws.

How do JET and Powermatic measure band saw noise?

JET and Powermatic band saw manuals print one row, "Sound emission", giving a level in dB, a distance from the blade and usually the words "without load". No standard, weighting or uncertainty appears beside it.

Why the two brands share one ranking

Both brands come from JPW Industries at 427 New Sanford Road in LaVergne, Tennessee, and the manuals share layout, footnotes and wording. A footnote in each says the values "are emission levels and are not necessarily to be seen as safe operating levels".

That shared template is why Powermatic's 72 and JET's 75 sit in one list. A figure from another maker, written another way, would not join it.

Distance splits JET into groups

The distance changes from manual to manual. The JWBS-15 and JWBS-20 are rated at 40 in. (1000 mm), the Powermatic saws at 39 in. (1000 mm), and the JWBS-14SFX and JWBS-18SFX at 3 ft (900 mm).

A meter placed 100 mm closer reads higher for the same machine, so the two 900 mm saws stay out of the one meter list. Both print 75, and the JWBS-18SFX manual leaves out "without load".

What plain dB means here

None of these figures carries an (A), the weighting most noise ratings use to match human hearing. We report them exactly as printed. Our dBA explainer covers why that letter matters when you set figures from different sources side by side.

Is a benchtop band saw quieter than a floor model?

No, on the only benchtop figure printed: JET's JWBS-9 reads 90 dB at 1 m without load, while JET's floor saws print 75 and Powermatic's 72 at that distance.

JET does not explain the gap. The JWBS-9 has an induction motor, as the floor saws do, but at 2.8A and 1790 RPM it drives cast aluminum wheels in a 40 lb frame, where the floor saws run belts to cast iron wheels in frames of 272 to 974 lb.

No other benchtop band saw we checked has a figure. WEN's manuals for its 3962 and 3959T, and RIKON's 10-310 manual, print none.

Are metal cutting band saws quieter?

On JET's figures, slightly: the J-3130 horizontal saw prints 70 dB at 1 m without load, 2 below Powermatic's woodworking saws, with its blade running at 85 to 200 SFM.

JET's other metal saws use other distances:

  • HBS-812G: 70 dB without load, 75 with load, at 60 inches from the blade
  • J-8201K, J-8203K, J-8201VS and J-8203VS: 70 dB idle, 75 with load, 3 ft from the machine

WEN's 39707 metal saw lists "Noise Level: 75 dB" with no distance or load, so it ranks against nothing. WEN's store showed it sold out on November 4, 2026.

How much louder is a band saw while it cuts?

JET's two metal saw manuals that print both conditions show 5 dB more under load than idling, 75 against 70. No woodworking band saw maker we found prints a figure while cutting.

That matters for reading the picks. Every woodworking figure here, Powermatic's 72 included, describes the motor, belt and wheels turning with no wood at the blade. Blade choice, feed rate and the dust collector each change the sound of a real cut, and no manual we read gives a number for any of them.

A dust collector usually runs alongside a band saw, and its figures are compared in our dust collector guide.

Which band saw makers print no noise figure?

Laguna, RIKON and Grizzly print no figure in the manuals we read, and neither do two JET saws, one Powermatic saw and WEN's woodworking models.

Laguna

Laguna's US manuals for the 14BX and 18BX carry a "Noise emission" heading followed only by notes on exposure time, with no number. We did not count figures from manuals issued by Laguna's overseas distributors, since Laguna's own US documents leave them out.

RIKON and Grizzly

RIKON's manuals for the 10-1414, 10-310, 10-342, 10-347 and 10-353 print no figure. Grizzly's G0555LX manual and its machine data sheet print none either.

JPW saws without a row

JET's JWBS-14CS and JWB-10 manuals have no sound row, and neither does Powermatic's PWBS-14CS, a $1,979.00 saw. We could not open Delta's site for the 28-400, which returned a bot check.

Do you need hearing protection with a band saw?

Yes, by JET's and Powermatic's own safety lists, which say "Wear ear protectors (plugs or muffs) during extended periods of operation." Their footnotes add that the printed figures are not safe operating levels.

An idle figure of 72 to 75 dB at a meter says little about an hour of resawing with a dust collector running beside the saw. Our power tool hearing page explains how exposure time counts alongside level.

How the quietest band saws compare

ProductNoiseMotorWeightPrice
Powermatic PM1500 (1791500)72 dB at 39 in. (1000 mm) from blade, without load (Powermatic manual, Edition 10 04/2023)3 HP, 230V single phase, 12A394 lb net$4,179.00 maker's list price
JET J-3130 (414461)70 dB at 40 in. (1 m) from blade, without load (JET manual, Edition 15 01/2022)1/2 HP, 115/230V, prewired 115V143 lbs netNot verified yet
Powermatic PM1800B (1791800B)72 dB at 39 in. (1000 mm) from blade, without load (Powermatic manual, Edition 4 12/2025)5 HP, 230V single phase, 22A840 lb net$7,776.00 maker's list price
JET JWBS-15 (714600)75 dB at 40 in. (1000 mm) from blade, without load (JET manual, Edition 7 09/2025)1.75 HP, 115/230V, prewired 115V382 lbs netNot verified yet
JET JWBS-14SFX (714400K)JET manual, Edition 9 06/2023: 75 dB at 900 mm (3 ft.) from blade, idling1.75 HP (1.3 kW), 115/230V, prewired 115V272 lb net (JET page)Not verified yet
JET JWBS-9 (JT1-3604)JET manual, Edition 1 05/2026: 90 dB at 1 m (39 in.), idling120V, 2.8A induction40 lbs netNot verified yet

Frequently asked questions

What is the quietest band saw?

For woodworking, Powermatic's PM1500, at 72 dB 39 in. from the blade without load; every Powermatic floor saw we found prints the same 72. JET's J-3130 metal cutting saw prints 70 on the same wording, but it only cuts metal stock to length.

Is a benchtop band saw quieter than a floor model?

Not on the only figures printed. JET's JWBS-9 benchtop saw prints 90 dB at 1 m without load, while JET's 15 and 20 in. floor saws print 75 and Powermatic's print 72 at that distance. No other benchtop band saw we checked has a maker figure.

How loud is a band saw while cutting?

No woodworking band saw maker we found prints a figure under load. JET's two metal saws that do, the HBS-812G and the J-8201K family, each print 5 dB more with load than without, 75 against 70.

Are JET and Powermatic band saw figures comparable?

Within reason, yes. Both brands belong to JPW Industries in LaVergne, Tennessee, and their manuals use the same row, "Sound emission", a distance from the blade and "without load". Neither names a standard or an A weighting, so we rank them only against one another.

Do Laguna, Rikon or Grizzly publish band saw decibels?

No. Laguna's 14BX and 18BX manuals have a noise emission heading with no number under it, five RIKON bandsaw manuals print none, and Grizzly's G0555LX manual and data sheet print none.

Should I wear ear protection at a band saw?

JET and Powermatic manuals list it among the safety rules: "Wear ear protectors (plugs or muffs) during extended periods of operation." They also say their figures are emission levels and "are not necessarily to be seen as safe operating levels".

The bottom line

I expected a dozen brands of shop band saw to give me numbers, and one company did. JET and Powermatic both belong to JPW Industries, both print a "Sound emission" row in their US manuals, and nobody else I checked prints anything at all, not Laguna, not Rikon, not Grizzly.

The figures are idle readings, so they describe the motor and wheels, not a blade in oak. Even so, the gap that surprised me most was size against noise running the wrong way: JET's little 9 in. benchtop saw prints 90 dB, while Powermatic's 24 in. saw prints 72. If a garage band saw has to live near a house, I would rather pay for a big induction motor on a belt than assume small means quiet.

Stanley Alu, founder and editor

What we also considered

These are worth knowing about, and why they didn't make the list.

  • Powermatic PM1500T ArmorGlide 15 in. Woodworking Bandsaw, 3 HP, 230V 1Ph

    The PM1500 with Powermatic's coated ArmorGlide table and more miter stops, at $4,729.00. The manual gives it the same 72 dB row, so on noise it matches the PM1500.

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  • Powermatic PM2013B 20 in. Woodworking Bandsaw, 5 HP, 230V 1Ph

    A 20 in. Powermatic at $8,469.00 that prints the same 72 dB at 1 m as the PM1800B, from the same manual.

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  • Powermatic PM2415B 24 in. Woodworking Bandsaw, 5 HP, 230V 1Ph

    Powermatic's 24 in. saw, $9,151.00 and 974 lb, also at 72 dB; the biggest saw here prints the same idle figure as the smallest Powermatic.

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  • JET JWBS-18SFX 18 in. Bandsaw, 1-3/4 HP, 115V 1Ph

    JET's 18 in. steel frame saw prints 75 dB at 3ft (900mm) from blade, level with the JWBS-14SFX, but its manual does not say whether the saw was idling.

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  • JET JWBS-20-3 20 in. Bandsaw, 3 HP, 230V 1Ph

    A 20 in. JET at 3 HP that shares the JWBS-15's manual and its 75 dB at 1 m, 3 above Powermatic's 20 in. PM2013B.

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  • JET J-8201K 14 in. Metal/Wood Vertical Bandsaw, 1 HP, 115/230V 1Ph

    JET's 14 in. vertical saw for wood and metal prints 70 dB idle and 75 with load, but measured 3 ft from the machine rather than the blade.

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  • JET HBS-812G 8 x 12 in. Horizontal/Vertical Geared Head Bandsaw, 1 HP, 115/230V

    A horizontal and vertical metal saw rated 70 dB without load and 75 with load at 60 inches from the blade, a distance no other saw here uses.

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  • WEN 39707 7 x 12 in. Metal-Cutting Band Saw with Stand

    WEN's 7 x 12 in. metal saw lists "Noise Level: 75 dB" with no distance or load, and WEN's store showed it sold out at $1,109.39.

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  • Powermatic PWBS-14CS 14 in. Woodworking Bandsaw, 1-1/2 HP, 115/230V 1Ph

    Powermatic's 14 in. closed stand saw, at $1,979.00, is the one current Powermatic band saw whose manual prints no sound row.

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How we reviewed this article

Every statement here comes from the 35 maker documents, standards and agency pages listed under Sources, quoted where the wording matters. We did not measure, inspect or repair anything ourselves. Each substantive revision is dated below. How we work

  1. Current version

    First published, written by Stanley Alu.

Sources

Every figure on this page was read on one of the pages below. We did not measure anything ourselves.

All 35 sources
Manufacturer pages and manuals for every product

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