Bandsaw blades come in a variety of widths, tooth designs, materials, and configurations.HongSheng as a great selection.pls keep reading to learn more about choosing and using bandsaw blades.

CHOOSING BANDSAW BLADES

Bandsaw Blade Width

We use the word “width” but really it comes down to two things: The maximum capacity your bandsaw can accommodate and the minimum radius you want to cut. Start by consulting the manufacturer’s instructions.

If you are doing re-sawing, cant or cut-off sawing, use your bandsaw’s maximum blade width. This will keep the cuts nice and straight and you’ll get a decent feed rate without breaking blades.

On the other end of the scale, if you do contour sawing, use a blade that is narrow enough to cut the desired radius. The chart below shows the correlation between blade width and the minimum radius it will cut.

Ready to start shopping? Find the right bandsaw blade at www.cgoodsaws.com

Bandsaw Blade Thickness

Choosing the proper thickness of the blade is important. Continual flexing and heating and cooling causes metal fatigue and ultimately, failure.

The thickness of the blade depends on the diameter of the wheels, and the work to be done. Thick blades withstand more cutting strain from straight cuts but can break more easily from the bending and twisting action. Thinner blades perform well for lighter work. The following chart shows ideal blade thickness for various wheel diameters.

How Many Teeth?

In determining teeth per inch (TPI), try to find a balance finish and feed rate. Blades with more teeth cut slower and smoother. Blades with fewer teeth cut faster, with slightly rougher finish.

For any kind of precision cutting, the rule of thumb is to always try to keep at least three teeth in the material at all times. This adds stability and accuracy and applies to cutting in both metal and wood.

Use coarse tooth blades (2 or 3 TPI) for re-sawing and cutting thicker materials. For general wood cutting duties in typical 3/4″ material, use a 4 TPI blade for coarse, fast cutting and a 14 TPI blade for slower, smoother cutting. A blade in the 6 to 8 TPI range provides good general-purpose performance. This same equation applies whether you’re cutting wood or metal. For thinner metals and plastics under 1/4″ use an even finer blade (18 – 32 TPI).

Bandsaw Blade Tooth Styles and Sets

There are three basic tooth styles in bandsaw blades: regular, skip and hook.

Regular tooth blades have proportionally spaced teeth and are ideally suited for general-purpose cutting and contour sawing. Regular blades are ideal for cutting thin materials with a fine finish.

Skip tooth blades have widely spaced teeth at a 0 degree rake angle to prevent clogging when cutting soft wood, non-ferrous metals and plastics.

Hook tooth blades have a deeper gullet—that is, larger teeth—and a positive 10 degree rake angle. This helps the blade to feed into the material more aggressively. The result is faster cutting rates. Hook tooth blades are commonly used for long cuts in thicker wood, hardwood, plastic and metal.

Variable Pitch blades have alternating sets of different sized teeth to provide a fast cut with a smooth finish, ideal for joinery and cutting curves.

You can see a blade’s set by looking down on the teeth.

A raker tooth set has one tooth going to the left, one to the right, followed by a straight, or unset, tooth, which is called a raker.

An alternate tooth set has one tooth going left, one going right, then left, right, etc. There is no raker tooth. The double alternate plus raker has an unset raker tooth following two left-right combinations.

A wavy tooth set has groups of teeth set left and right, separated by unset raker teeth. Wavy set blades are made primarily with the small teeth recommended for cutting thinner metal sections, tubes, pipes, thin sheets, etc.

Choosing a Blade Set

Too little set restricts airflow and limits the blade’s ability to pull sawdust from the cut. This creates hot, packed sawdust and leads to short cutting times and premature blade breakage. This is about the worst thing you can do for your bandsaw blade.

Excessively under set bands will cut in a wavy motion.

Too little set restricts airflow and limits the blade’s ability to pull sawdust from the cut. This creates hot, packed sawdust and leads to short cutting times and premature blade breakage. This is about the worst thing you can do for your bandsaw blade.

Excessively under set bands will cut in a wavy motion.

Ready to start shopping? Find the right bandsaw blade at www.cgoodsaws.com

Know Your Surface Feet Per Minute (SFM)

Knowing the SFM for the various settings of your bandsaw allows you to select the proper speed for the material you want to cut. Bandsaw blade manufacturers’ also provide maximum SFM ratings for their products.  You should find the SFM settings in your owners manual. If you don’t have the manufacturer’s specs, you can can use this formula:

· SFM = Drive Wheel RPM x Drive Wheel Diameter x 0.262