NOTE: Choosing the right bandsaw blade depends on many factors; including type of bandsaw, condition of bandsaw, what material is to be cut, and how the material will be cut. It is impossible for one blade to work well for every purpose. Some applications need special blades for best results. If you are having trouble getting satisfactory results in cutting different materials, please call us and we can get you the right answer.
METALCUTTING BANDSAWS: Use Carbon Tool Steel or Bimetal Blades
Small to large, horizontal or vertical, metalcutting bandsaws use either Carbon Tool Steel or Bimetal bandsaw blades. Carbon Tool Steel blades are more economical to purchase. Carbon Tool Steel blades will cut mild steel if used at speeds under 200 feet per minute (fpm) for best results, preferably with coolant. If you are sawing in a production setting, your saw is in good repair and adjusted correctly, and want the longest life blade available, then you should use Bimetal bandsaw blades. Bimetal blades cost more than carbon blades, but are generally more economical to operate in the long run, because they can outlast carbon blades by up to 10 times if used properly. Also, they are capable of cutting harder materials, such as stainless steel.
BiMetal blades for Metal Cutting M42 Steel
These are a similar configuration to carbon steel, but have two major differences that make them unsuitable of cutting timber. The hook of the tooth is different, and they have the option of variable pitch (TPI) such as 5/8VP meaning a mix og 5tpi and 8 tpi.. They must run at a slower speed than carbon due to heat buildup cutting metal and often a coolant is also used.
WOODCUTTING BANDSAWS: Use Carbon Steel blades, or WoodCutting BiMetal on Resawing Typical Aussie hardwoods
Vertical woodcutting bandsaws from 10” and up will use Carbon Tool Steel blades for most sawing needs. For longer life try BiMetal blades As with metal cutting they last much longer. NOTE: Your owner’s manual may say that your woodcutting bandsaw can cut metal, but woodcutting bandsaws can only cut soft metals, such as aluminum, brass, copper, etc. Cutting steel could damage your saw, due to the fact that blade speed on most woodcutting bandsaws (average 800 to 3500 fpm) is not slow enough (40 to 200 fpm) for cutting ferrous metals (i.e. steel). Trying to cut steel at woodcutting speeds will ruin the blade due to the extreme heat produced. Some Band saws are variable speed through a set of pulleys (Our 14" cast Iron 4 speed is like this but still not slow enough for steel) or a gearbox (JET make one) but be careful you always set the speed for the job.
Wood Tooth Configurations available in Australia
Carbon Steel Wood Cutting Blades
These blades come in a fixed number of teeth per inch from 3 TPI to 32 TPI and are typically 25 thou thick. Widths are from 3/16" to 1" however one blade comes with 3/4 pitch at 1-1/4" wide for resaw purposes. 3/4 pitch means one tooth per 3/4"
Our default recommendation is for SKIP teeth as these are a good compromise for our timbers.
BiMetal for Wood Cutting
These blades only come in a very course range of pitches to suit resaw applications, and are never used to achieve a fine finish. TPI is typically 1, 1.3 or 3tpi. The hook of these blades in specicifically for ultimate timber swarf clearance. Sizes vary from 1/2" up to 3" and beyond.
SMALL 2 AND 3 WHEEL TABLETOP WOODCUTTING BANDSAWS: Use "Hobby" Blades
Small tabletop saws with 2 or 3 wheels need what we refer to as a "hobby" which is a very thin blade. The challenge with these saws is that the wheels are so small that a standard thickness carbon blade flexes beyond proper tolerances when it travels around these small wheels, thereby shortening blade life. “Hobby ” bandsaw blades are designed to withstand this extreme flexing and will give you the longest life on these saws, combining a back half of the blade as mild steel, with a front half traditional carbon steel hardened tooth configuration.
Hobby blades are used for cutting timber and non ferrous metals with the same limitations as their bigger brother but are more suited to flexing around tight curves as a result of the smaller wheels used in hobby band saws and three wheelers. They are best used if your blades are under 1800mm length and come in 1/4" and 3/8" only, with 4, 6, 10, 14 tpi only. They are also thinner at 14 thou
Horizontal metalcutting bandsaws are typically designed to use only one width of blade. Vertical metalcutting bandsaws and woodcutting bandsaws have the capacity to run a wide range of widths. Here are some minimum turning circle diameters for some most common blades available:
NOTE: . Skip recommended for Australian hardwoods.
Three Wheeler is our Hobby blade and is always a hook
WOODCUTTING BANDSAWS:
There is a wide range of what is considered correct for tooth patterns on a woodcutting bandsaw. The general rule is that fewer teeth per inch provide a faster, but rougher cut; and more teeth per inch provide a smoother, but slower cut. Note in some very hard Australian hardwoods lesser teeth will give longer life, with finishing best done off the band saw with a sander.
METALCUTTING BANDSAWS:
The correct tooth pattern for metalcutting is determined by the thickness (cross-section) of material you are cutting. There should be between 2 and approximately 10 teeth in contact with the material at all times. Generally, choose fewer teeth per inch for thicker materials and more teeth per inch for thinner materials. The chart below will give you some basic guidelines for choosing the correct number of teeth per inch.
Solids vs. Structural Shapes:
It is simpler to determine the correct tooth pattern for solids than for structural shapes. Structural shapes such as square tubing and angle pieces need to be cut at the correct angle to keep the teeth in contact with the thinner portion of the cut. For example, if you are cutting a piece of 4” angle with a 1/4” wall, you should match the tooth pattern to the 1/4” thickness (10-14 Variable or 14 Raker) and not to the 4” thickness (3-4 Variable or 3 Hook). Therefore, the 4” angle should be placed in the saw so it sits as a pyramid instead of an “L.” The following diagrams show the correct orientation for cutting various structural shapes.
Stack Cutting:
Stack cutting should always be avoided where possible, because regardless how the material is clamped in the vise there will always be varying thicknesses to cut and you cannot match teeth properly. Also, vibration is a major problem when stack cutting - if you must stack cut, make sure to tack-weld the ends and band the stack together as tightly as possible to reduce vibration or movement between the pieces.