Bandsaw Basics: Bench Top Bandsaws

Knowing the best tools for the job is necessary to get it done and today, we’re going to give you a give you some tips about bench top bandsaws.

The first question is, what are Bench-top Bandsaws? For others who don’t know, they are the smallest of the power tools and can be mounted directly on a work table, a stand, and cabinet or on your shop-made stand. These Bandsaws are lightweight and with a wheel diameter of about 8” to 12”. However, they are not ideal for big projects. You can use them for small projects and in small workshops.

The main feature of this type of saw is that the motor is mounted directly to the unit, there is no belt system under the table. With its lightweight and small size, there are no exceptions like the 12” Jet and the 14” Shop Fox.

For several years, the bench-top saws were made with the three-wheel design, but these old models were phased out. The thing with the three-wheel saw, it offers the widest throat in the least amount of space, but the only drawback was its design such as:

·                 Difficulty in aligning the wheels

·                 Difficulty in tracking the blades

·                 Premature “blade wear” as reported by some users.

Here is a list of Bench-top bandsaws:

·         Craftsman BAS230 9-inch Band Saw

·         Ryobi BS903 9-inch Band Saw

·         Skil 3386 9-inch Band Saw

·         Central Machinery 96980 9-inch Band Saw

·         RIKON 10-305 10-inch Band Saw

·         Craftsman 21400 10-inch Band Saw

·         Proxxon MBS/E Band Saw

·         JET JWBS-10OS 10-inch Band Saw

There is no ultimate bench-top bandsaw. These types of bench-top bandsaws have their own unique features and depending on the type of work you need for them. Also, some of you may decide not just based on the type of work to be used, but also the price. And if you are looking for some bandsaw blades, visit us at www.capitalmachinery.com.au. 

Bandsaw Basics: Blades for Operation

Band saw tooth blades are available in different shapes, each with their own characteristics. In this section, we will be discussing about the different tooth types of the blades for our band saw machines.

1.       Regular tooth

This tooth is straight face with deep gullets to rake out chips. It is usually used for general metal cutting with straight rake.

2.       Hook tooth

It is equipped with deep gullets and widely spaced teeth with a 10 degree undercut face that helps to dig in and take a good cut while the gullets curl the chips. This tooth is good for cutting non-ferrous alloys, non-metallic materials, plastics and wood.

3.       Skip tooth 

It is similar to the hook tooth but characterized by a straight 90 degree tooth and a sharp angle at the junction of the tooth and gullet to break up chips. This type is well suited for non-ferrous materials, metals, wood and plastics.

4.       Variable tooth (Bi-Metal)

It is usually known as broach tooth or vari-tooth. This has different set angles and gullet depths. The cutting edge of the variable tooth reduces any vibration while the back absorbs the impacts of cutting and out of holes, slots and narrow webs. This is the best all-purpose blade when it comes to production and general shop cutting and contour. Use it for cutting of solid bars and structural bars.

Next is how to properly select the right number of teeth. Generally picking a coarse tooth (having a lesser number of teeth per inch (TPI)) for large sections and soft metals. For the finer tooth (more teeth per inch), it’s typically made for small sections and harder metals. Observe the rules illustrated below.

Different Tooth Sets                                                             

1.       RAKER SET

If you look into one, this has one tooth set to the right, one tooth set to the left and one tooth is aligned straight. This is mainly used for most production cutting of thick, solid metal sections on horizontal saws.

2.       WAVY SET

This has teeth set in groups with gradual increasing set to left and right. It is generally composed of several teeth per inch and is mainly used for cutting thin sections such as sheets, tubes, pipes and small shapes.