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.