In fact, there are many types of bandsaw blades
that offer specialized purpose. Therefore, choosing the right one depends on
many factors; consisting of type of band saw, condition of band saw, what
material is to be cut, and how the material will be cut. Clearly, it is
impossible for one blade to work well for every purpose. Some applications need
special blades for best results. The
below 3 steps will help you choose a proper best bandsaw blades.
1.
Choose
a product: What do you use band saw for?
Almost people use band saw for metal cutting or wood
cutting. For each aim, the blade has been designed by different material. In
particular, metal cutting band saws often use carbon tool steel or bimetal
blades. The advantage of carbon tool steel blade is that it is cheaper than the
other one. I prefer you use coolant when use this type of blade. It has best
result when performing at speed under 200 feet per minute while cutting mild
steel. The other one that more expensive is bimetal band saw blade. It is
suitable for cutting harder materials like stainless steel. Moreover, the
blade’s outstanding advantage is a longer life span, easy to repair and adjust.
If your aim is to
cut wood, you can choose 3 different types: carbon tool steel, premium gold
carbide or Specialty resaw blade. Generally, Carbon tool steel blade can be
used for vertical woodcutting band saws from 10” and up for most sawing needs.
However, craftsman choose premium gold carbide blade in many cases because of
the longer life span as well as high velocity. In addition, it is capable of
cutting hardwoods when conserving material is very important.
2.
Choose
a width: How tight do you need to turn?
If you own a
horizontal metal cutting band saw, you do not need to find out the right width
of blade. There is only one width size of blade in this band saw. In other
words, Vertical metal cutting band saw and wood cutting band saw have the
capacity to run a wide range of width.
3.
Choose
a tooth pattern: What are you cutting?
Wood cutting band saw: There are various
tooth pattern types of blade to cut wood. The blade has fewer teeth per inch
provides a faster and coarser cut. On the other hand, the more teeth one
provides a smoother and slower cut. It is a general rule that you should
remember when choosing blade.
Metal cutting band saw: To cut metal
requires specialized blade. Choosing the proper tooth pattern depends on how thick
of material is. If the material is thick, you should choose fewer teeth per
inch type. On the contrary, blade which is more teeth per inch is more suitable.
Solids and
structural shapes:
Cutting a structural shape thing must be a challenge for you. It is harder to
choose the right tooth pattern for structural than solids shapes. Structural
shapes such as square tubing and angle pieces must be cut at the correct angle in
order to keep the teeth in contact with the thinner portion of the cut.
Stack cutting: Stack cutting should always be avoided if
possible, because there will always be a wide range of thickness to cut and you
cannot match teeth properly. The other problem is vibration. Make sure the
stack is as tight as possible.
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