How to choose correct bandsaw blade for cutting wood?

There is an old saying “A craftsman is as good as his tools”. A good craftsman makes his imaginations real with the help of his tools and always chooses them wisely. He constantly keeps on upgrading his skills and toolset to achieve perfection.

Why Bandsaw Blades?

Bandsaw blade is typically a powerful saw and is one of the most versatile cutting tools available in market. It is basically a circular thin or thick metal sheet having teeth. It is designed to cut almost any type of material ranging from wood, plywood plastic, metal, soft and hard foam, MDF to fish and meat. You just have to choose the best bandsaw blade depending upon your requirement.

Bandsaw Blades for Woodworking:

Bandsaw blades can be used for making absolute precise cuts. It can rip, re saw, cut along straight line or circle, cut irregular shapes, complex curves and crosscut without the risk of kickback. Very thin slices of veneer can also be sliced with these blades. It can cut large amount of timber, green wood, plywood or any type of wood. For attaining best results, you need to select the best bandsaw blade as per your requirement before buying one.

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Deciding Best Suitable Blade for your Project:

Bandsaw blades come with huge variety that may confuse you slightly. Before making the actual purchase, you must understand few things related to bandsaw blade.

Blade Width: The width of bandsaw blade is an important factor as it is exposed to continuous heating, cooling and flexing. Inappropriate blade width may cause metal fatigue or failure. The width of the blade depends on diameter of the wheel. Thick blades endure more strains from straight cuts but should not be twisted or bended frequently. For making curves, your blade width should be somewhat less than the radius of the curve you are trying to make. Thin blades work well for lighter cutting works.     

Tooth Per Inch (TPI): As the name says, it refers to number of teeth in an inch of the bandsaw blade. This is a major factor that decides how the final cut of your material would look like.

If a blade has fewer teeth, it cuts the material rather coarsely. They are designed to cut quickly and roughly through soft material and cuts made will be large. They are not suitable to perform intricate and precise cuts.  

On the other hand, if the blade has more teeth, it cuts very finely. They are good at making small and accurate cuts. They are also perfect in cutting hard materials like metals but works rather slowly so consumes more power.

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Tooth Style:There are basically three styles of tooth in bandsaw blades-Regular, skip and hook.

Regular teeth (raked angled at 0 degree) are uniformly spaced and are good at finely cutting general purpose materials and sawing purpose.

Skip teeth (raked angled at 0-degree angle) are spaced widely and are designed for avoiding clogging while cutting softwood but works somewhat slowly.

Hook teeth (raked at positive degree and possesses deeper gullet) are preferred for having quicker long cuts in thicker hardwood.

In case you want to reduce vibrations in your machine, you can go for variable teeth that have variable pitch and deep gullet.

Tooth Sets: Bandsaw blades of higher quality are compatible to various tooth sets. Wavy blade set is suitable for cutting and slicing thin sheets, pipes, tubes etc. Alternate blade set or double alternate sets are used for cutting wood quickly and smoothly. Raker tooth set works well for metal cutting purpose.

Blade Material: For woodworking purpose, blades made of carbon steel are usually preferred that are inexpensive and offers the desired durability required for cutting soft materials like wood or plywood. Bimetal blades are usually selected for cutting and designing metals. Such blades require hardness and more durability and so are made up of high-speed steel (HSS) and spring steel (for flexibility). Because of this, bimetal blades are more expensive. 

Hope this information helps you to choose the best bandsaw blade for woodworking as per your need. Basically the idea is, If you want less accurate or straight cuts, you opt for hook teeth with less TPI, whereas, choose blade with regular teeth and more TPI for more accuracy. If you are here for clog free cutting, prefer blade with skip teeth and less TPI.

With over 30 years of experience, Woodford Woodworking Tooling Ltd is one of the leading bandsaw blades suppliers in UK. These are available in stock in our warehouse located in Stockport, UK. These products are ready to ship worldwide straight from our warehouse.