The choice of the blade requires a lot of attention and awareness. Lately you read the 9 inch table saw blade reviews. There is similar selection principle for blade saws. In the case of the word “width”, we are actually faced with two arguments: the maximum capacity that the band saw can accommodate and the minimum radius that you want to cut.
To start, follow the manufacturer’s instructions, this will allow you to stick to the characteristics of the machine and the blade to get straight and clean cuts, performing operations at an acceptable feed rate, so as not to break it and make it last longer.
Choosing the right blade thickness is important because it determines flexibility, heating and cooling. The thickness of the blade depends on the diameter of the wheels and the work to be done. Thick band saw blades (such as Crocoblade’s) can withstand straight cutting pressure more, but can break more easily in case of twisting, unlike thinner blades, which are functional for lighter and more flexible work.
Another important step is to determine how many teeth per inch (TPI) are needed for the job, how can you do this assessment? Blades with more teeth are ideal for slower cuts and allow for a smoother finish. Blades with fewer teeth are better suited for faster cuts and get a slightly rougher finish.
Use blades with thick teeth, i.e. 2 or 3 TPI, to cut thicker materials. It is advisable to use a 4 TPI blade for a faster but rougher cut, carried out in a general way and in particular for cutting 3/4″ materials.
The use of a 14 TPI blade is ideal for a slower and more regular cut. The blades that have from 6 to 8 TPI offer the best overall performance. This same equation applies whether you are cutting wood or metal. For thinner metals and plastic, which is less than 1/4″, it is advisable to use an even finer blade with 18 to 32 TPI.
Three types of basic teeth are mainly available in band saw blades.
Regular-toothed blades have proportionally spaced teeth and are ideal for general cutting and edge cutting. Normal blades are excellent for cutting thin materials and achieve an excellent finish.
Skip-toothed blades have widely spaced teeth with a clearance angle of 0 degrees to avoid clogging when cutting softwood, non-ferrous metals and plastics.
Hook tooth blades have a deeper throat and larger teeth, with a positive clearance angle of 10 degrees. This helps the blade to feed the material more aggressively, resulting in a faster cutting speed. Hook-toothed blades are commonly used for long cuts of thicker, harder pieces of wood, for plastics and for metal.
Variable pitch blades have sets of teeth of different sizes to provide a fast cut with a smooth finish, ideal for joinery work and curved cuts.
The rake tooth blade is characterized by a tooth that goes left, one to the right, followed by a straight or unfixed tooth. Unlike the alternative tooth blade, which is characterized by a tooth that goes left, one goes right, then left, right, etc..
The blade with wavy teeth has groups of teeth positioned on the right and left, separated by uncoated teeth. Corrugated blades are mainly made with small teeth and are recommended for cutting thinner metal sections, tubes, thin sheets, etc..
Choosing the right blade in combination with the right teeth provides a better balance between blade and material being cut and ensures a more appropriate result.