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Model W1706 (Mfg. Since 8/10)
OPERATIONS
Tooth Style
Figure 49 illustrates the three main tooth styles:
• Raker: Considered to be the standard because the
tooth size and shape are the same as the tooth
gullet. The teeth on raker blades usually are very
numerous, have no angle, and produce cuts by
scraping the material. As a result, smooth cuts can
be achieved without cutting fast or generating more
heat than other types.
• Skip: Similar to a raker blade that is missing every
other tooth. Because of the design, skip toothed
blades have a much larger gullet than raker blades,
and therefore, cut faster and generate less heat.
However, these blades also leave a rougher cut than
raker blades.
• Hook: The teeth have a positive angle (downward)
which makes them dig into the material, and the
gullets are usually rounded for easier waste removal.
These blades are excellent for the tough demands of
resawing and ripping thick material.
Tooth Pitch
Measured as TPI (Teeth Per Inch), tooth pitch determines
the size of the teeth. More teeth per inch (fine pitch)
will cut slower, but smoother; while fewer teeth per inch
(coarse pitch) will cut rougher, but faster. As a general
rule, choose blades that will have at least three teeth
in the material at all times. Use fine-pitched blades on
harder woods and coarse-pitched blades on softer woods.
Blade Care
A bandsaw blade is a thin piece of steel that is subjected
to tremendous strain. You can obtain longer use from a
bandsaw blade if you give it fair treatment and always use
the appropriate feed rate for your operation. Be sure to
select blades with the proper width, style, and pitch for
each application. The wrong choice of blades will often
produce unnecessary heat which will shorten the life of
your blade.
A clean blade will perform much better than a dirty
blade. Dirty or gummed up blades pass through the
cutting material with much more resistance than clean
blades. This extra resistance also causes unnecessary
heat. Resin/pitch cleaners are excellent for cleaning dirty
blades.
Raker Skip Hook
Figure 49. Three main tooth styles.
Blade Breakage
Many conditions may cause a bandsaw
blade to break. Blade breakage is
unavoidable, in some cases, since it is
the natural result of the peculiar stresses
that bandsaw blades are subjected to.
Blade breakage is also due to avoidable
circumstances. Avoidable breakage is most
often the result of poor care or judgement
on the part of the operator when mounting
or adjusting the blade or support guides.
The most common causes of blade
breakage are:
• Faultyalignment/adjustmentofthe
guides.
• Forcing/twistingawidebladearound
a short radius.
• Feedingtheworkpiecetoofast.
• Dullteethordamagedtoothset.
• Over-tensioned blade.
• Topbladeguideassemblysettoohigh
above the workpiece.
• Usingabladewithalumpyor
improperly finished braze or weld.
• Continuouslyrunningthebandsaw
when not in use.
• Leavingbladetensionedwhennotin
use.
• UsingthewrongTPIfortheworkpiece
thickness. (The general rule of thumb
is three teeth in the workpiece at all
times.)