Wood handsaw blades have 6 to 10 teeth per inch (rip vs crosscut is another discussion. Wood bandsaw blades may have as many as three large teeth per inch, where metal will have say thirty-two small teeth per inch. Cutting thick metal requires quite a bit of blade tension and the frames and guides of wood bandsaws will not always support enough.
Where most folks go wrong is trying to use the same bandsaw for both wood and metal. Metal saws like coolant and chip pans where wood saws like dust collectors. Just a couple of things to think about, I am sure there are more like running the right RPM’s..
Most wood saw are not built to handle the stresses of metal cutting puts on it. I have a wood saw and I cut sheet steel with it, but it is hard on it non the less. Also to cut bar type stock an abrasive type saw works, and a cold saw is cool, you don’t have to be “Rich” to own one.
Occaisionally I cut wood with the saw in metal speeds, its just slow. This saw has 1hp motor, when cutting metal it never sounds like the motor loads up at all. Some modest adjustment in speed will make the wood saw a very respectable non-ferrous saw.
The greatest difference in woodcutting vertical saws & metalcutting vertical saws is the blade speed. “Typical wood saws, like the popular Delta 14”, run the blade at 3000 SFM. Excellent for softwood, hardwood, many plastics, thin nonferrous. Metalcutting saws run anywhere from 100 to around 350 SFM, roughly 5% of the speed of a woodcutting saw.
band saw metal vs wood Related Question:
What is the difference between a wood and metal bandsaw?
Band saws for wood typically have one speed – fast. Band saws for metal have to cut far denser, and tougher materials. Cutting these materials develops far more heat, which means that you have to slow things down to the right speed for the particular material. So metal cutting band saws often have adjustable speeds.
Can a band saw cut wood?
With the correct blade, a band saw can cut wood or metal, in either curves or straight lines. Blades come in a variety of widths and tooth counts. Narrower blades are good for tighter curves, while wider blades are better at straight cuts.
Can a bandsaw cut hardened steel?
Carbide band saw blades provide high wear resistance and toughness when cutting a variety of applications such as: case hardened steels, spring steels, high speed steels, nickel based alloys, case hardened steels, composite graphite, high nickel alloys, titanium, inconnel, and other exotic metals.
Can I put a metal cutting blade on my band saw?
Salem Straub. Typically if you run a metal blade on a wood bandsaw the excessive speed (2000 sfpm+) of the wood saw will knock the teeth off of your metal cutting blade in a hurry. You could make it work, but you would have to slow the blade drive wheel way down. Think 250 sfpm to 80 sfpm.
What is difference between metal and wood?
In context|music|lang=en terms the difference between wood and metal. is that wood is (music) a woodwind instrument while metal is (music) characterized by strong, fast drum-beats and distorted guitars.
How can you tell if a metal saw is real?
Both saws teeth will have a set on them to clear sawn material . However wood saws teeth tend to be vertical and v shaped whereas metal teeth will be slanted and can be placed in the saw with the teeth facing towards you or away from you depending on which way you prefer , they are generally finer and closer together .
What materials can a bandsaw cut?
Most bandsaws have two wheels rotating in the same plane, one of which is powered. The blade itself can come in a variety of sizes and tooth pitch (teeth per inch, or TPI) which enables the machine to be highly versatile and able to cut a wide variety of materials including wood, metal and plastic.
How thick can a band saw cut?
Band saws are the undisputed champ when it comes to cutting curves and slicing through thick material. Many small band saws can slice though lumber a full four inches thick, and bigger saws handle six-inch cuts.
What is a band saw good for?
A band saw can be used to cut curves, even in thick lumber, such as in creating cabriole legs, to rip lumber and to crosscut short pieces. The most common use for the band saw, however, is in cutting irregular shapes. The second most common use is in resawing or ripping lumber into thinner slabs.
Can you cut hardened steel with a hacksaw?
If a clean cut is desired when cutting through hardened steel, or if the steel’s hardness must be retained, a fine toothed hacksaw will work wonderfully, though the process is long and will require a great deal of intense effort.
What kind of steel are bandsaw blades?
The three main types of bandsaw blades for cutting metal are carbon steel, high-speed steel, and alloy steel. Carbon steel blades are used for cutting softer metals like aluminum, copper, bronze, brass, and other nonferrous metals.
Can you cut wood with a metal cutting blade?
You can use a metal blade to cut wood. A circular saw blade cut metal in a sluggish rotational speed of 25m/s. They are driven by a motor having high power and an A/C vector drive. They are long lasting and non-reusable.
What speed should you cut metal with on a bandsaw?
To cut steel, you’ll need to run the machine at a much slower speed — about a hundred feet per minute. A machine running at this speed might look like it’s running too slowly, but running it any faster almost guarantees that you’ll damage the blade.
Can hand saw cut metal?
There are hand saws for cutting wood, drywall, metal and plastic. Even though hand saw uses vary and choosing the right saw for the job is important, the basic technique for using a hand saw is the same.
Is steel better than wood?
Strength and Durability of Wood vs Steel However, steel is better able to withstand seismic activity, fire, and isn’t susceptible to insect damage. Wood is also susceptible to damp and can rot. So, both wood and steel are strong building materials and while wood is durable, it is not as durable as steel.