If the sheet metal is too thin for this to work with the finest tooth blade available, a useful trick is to put the metal between pieces of plywood, fiberboard, or soft thicker metal to support the blade. Our webpage How to use a BandSaw has a guide for selecting the proper pitch band saw blade for different metals and metal thickness. Recommended use of a CARBON STEEL BLADE Thickness of metal to be cut Blade Teeth per inch For high speed cutting of aluminum, brass, copper, soft bronze, magnesium, wood, mild steel and also tougher steels at slow speed.
You must select the correct Teeth Per Inch for the thickness of material you are cutting. That’s why Dakin-Flathers have created this useful bandsaw teeth per inch chart. Use the bandsaw teeth per inch chart below to select the optimum TPI for your project needs.
You either have to have a dedicated band saw and blade for each type of cutting, change the band saw blades according to the type of cutting your project requires, or choose one band saw blade that best fits the mix of work currently going through your shop. In fabrication shops, most band saw blade failures occur because of these repeated shocks, not excessive wear. The primary cause of band saw blade failure in fabrication shops is tooth stripping.
The wider the blade, the stronger the beam strength; therefore, a 1″ blade has far greater beam strength than a 1/8″ blade and will cut straighter and is more suitable for resawing. BLADE BACK- The back of the blade that runs on the back blade guide. BLADE MAINTENANCE- There is not very much that needs to be maintained on the blade, but below are a few points that will help you keep your blade in peak cutting performance.
Custom Welded Band Saw Blade that are manufactured with our precision ground “Rugged Tooth”. Our metal cutting band saw blades are an excellent choice for cutting a variety of all shapes and sizes of Steel; the progressive positive rake tooth pattern is designed to reduce noise, vibration and chatter, giving you a quicker sawing operation and extending blade life, resulting in a lower cost per cut.
metal cutting band saw blades guide Related Question:
What is the best TPI for cutting metal?
Cutting thinner metals, including sheet metal, requires a finer cut. Use 18-24 TPI bi-metal blades. For thicker metals such as steel pipe, angle irons, or tubing, use 14-18 TPI bi-metal blades. For aluminum, an 8-10 TPI blade is best.
What band saw blade for steel?
Carbide (or carbide-tipped) band saw blades are ideal for cutting materials such as high-nickel alloy steel , HASTELLOY, titanium, MONEL, and INCONEL since they are able to withstand greater amounts of heat and maintain their edges for longer when used to routinely and continually cut especially hard metals.
How much tension should a bandsaw blade be?
For carbon steel toothed blades (cutting blades) this is typically 15,000 to 25,000 PSI. Slitting type blades typically are tensioned in the range of 12,000 to 20,000 PSI. In general bandsaw blades are never tensioned past 35,000 psi.
How many TPI does a bandsaw blade need?
For general wood cutting duties in typical 3/4″ material, use a 4 TPI blade for coarse, fast cutting and a 14 TPI blade for slower, smoother cutting. A blade in the 6 to 8 TPI range provides good general-purpose performance.
What is 14 TPI for cutting?
8-14 TPI blades are capable of cutting wood and the occasional nail. Demo blades fall into this category. 14-24 TPI is the range of metal cutting, PVC cutting and finish cut blades. The blades cut slowly, but leave being a very smooth edge.
What is 18 TPI for cutting?
Blades 12-18 TPI are typically used for metal and denser materials as well as finish cuts in wood. The 18-24 TPI range is almost always used for metal cutting. Pro Tip: Always keep 3 teeth in contact with the material being cut.
How do you measure a TPI on a bandsaw blade?
To avoid stripping teeth, always have a minimum of three teeth in the work surface How to measure TPI: Measure 1 or 2 inches along the blade from the center of the gullet. Count the number of teeth in that space. This is the TPI.
How thick of metal can a band saw cut?
Band saws are not suitable for cutting very thin sheet metal; a rule of thumb suggests the metal to be cut should be thicker than the depth of 3 band saw blade teeth, however they are excellent for cutting thin walled profiles such as box and angle.
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.
Are saw blades hardened steel?
Yes, circular saw blades are hardened steel. This is accomplished by positioning the blade near a source of intense heat. The often-utilized temperature is between 900 and 1,100 degrees Celsius, which is ideal for hardening steel blades.
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.
What is the difference between a wood band saw and a metal band saw?
A metal cutting bandsaw is typically built more solidly than a saw designed for cutting wood, so there are no issues with the machine itself. As for the blade, the wood fibers could clog the metal blade’s teeth more quickly, and the blade will probably cut through the wood more slowly.
Is more TPI better?
Woodworkers quickly learn that the number of teeth-per-inch (TPI) on the blade has a big impact on the quality of a cut. The general rule of thumb is “the more TPI, the smoother the cut.” The true answer, however, is just a little more complicated than that, as you’ll learn once you understand how saw teeth work.
Is a wider bandsaw blade better?
The wider blades are stiffer overall (more metal) and tend to track better on the band wheels than narrow blades. When cutting thicker material, the wider blade has less ability to deviate because the back end, when in the cut, helps steer the front of the blade, especially if the side clearance is not excessive.
Is more teeth on a saw blade better?
The number of teeth on the blade helps determine the speed, type and finish of the cut. Blades with fewer teeth cut faster, but those with more teeth create a finer finish.