Band Saws
Band saws
The saw is named after the type of blade it uses -- a thin loop stretched between two or three wheels and pulled through a hole in the cutting table. Only a band saw can produce a truly finished piece of wood. As the thin steel blade zips along at upwards of 2,000 feet per minute, the wood emerges with a clean, polished edge.
There are a few negatives to band saws. They require more setup than any other tool in the shop; different operations require different blades; each time a blade is changed the saw has to be tuned to that particular blade.
Important Features
- Throat Capacity -- The maximum board width the saw can handle.
- Measured by the distance between the blade and the throat -- the supporting post that connects the top and bottom wheels.
- Depth of Cut -- Determined by how far the upper blade guide can be maneuvered above the table.
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Benchtop
- Horsepower -- To cut up to 3-inch deep hardwoods you need at least a 1/2hp motor. If you want to cut up to 6 inches deep you'll want at least a 3/4hp motor and beams require up to 3hp motors.
- Blades -- Usually uniform in thickness, but have a big range in width.
- 1/8-inch blades are narrow and good for cutting tight curves.
- 1/4-inch blades are versatile and can handle straight cuts and curves also.
- Blades up to 2 inches are used mostly for cutting straight lines.
- Tooth Count -- As a general rule, the fewer teeth a blade has per inch, the faster it will cut.
- Blades with high tooth count should be used for thin stock, while thicker boards should use a smaller tooth count.
- Popular blades usually have between 4 and 10 teeth per inch.
External Links
- Wood Central -- Short, but informative page on band saws.
- Lowe's -- Guide to buying band saws.
- Popular Mechanics -- Another buying guide.