Bandsaw Blade Tooth Terminology

Posted by Tool Man on December 1st, 2015

When you are using saws for cutting metal you need to ensure that you are doing the job effectively and the best way to do that is to learn about the blades you’re going to use. There are circular saws, band saws and jigsaws for metal cutting available on the market and they all use different types of blade to achieve their purpose. If you are using a bandsaw for cutting metal then learning about band saw teeth could prove to be quite useful.

Form of Bandsaw Blade Teeth

Positive Rake Teeth – These are the type of teeth that angle ahead in line with the cutting action. The higher the rake angles on the teeth, the greater the penetration into the metal for better and more convenient chip formation. Blades with this form of teeth are recommended when the metal to be cut isn’t easy to machine.

Straight Teeth - Unlike positive rake teeth, straight teeth don’t have any angle and hence are not as penetrative. They are recommended for cutting metals that are much easier to rip through. This form of teeth can also give good results for low alloy metals and when you have to make interrupted rips.

Tooth Set

Raker Set - These teeth are set individually – right and left respectively – followed by an unset tooth. That unset tooth is called a raker tooth which enables fast chip removal and a dead straight cutting action. Usual cutting applications are ideal use case for this type of teeth set.

Wavy Set - These teeth come in set of groups – right and left – and they are set in different angles. For light metal cutting, wavy set teeth are an efficient choice.

Modified Raker Set - Variable set teeth are set in alternating groups with a single unset tooth (raker tooth). When these are combined with the varying set angles of the teeth, a faster, smoother, and quieter cutting action is achieved. Variable tooth blades perform extremely well on most applications and provide fast cutting on solids, shapes, structural and piping.

Tooth Types

Regular Tooth - This is a conventional tooth with a 0° rake angle, ideal for a wide range of general purpose cutting applications.

Hook Tooth - This tooth type has a 10° positive rake angle for fast cutting with less feed pressure. The rounded gullets allow for fast chip removal and are generally used for cutting nonmetallics and nonferrous metals.

Skip Tooth - This tooth type has a 0° rake angle with shallow gullets and evenly spaced teeth for efficient chip removal. It is used for cutting large sections of soft, nonferrous metal and nonmetal material, such as wood, composition materials, cork and plastic.

Variable Tooth – It is one of the traditional tooth forms that offer a 0° rake angle, varying gullet depths and tooth sizes. Designed to reduce harmonic vibration, this blade efficiently removes chips, extending blade life in solids and structurals.

Variable Positive Tooth - Variable positive tooth form offers varying gullet depth, tooth sizes and a positive rake angle for maximum cutting speeds and better tooth penetration in harder to machine materials.

Duplex Tooth - Duplex blades offer deep, chip clearing gullets, increased tooth strength, and a high positive rake angle. This results in faster sawing rates and improved finishes. Duplex blades are recommended for production cutting work hardened metals, tool steels, and exotic alloys.

Toolmarts.com carries a wide range of saws for cutting metal, jigsaw for metal and circular saw for metal.