HOW TO CHOOSE CORRECT TOOTH PITCH

GUIDES FOR PURCHASING A BANDSAW MACHINE

October 15, 2020

Bandsaw blades differ in size, length, material, and tooth configuration so choosing the right blade is vital to get the best results, depending on the material and shapes you are cutting.

General blades can be good for most sawing, but if you are cutting more complex materials and shapes the right blade will stop you from wasting blades or material. Ideally, you will have different blades for your bandsaw if you cut different types of material. Our guide sets out the most important factors you need to consider when choosing your blade. It’s worth beginning with the terminology used to describe different parts of a bandsaw blade. They are:
Tooth Face. This is the surface of the tooth.
Tooth Pitch. Also known as the distance between the tip of one tooth and that of the nearest tooth.
Gullet. This is the curved area you find at the bottom of the tooth.
TPI. This stands for teeth per inch and is the measurement between the gullets.
Tooth Rake Angle. The angle referred to is that of the tooth face perpendicular to the direction in which the saw is cutting.
Blade Width. This is the measurement you find between the end of a tooth and the back of the band.
Blade Thickness. This refers to how much the saw measures between either side of the blade.
Blade Set. When you bend the teeth right or left there is a certain amount of clearance from the back of the blade through the cut.
Blade Back. As the name suggests, this is the opposite side of the blade to the teeth.
Kerf. This is the material that is discarded when the blade cuts through the item.

CHOOSING THE RIGHT BANDSAW BLADE SIZE
Bandsaw blades are circular in shape when ready for use and can be welded to custom sizes by specialists. The easiest way to find the right size blade for your bandsaw is to refer to your bandsaw’s instruction manual or to measure an existing blade. The blade length, thickness and width is usually determined by your saw’s wheel size. Smaller bandsaws need thinner blades to prevent the welds breaking. Larger saws can usually handle thicker and wider blades with no issues.

The choice of the right tooth pitch is decisive to achieve the optimum performance. Choose between the standard tooth with constant tooth pitch or the combination tooth with variable tooth pitch. The variable tooth is recommended for low-vibration sawing in problematic workpieces.

Recommendation to cut solid material:

Cross section (mm)			Tooth per inch (tpi)
ab 550			0.75/1.25
380 – 750			1/1.5
250 – 550			1.4/2
120 – 350			2/3
80 – 140			3/4
60 – 110			4/6
40 – 70			5/7 – 5/8
30 – 60			6/10
20 – 40			8/11 – 8/12
to 25			10/14

Variable tooth pitch

Recommendation to cut tubes and structurals:

Thin wall structurals (0 to 7 rake angle):

_{Wall thickness in mm/Diam. of structural (D) in mm}	20	40	60	80	100	120	150
2	14	14	14	14	14	14	10/14
3	14	14	14	14	10/14	10/14	8/11 – 8/12
4	14	14	10/14	10/14	8/11 – 8/12	8/11 – 8/12	6/10
5	14	10/14	10/14	8/11 – 8/12	8/11 – 8/12	6/10	6/10
6	14	10/14	8/11 – 8/12	8/11 – 8/12	6/10	6/10	5/7 – 5/8
8	14	8/11 – 8/12	6/10	6/10	5/7 – 5/8	5/7 – 5/8	5/7 – 5/8
10	–	6/10	6/10	5/7 – 5/8	5/7 – 5/8	5/7 – 5/8	–

The choice of the right tooth has special influence on the cutting result on tubes and structurals. Variable tooth has proven to be the most favorable tooth form. The required tooth pitch is depending on the wall thickness and dimensions of the structurals. The recommendations shown here refer to single cuts. When two or more structurals are cut at the same time, double the wall thickness needs to be considered.

Heavy wall structurals (positive rake angle):

_{Wall thickness in mm/Diam. of structural (D) in mm}	80	100	120	150	200	300	500	750
10	–	–	–	4/6	4/6	4/6	3/4	2/3
15	4/6	4/6	4/6	4/6	4/6	3/4	2/3	2/3
20	4/6	4/6	4/6	4/6	3/4	3/4	2/3	2/3
30	4/6	4/6	4/6	4/6	3/4	2/3	2/3	2/3
50	–	–	3/4	3/4	2/3	2/3	2/3	1.4/2
80	–	–	–	–	2/3	2/3	1.4/2	1.4/2
100	–	–	–	–	–	2/3	1.4/2	1.4/2