There are a number of factors that will influence the saw blade you choose. These range from the type of material you need to cut, to the type of cuts you need to make and the finish of the cut that you require.

The usual saw blade that is sought is one that will provide the best and smoothest cuts that you can get. So it follows that an understanding of TPI or teeth-per-inch is necessary, as this measure helps to understand the cut and finish you will get. TPI is a good measure to help you select the best saw blade for your use.

When it comes to TPI and saw blades, there is often a generalised rule of the higher the TPI, the smoother the cut, however there are factors that affect the overall quality of the finish you get.

First up, the teeth per inch on a saw blade affects the speed in which you can cut. Lower TPI means less teeth, more gaps. This means that the saw blade can cut quicker, but as the spaces between teeth are deeper, the cutting action is quite aggressive. So you will tradeoff speed for a finer finish with higher TPI saw blades.

In terms of your finish though, you need to be aware of the higher level of friction of higher TPI saw blades and possibility of burning your wood as the blade goes through your material. Also there is an increased chance of binding when using high TPI saw blades due to the much smaller gaps between teeth and the build up of saw dust.

In general for a band saw, the saw blades required will be based on the type of cuts you make. So for tight curves, a 1/4 inch blade with high TPI, then a range of blades with about 3 TPI such as a blade of 1/2 inch for general cutting and a 3/4 or 1 inch saw blade for resawing.

Bandsaw blades are best when they are sharp and obviously after a few uses they tend to become dull. A good practice is to sharpen regularly so you will get the best use out of each bandsaw blade you use. You should get two to three sharpenings out of every blade. There are of course a couple of options for this – the less time consuming option being a mechanical bandsaw blade sharpener, or by sharpening the blades manually.

First up – manual bandsaw blade sharpening, and as always, safety first. Make sure you have gloves, eye protection and a mask to protect from dust. Also make sure the power cord of your saw is unplugged.

Manually sharpening can definitely be a time consuming option, but can be reasonably straightforward and has obvious cost advantages over buying a mechanical sharpener. You may be able to just sharpen particularly dull areas of the bandsaw blade, but mostly you will need to do a full sharpening.

Sharpening your bandsaw blade takes a few steps, and here’s a few that you need to go through.

Tips of the teeth – use a sharpening stone against the tooth edge, and move the bandsaw back manually. Back of the tip – use a sharpening tool or file, making sure to maintain a backward angle. The underside of the tip – use a Dremel tool (on low speed) or rounded file. The cutting area – again, a round file or Dremel tool. Lastly the gullet – must be checked and cleaned of any grime or buildup.

If you don’t have the time and patience for the manual sharpening method, the better option is a mechanical bandsaw blade sharpener. It allows your time to be invested elsewhere, and makes the sharpening process much quicker and more manageable.

Depending on what you’re cutting, you’ll need to use different sizes of bandsaw blades and to do this you will need to be able to change the blade and adjust the saw to ensure straight and true cutting.

Safety is first, so before making any change to your bandsaw blade, disconnect the unit from the power.

Next step is to open up the cabinets so the bandsaw and tyre mechanism is visible. It is best to remove any debris and sawdust to make the process of changing the blade easier.

Loosen the tension on the saw blade by turning the tension knob until the balde is nice and loose. Next, you need to adjust the bandsaw blade guard, raising it to the highest position, and tightening the knob to keep it in place.

Now, remove the rear blade guard by removing the screws that hold it in place.

The next step to changing your bandsaw blade is to adjust the under-table guard, moving it 180 degrees so it is not in the way. You may need to take off the plastic centre of the table to access the screw holding the guard in place.

Now it’s time to remove the bandsaw blade. Pull the saw blade off the tracking tyres and through the saw table slot. To store the bandsaw blade it is recommended to fold it in thirds and tie together.

The new blade can now be put on, sliding the blade through the table slot, and moving into position around the top and bottom tyres. To hold the blade, tighten the tension knob ensuring you don’t overtighten especially if the size difference of the bandsaw blades is significant.

Once the bandsaw blade is in place, it’s time to adjust tracking and tension so the blade maintains a true and straight cut. First up, loosen the rollers and guide blocks, usually two sets – one above the table in the sliding blade guard, the other underneath the table.

Now, ensure that the bandsaw blade is moving and tracking over the middle of the tyre then slowly tighten the tension knob. While doing this, move the top bandsaw wheel and ensure the blade remains in the centre of the tyre.

If there are any tracking issues and the blade does not stay centred you will need to turn the tracking knob as you turn the bandsaw wheel. The adjustments here need to be slight as the effect on the bandsaw blade can be significant with very small changes.

Next step is to adjust the tension for the bandsaw blade thickness you are using. There will be a gauge on the back of the upper cabinet – you need to set the tension, with the gauge providing indicators for different bandsaw blades.

There are some common issues that cause band saw blades to fail:

– Blade tension
– Breaking in new blades
– Blade weld point
– Speed and feed rate
– Band saw blade chip brushes
– Blade selection and the material being cut
– Tooth pitch

Band saw blade tension

Band saw blades need lots of tension to perform correctly. However the incorrect amount of tension can lead to body breakage or cracks on the back edge or on gullets.

Breaking in new band saw blades

No matter who manufactured the band saw blades you use, you must break them in. This is because teeth on new blades are too sharp, and using them at full rate will cause premature blade failure. If you break the blade in, you will have fewer challenges with crooked cuts or stripping or breaking of teeth.

Blade weld points

Band saw blades are made by cutting a strip of teeth to the desired length and welded together to form a loop. This weld point can be a cause of weakness if not tightly joined together or proper process followed to ensure the join is not brittle and hard. The weld point of band saw blades can take too much load and break if the tension on the band saw wheel is too high.

Speed and feed rate of band saw blades

You need to follow the correct speed and feed rates for band saw blades and material being cut. This ensures you avoid teeth being stripped and breakage or fracture of the blade as much as possible.

Chip brushes for band saw blades

You need to ensure you use a chip brush to clear away debris and allow the the band saw blade maintain the most efficient and straight cuts. A good idea is to have a chip brush made of nylon or brass, as wire brushes can damage your band saw blades.

Band saw blade selection

Ensure you select your band saw blade based on the material you want to cut. Selecting the incorrect blade can lead to blade failure and damage your machine.

Band saw blade tooth pitch

Tooth pitch is referred to as TPI, or tooth per inch. You need to select the TPI correctly for the material you need to cut. If you select the incorrect tooth pitch this can cause difficulty for the blade to cut the material.

Drycut saws are power driven, and the blade moves up and down. This type of saw is useful for both wood and metal, especially for intricate cutting and maneuvering, and has a unique ability to make pierce cuts.

The finish of the cut you make with a drycut saw is clean and smooth, and there are controls to adjust the speed of the blade. One of the downsides of the drycut saw is that they are often noisy.

Be aware that drycut saws come in different sizes, usually ranging from 12 to 30 inches, so select based on what will suit the job you are doing.

Next up, you need to select the type of drycut saw blade for your work. Metal and woodwork require differing blades. The blades come in skip tooth, double skip tooth, reversed tooth and diamond blades.

The one you see regularly is the general skip tooth, where there is one tooth, a gap, then another tooth. Similarly with the double skip tooth, where there are two teeth, a gap, then two more teeth. The reversed tooth saw blade is a bit different in that there are two different sections – an upper and a lower. There are the normal teeth in the upper section, and pointed or reversed teeth in the lower. Diamond drycut saw blades are blades with a diamond coated blade edge.