Bi-alfa Cobalt M42

Lubricating the cutting edge will reduce the heat that is generated by cutting friction – too much heat in the cut is one of the main reasons for blade failure.

A flood of coolant helps wash the chips from the gullets
• Chips become work-hardened in the cutting operation
• If chips are dragged back through the cut a second time, they can damage teeth

A flood of coolant helps cool the blade’s cutting edge and saw guides, extending blade life.

Remember: flood coolant whenever possible and only use coolant where chips are present – do not use coolant on materials that produce a powder, such as gray iron.

Breaking in a new band saw blade hones and strengthens ultra-sharp cutting edges and significantly increases band life.

To break in a bi-metal saw blade, run at the recommended band speed, but reduce the normal cutting rate by about half. (Make sure the band keeps pulling chips. If necessary, increase the feed force until the band does pull chips.) Cut at this reduced rate for about 20 minutes, and then increase the feed force in steps until you attain the normal cutting rate.

To break in a carbide blade, reduce both the band speed and cutting rate by 50% and begin sawing. Increase the band speed and feed force in small steps, but never allow the band to squeal or shriek.

Carbon steel blades are usually the best choice for sawing wood, plastic, aluminum, and similar easy-to-cut materials.

Bi-Metal blades have the best balance of heat resistance, wear resistance, and chip resistance to productively saw most steels and other metals.

Tungsten Carbide blades provide superior heat and wear resistance for sawing extremely tough metals or very abrasive metals and non-metals.

It depends on the material you are cutting, condition of your band saw, speed and duration of production (22 variables…) They typically last 3-5 times as long as a carbon blade

After putting your blade on my machine, it looks like the teeth are pointing the wrong way.

There is an 80/20 rule in the band saw world. 80% of machines are built with the teeth pointing one direction, while 20% are built with the teeth pointing the other. We weld all of our blades to comply with the 80%. Thankfully, there is a simple solution. If your teeth are pointing in the wrong direction, place your hands at 9 and 3 (think of a clock).

While pinching the blade between your fingers and thumbs, rotate your hands so that the blade will flip itself “inside out”. The teeth should now be pointing in the right direction.

• When Cutting Curves, The Width Of The Blade Will Determine The Smallest Radius That May Be Cut

• Wide Blades Are Most Often Used For Resawing Or Straight Line Cuts

• Smaller Width Blades Are Used For Smaller Radius Cuts

Check the blade pitch. If the blade engages fewer than six teeth, those teeth are subject to overloading and stripping, especially under heavy feed force. If the blade engages more than 24 teeth, the chips formed may pack the relatively small gullets and strip teeth.

Any chips drawn back into the cut contribute to gullet packing and stripping. Cutting fluid must prevent chip welding, and the chip brush must clean the gullets as the blade exits the cut.

A workpiece that spins or moves in the saw vise will destroy a blade abruptly.

Yes, they can cut ferrous or nonferrous metals such as aluminum, brass, bronze or steel, stainless steel, titanium.

These blades begin as a bi-metal strip produced by electron- or laser-beam welding a narrow strip of high speed steel to a wider strip of alloy steel. Teeth are cut into the high speed steel edge. The resulting blade has highly heat and wear resistant teeth and a tough, durable backing.

Bimetal blades are metal cutting blades. They are used on band saws to cut carbon steel, tool steel, structural steel, stainless steel, pipes and tubes, die steel, angles and flat stock, and mixed metal applications.

Our clients who use these metal cutting bandsaw blades include steel service centers, small to large manufacturers, fabricators, maintenance shops, job shops, tool and die shops, and anyone interested in saw cutting a broad range of shapes, structures, and solids.

• To Achieve A Smoother, More Refined Cut Choose A Blade That Has More TPI

• The More TPI, The Finer The Cut Will Be; The Fewer Teeth Per Inch, The Rougher The Cut Will Be

• High TPI Configurations Should Be Used On Thinner Materials And May Require A Reduced Material Feed Rate

• Low TPI Configurations Should Be Used On Thicker Materials And May Require A Higher Feed Rate

Material Machinability Rating – The lower the machinability rating the slower the band speed will need to be.

Blade Selection – The cutting edge (tooth tip) of the blade will govern the speed at which the blade can run (FlexBack = Slowest Cutting, Carbide = Fastest Cutting)

Cutting Noise / Vibration – Cutting noise or vibration is a killer to a cutting edge – if either is present, the speed must be decreased

Coolant / Cutting Fluid – If the coolant is adequate, use the standard cutting chart speeds. When cutting dry, reduce the speed by 40-50%

Bimetal band saw blades are available in widths as small as 6mm and as wide as 80mm. On our site, we sell bi metal cutting blades with a length as long or as short as you need them. We custom make them to fit your bandsaw, just tell us what you need