Choosing the Right Steel Cutting Band Saw Blade
The proper steel cutting band saw blade is a vital tool in metal fabrication. Incorrect usage of the blade could lead to problems with teeth stripping and other issues.
Frequently, crooked cuts occur due to improper operation or machine settings. Generally, these errors can be avoided with a little maintenance and adjustment.
Material
When it comes to cutting hard, brittle, or abrasive materials, there are several different blade types you can choose from. Carbon steel blades are best for sawing soft, low density materials, while tungsten carbide and coated bi-metal blades are designed to cut hard metals with high speed and durability.
Bi-metal blades offer an economical solution to sawing nonferrous metals and are a good choice for most fabrication shops, machine tool companies, maintenance or job shops, and steel service centers. They combine HSS blade teeth bonded with one or more methods (such as diffusion bonding, electron beam welding, or laser beam welding) to a durable high-strength carbon back. This design helps prevent tooth stripping, a common problem with traditional band saw blades. Tooth stripping occurs when the tensile forces exerted by the blade on its rake face exceed the fracture strength of the tooth tip. However, the HSS teeth and backing material of a bi-metal blade have more contact, spreading these forces over a larger area and significantly reducing the probability of tip fracture.
Choosing the right blade for soft metals can make the difference between a smooth, quality cut and one that produces scrap or breaks the blade. Soft metals tend to load up the gullets of blade teeth, which can lead to tooth stripping, excessive noise, steel cutting band saw blade and erratic cuts. To avoid this, look for a blade with a coarser tooth pitch to help the gullets evacuate chips more easily, resist compaction, and clear out the kerf before it’s completely full.
Tooth Shape
The tooth shape of the blade plays an important role in a number of cutting factors including cut quality, chip-carrying capacity, and lifespan. The tooth geometry can also influence the ease of cutting the material as well as reducing noise, vibration, and chatter during sawing.
The teeth of a band saw blade can be constant or variable pitch. A constant tooth pitch offers uniform spacing, gullet depth, and rake angle across the blade for a general purpose cutting action. Variable-pitch teeth feature varying tooth heights and gullet depths, offering the ability to better adapt to the materials being cut. This design significantly reduces noise and vibration levels during the cut and increases cutting efficiency.
A high rake is essential for resawing exotic woods, and cutting metal tubing. It allows the saw to better control the workpiece and creates a smoother finish on the cut surface. The rake can also help minimize stripping during interrupted cuts.
A bi-metal bandsaw blade features a body of alloy steel that provides flexibility with a fused or bonded layer of wear-resistant high speed steel (HSS) forming the teeth. This unique arrangement creates a tooth cross section that is thicker, less likely to strip, and has a distinct grooved tooth geometry. The bi-metal blade is ideal for cutting metal sheets, thin-walled tubes, and profiles with a range of material dimensions.
Tooth Pitch
The tooth pitch of a band saw blade directly affects the quality of the cuts it makes. A higher TPI will allow for a smoother cut, while a lower TPI will provide a rougher cut. Choosing the proper TPI for your job will depend on the thickness and hardness of the material you are cutting.
A band saw blade’s gullet size is also an important factor in determining the type of cuts it can make. Larger gullets will work better for softer, more malleable materials like wood, while smaller gullets are ideal for harder and thicker materials like metal.
Tooth shape is also important when it comes to selecting the right band saw blade for your project. A bimetal blade, for example, is a great option for structural shapes and tube cuts because it has a core of alloy steel that provides flexibility, and a fused or bonded layer of wear-resistant high-speed steel that comprises the teeth.
When it comes to determining the appropriate tooth pitch for your project, it is essential to use charts that take into account both the thickness of the material and the TPI of the blade. To do so, simply find the material dimensions in the chart and move up or down for the appropriate TPI. This method will ensure that you are getting the most accurate and efficient cut for your project.
Speed
Metal cutting blade speed is very important in Tinplate steel coils Manufacturer producing good, accurate cuts and prolonging blade life. It is also critical for minimizing heat generated by friction between the material being cut and the band saw blade.
Using the wrong speed for a specific material can result in abnormal blade wear and premature tooth set loss. Adjusting the blade speed according to the specifications of a specific material will increase production rates while decreasing blade breakages and scrap.
Bandsaw machine speeds can range from 40 to 5,000 feet per minute with most set up for wood cutting. When cutting metals, however, the blade speed is much lower — generally around 100 to 200 SFPM. The exact speed depends on the material being cut and its thickness, width, and machine-ability.
The correct metal cutting blade tooth count is also very important. Too few teeth and the blade is inefficient, too many and it becomes unstable. The ideal count will depend on the material being cut — hardness, wall thickness and profile shape. For example, a solid section with thin walls will require a finer blade, small gullet and higher TPI; whereas, a pipe or tubing will need a coarser blade, larger gullet and lower TPI.
When cutting a wide variety of materials, it is very important to use the proper bandsaw blade for each application. Using the right tool for the job will not only produce quality cuts, but also prolong the lifespan of your saw and save money over time.
