Blade Selection
Select The Correct Band Saw Blade In Six Steps.
Getting the most efficient performance from your band saw machine requires the proper blade. The information below will give you the best blade recommendation in most cases.
There are always exceptions due to machine type/condition or some variation in the materials to be cut.
1 - Blade Type
Use this chart to choose the blade that will work best for the materials to be cut.
| Material | Starrett Blade Type | Starrett Blade Type |
|---|---|---|
| Best | Good | |
|
Exotic & Nickel-Based Alloys - Inconel & High Hardness Steels (RC30 - 40) |
Powerband Gladiator M42 or Pulsator M42 |
Carbide Tipped |
| Tool & Stainless Steel |
Powerband Gladiator M42 Over 125mm (5") use Pulsator M42 |
Powerband M42 |
| Alloy & High Carbon Steel | Powerband Gladiator | Powerband M42 |
| General Purpose | Powerband Gladiator | Powerband M42 |
| Carbon Steel | Powerband Gladiator | Powerband M42 |
| Structural Steels | Powerband Emperor | Powerband M42 |
| Aluminium | Powerband Gladiator | Carbide Tipped |
| Cast Aluminium | Carbide Tipped | Powerband Gladiator |
| Thin Ferrous Sections | Powerband Gladiator | Powerband M42 |
|
Composites, Fibreglass, Graphite, Ceramics |
Carbide Grit or Diamond Grit |
|
| Wood & Plastic | Woodpecker Premium | Super Flex-Back |
|
Foam, Paper Products, Rubber |
Band Knives | Super Flex-Back |
2 - Blade Width
Use the widest blade your machine will take except when cutting contours. Use this chart below for cutting radii.
3 - Tooth Rake
Select the appropriate rake for the materials/shapes to be cut.
- Positive Rake
- Straight Rake
4 - Tooth Shapes
Select the proper tooth shape. (See also Technical Information with more specifications with reference to Tooth Shape).
- Regular - A conventional tooth used for general purpose sawing, straight (zero) rake.
- Hook - 10 degree positive rake for fast cutting of non-ferrous metals and non metallics, plastics and wood.
- Skip - Straight (zero) rake and shallow gullets for cutting large sections of soft non-ferrous materials, plastics and wood.
- Gladiator - Positive rake variable pitch blade for production cutting of steels.
5 - Type Of Pitch
- Constant Pitch - All teeth on the blade have uniform spacing, gullet depth, rake angle throughout the full length. Typically for general purpose cutting.
- Variable Pitch - Size of tooth and depth of gullet varies to substantially reduce noise levels and vibration. Helps cut all structurals, tubing and solids, smoothly and quickly. Identified by two pitch numbers.
6 - Teeth Per Inch (T.P.I.)
Pitch is generally referred to as the number of teeth per 25mm/inch. Cutting thinner sections requires a finer pitch (more teeth per 25mm/inch). Thick sections require coarser pitches (less teeth per 25mm/inch). See charts below.
Always strive for a minimum of 3 teeth in the cut (6 to 12 teeth in the cut at any time is the optimum).
Because the cross section limits in the chart are broad and overlap, choose a coarser pitch if the spread of cut is more important. Choose a finer pitch if surface finish is more important.
Constant Pitch Selection
| Cross Section Thickness To Be Cut | |
|---|---|
| mm / inches | Use Constant Pitch (TPI) |
| Up to 8mm / Up to 5/16" |
24 (Anything Thinner Than a 3mm (1/8") Cross Section Should Be Angled To The Blade |
| 4 - 13mm / 5/32" - 1/2" | 24 |
| 6 - 16mm / 7/32" - 5/8" | 18 |
| 6.4 - 22mm / 1/4" - 7/8" | 14 |
| 9.5 - 35mm / 3/8" - 1.1/4" | 10 |
| 13 - 40mm / 1/2" - 1.1/2" | 8 |
| 25 - 50mm / 1" - 2" | 6 |
| 38 - 75mm / 1.1/2" - 3" | 4 |
| 50 - 100mm / 2" - 4" | 3 |
| 75 - 150mm / 3" - 6" | 3 |
| 144 - 225mm / 4.1/2" - 9" | 3 |
Variable Pitch Selection
| Cross Section Thickness To Be Cut | |
|---|---|
| mm / inches | Use Variable Pitch (TPI) |
| 6 - 22mm / 7/32" - 7/8" | 14 - 18 |
| 6.4 - 35mm / 1/4" - 1.1/4" | 10 - 14 |
| 9 - 40mm / 11/32" - 1.1/2" | 8 - 12 |
| 9.5 - 50mm / 3/8" - 2" | 6 - 10 |
| 13 - 60mm / 1/2" - 2.3/8" | 5 - 8 |
| 25 - 75mm / 1" - 3" | 4 - 6 |
| 38 - 100mm / 1.1/2" - 4" | 3 - 4 |
| 101 - 203mm / 4" - 8" | 2 - 3 |
| 152 - 304mm / 6" - 12" | 1.4 - 2 |
| 203 - 381mm / 8" - 15" | 1.4 - 2 |
| 304 - 609mm / 12" - 24" | 0.8 - 1.3 |
| 508mm & Above / 20" & Above | 0.8 - 1.3 |