View Basket/Checkout

# of Items: 0

Subtotal: £0.00

Blade Types & Lengths

Which type should I choose?

New Products

• Blades for Milwaukee portable machines, 900mm or 1140mm long
• Hakansson Powermax M42 blades for pipes, tubes, beams & profiles
• Hakansson Silco Log blades for mobile sawmills

Links

• Other tooling from NLS Tools

Product Search

Choosing Your Bandsaw Blade

Choosing the correct bandsaw blade for your application depends on four factors:

• Blade Type
• Blade Length
• Blade Width
• Tooth Pitch

Blade Type

The bandsaw blades stocked by NLS Tools are split into four types:

General Purpose (Carbon Steel & Thin Gauge/Hobby)

Carbon steel flex-back bandsaw blades are used for general purpose cutting of most materials, wood, plastics, ferrous and non-ferrous steels etc. They have hardened teeth with a flexible back and are available in a wide variety of widths and tooth pitches. For machines taking blades of 72" long or shorter, a thin-gauge (.014"/0.36mm thick) blade should be used.

Stocked Carbon Steel Blade Makes: (click on Make for more information)

Hakansson Silco

Starrett Duratec SFB (formerly Super Flexback)

Dakin Flexback

The Hakansson 'Silco-Log' carbon steel flex-back blade is specially made for log-cutting on mobile sawmills.

Stocked Log-Cutting Blade Makes: (click on Make for more information)

Hakansson Silco Log

NLS also stocks spring-tempered steel blades for cutting natural woods. These give a superior cut to flex-back blades on natural woods as the blade material is stiffer and can be tensioned more. Note that the Hakansson Citu blade, whilst primarily made for cutting meat and fish, gives an excellent surface finish on straight cuts in natural woods and is often used for veneer cutting.

Stocked Spring-Tempered Steel Blade Makes: (click on Make for more information)

Starrett Woodpecker Premium

Hakansson Citu

Bi-Metal

Bi-metal blades are typically used for cutting tough metals such as stainless steel or titanium. They have a high speed steel cutting edge welded to a flexible carbon steel back and give much longer life than an equivalent carbon steel blade. For that reason, some people prefer using bi-metal blades to cut mild steels and other metals because of the extra blade life they get. Similarly, bi-metal blades are also used for production cutting of hardwoods and for pallet-cutting.

Stocked Bi-Metal Blade Makes: (click on Make for more information)

Hakansson M42 Bimetal

Starrett Powerband Bimetal

Morse M2 & M42 Bimetal

 

Meat & Fish Cutting

NLS stock the Hakansson 'Citu' blade for cutting fresh and frozen meat and fish. Made from corrosion resistant, spring tempered steel, it is available in five thicknesses to minimise waste.

Stocked Meat & Fish Cutting Blade Makes: (click on Make for more information)

Hakansson Citu

 

Band Knives

Band knives are suitable for cutting soft and fibrous materials without tearing or leaving ragged edges. They are single sided, with a straight, scalloped or wavy edge.

Stocked Band Knife Makes:

Hakansson Band Knives

 

Back to top

 

Blade Length

If you do not already know the correct blade length for your machine, you can either:

Look it up for your machine make and model, by clicking on 'Select By Machine' on the left of this page.

or

Measure an existing blade.

Once you know the correct length, you can see all the standard sizes of blade stocked in that length, by clicking on 'Select By Blade Length' on the left of this page.

If we do not show any standard sizes in your blade length, by clicking on (Custom Lengths) on the left of this page for the blade type you want, you can see all the combinations of blade make, width and thickness for that blade type. After selecting one of these, you will be able to see all available tooth pitches and get a price for the blade length you want. Custom lengths are welded to order and typically despatched within 24 hours.

Back to top

 

Blade Width

If you have a horizontal bandsaw your blade width is normally fixed. If you have a vertical bandsaw, there are two considerations for blade width:

What is the maximum width blade your machine will take?

and

If you want to cut curves, what is the minimum radius curve you want to cut?

The maximum width blade usable is normally marked somewhere on your machine. If you only want to make straight cuts, using the widest blade possible will allow you to make the fastest and truest cuts (depending on tooth pitch). If you want to cut curves, see the table below for the correct width to use to achieve the smallest radius you want to cut.

Min Radius	Blade Width
3mm	1/8"
8mm	3/16"
16mm	1/4"
36mm	3/8"
66mm	1/2"

 

Back to top

 

Tooth Pitch

The correct tooth pitch to use depends upon:

Material type

Size of workpiece

Whether solid or a tube or thin-walled section

In general, cutting thinner materials requires a finer tooth pitch with more teeth per inch (tpi). Cutting thicker materials requires a coarser tooth pitch with less teeth per inch. A fine tooth pitch cuts more slowly but with a better quality of cut. A coarse tooth pitch cuts more quickly but with a rougher quality of cut. Using too fine a tooth pitch will overheat the blade and shorten blade life. Using too coarse a tooth pitch will stop the blade or strip teeth.

Note that it may be necessary to vary the tooth pitch used up or down from the recommended value according to experience.

Pitches for Wood-Cutting

See the table below for recommended tooth pitches for cutting both soft and hardwoods. Up to 1" (25mm) wood thickness, if you cut a variety of wood thicknesses, 6tpi is a good general-purpose pitch to use. For ripping larger thicknesses, the Hakansson Silco blade is available in 3tpi with heavy alternate set for freer cutting.

Thickness	Tooth Pitch
6mm - 12mm	8tpi
12mm - 20mm	6tpi
20mm - 30mm	4tpi
Over 30mm	3tpi

 

Pitches for Metal-Cutting of Solid Sections

Optimum tooth pitches for metal-cutting vary considerably depending on the hardness and toughness of the metal. The recommended pitches shown below are for solid sections of mild steel. They should be increased (finer pitch) for tough materials such as stainless steel and decreased (coarser pitch) for soft materials such as aluminium. See the cutting chart for more specific recommended tooth pitches for different materials.

Thickness	Tooth Pitch
Up to 6mm	18tpi or 14/18vp
6mm - 12mm	14tpi or 8/12vp
12mm - 25mm	10tpi or 6/10vp
25mm - 75mm	6tpi or 4/6vp
75mm - 125mm	4tpi or 3/4vp
125mm - 200mm	3tpi or 2/3vp

 

Pitches for Metal-Cutting of Tubes and Hollow Sections

Optimum tooth pitches for metal-cutting vary considerably depending on the hardness and toughness of the metal. The recommended pitches shown below are for tubes and hollow sections of mild steel. They should be increased (finer pitch) for tough materials such as stainless steel and decreased (coarser pitch) for soft materials such as aluminium. Use the table for the outer diameter or section width closest to that of your material.

 

 

 

 

Back to top