Knowing Your Blades
Learning Center:
Knowing Your Blades
Basic bandsaw blade terminology for blade maintenance
Most sawyers focus on milling, building and thinking up their next project. But knowing your blades and keeping them in prime shape is important to continue working on your innovative new ideas.
Whether you are fresh to your Woodland Mills Sawmill or you are an experienced sawyer who wants to know more about the function and design of your blades, here is a brief explainer showing the components of a blade to keep them ready for the next job:
How a bandsaw blade works
In a horizontal bandsaw, a flexible band saw blade is run between two band wheels on a head assembly. That head is then pushed down a track and into the log which rests on the track bed.
As the blade is pushed into the log, the rapidly-moving tooth tip penetrates the wood, removing a small amount of material and turning the solid wood into sawdust. At full speed, the blade teeth creates a cutting edge which slices into the log.
It's important to know how your bandsaw blade works, and the components of your carbon steel blades, so when you're sharpening them you know what each part of the blade is contributing and why it's important to care for it.
Blade Sets
Sawmill blade tooth geometry follows a particular “set” pattern where the first tooth is straight (rake
tooth), the second tooth is set up, and the third tooth is set down. This three-tooth pattern
repeats throughout the entire length of the saw blade. You can use your Woodland Mills Blade Tooth Setter to restore your Set back to its factory default to extend the life of your blade or to a custom Set.
Width
Your blade width is measured from the bottom of the blade up to the tip of the tooth. The RS30 PRO Bandsaw Blade Sharpener is compatible with 1 – 1.5” wide blades and the RS8 Bandsaw Blade Sharpener are compatible with blades which are 1 – 1.25” wide.
Kerf
This refers to the measurement of the narrow channel cut into the wood by the blade, the width of which is defined by the distance between your bent Set Teeth.
Pitch
The Teeth Per Inch, or tooth Pitch, means the distance between the tips of each of your sawblade’s teeth.
Face
The front of the sawblade tooth is known as the face. When a blade is being maintained, the sharpener will grind down the face and clean the Gullet to provide new life to your blade. Sharpening only removes few thousandths of an inch from the tooth face.
Gullet
The space between each tooth is known as a Gullet, the depth of which is measured from the lowest point of the valley between the teeth to the tip of the tooth. The radius of the Gullet depth should be 0.04 to ⅛” [1 to 3 mm] to prevent any issues. When sharpening, this area is cleaned by the grinding wheel to remove microcracks, which if not removed can shorten the life of the blade.
Back Angle
Additionally referred to as the Relief Angle, this is the angle down the back of the tooth.
Hook Angle
Also known as the Rake, this is the angle of the front face of the tooth perpendicular to the length of the blade. This is important, as your Hook Angle may need to vary depending on the species of wood you are sawing or whether your wood is frozen. The adjustable handle on your RS8 and RS30 PRO Bandsaw Blade Sharpener will let you manually change the Hook Angle of your blade.