Model G0580 (Mfd. Since 11/06)
-35-
Tooth Pitch
Measured as TPI (teeth per inch), tooth pitch
determines the number of teeth. More teeth per
inch (fine pitch) will cut slower, but smoother; while
fewer teeth per inch (coarse pitch) will cut rougher,
but faster. As a general rule, choose blades that
will have at least three teeth in the material at all
times. Use fine-pitched blades on harder woods
and coarse-pitched blades on softer woods.
Blade Care
A bandsaw blade is a thin piece of steel that is
subjected to tremendous stresses when cutting.
You can obtain longer use from a bandsaw blade
if you give it fair treatment and always use the
appropriate feed rate for your operation. Be sure
to select blades with the proper width, style, and
pitch for each application. The wrong choice of
blades will often produce unnecessary heat which
will shorten the life of your blade.
A clean blade will perform much better than a dirty
blade. Dirty or gummed up blades pass through
the cutting material with much more resistance
than clean blades. This extra resistance also
causes unnecessary heat. Resin/pitch cleaners
are excellent for cleaning dirty blades.
Blade Breakage
Many conditions may cause a bandsaw blade to
break. Blade breakage is unavoidable, in some
cases, since it is the natural result of the peculiar
stresses that bandsaw blades are subjected to.
Blade breakage is also due to avoidable circum-
stances. Avoidable breakage is most often the
result of poor care or judgement on the part of the
operator when mounting or adjusting the blade or
blade guides.
The most common causes of blade breakage
are:
•
Faulty alignment/adjustment of the guides.
•
Forcing/twisting a wide blade around a short
radius.
•
Feeding the workpiece too fast.
•
Dull teeth or damaged tooth set.
•
Over-tensioned blade.
•
Upper blade guide assembly set too high
above the workpiece.
•
Using a blade with a lumpy or improperly fin-
ished braze or weld.
•
Continuously running the bandsaw when not
in use.
•
Leaving blade tensioned when not in use.
•
Using the wrong TPI for the workpiece thick-
ness. (The general rule of thumb is three
teeth in the workpiece at all times.)
Summary of Contents for G0580
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