Learning About Bandsaws13

Learning About Bandsaws

The blades on bandsaws are long, flexible, narrow and continuous. The blade rotates around wheels similar to pulleys. The bandsaw blades are thin and have many teeth that are in a continuous line around the circumference of the band. Different types of power sources can be used to drive the bandsaw. Metalworkers, woodworkers, and other industries all use the bandsaw. It has a variety of applications, including cutting out odd designs, shapes and radial curves.

Automated bandsaws are used in mass production environments. There are advantages to this automation. All feed rates, returns, falls, part clamping and part feeding is preset and automatic. In many manufacturing facilities it is neither possible nor cost effective to have an operator to run each saw. In the case of automation, one operator is capable of overseeing many saws at one time. Many automated saws use CNC or NC controls to perform precise, accurate and faster cuts.

Headsaws are most often used in logging and milling. They are bandsaws that are large enough to cut through large logs. The teeth on a headsaw are usually spaced about two inches apart on the cutting side of the blade. The back of the bandsaw blades are equipped with sliver teeth which serve to move the slivers out of the path of the blade as it backs out of the log. When cutting logs for boards and veneers, the cut is made along the grain with a resaw. Resaw blades are wider than normal bandsaw blades, usually about three inches. Another type of large bandsaw is the double cut saw which is equipped with teeth on both sides of the band's blade.

Bandsaws are preferred over circular blades by logging mills because of their small kerf. The smaller kerf allows for a cleaner cut with less waste. The bandsaw blades used in the sawmills are very large, some can be sixteen inches wide. The blade moves in a circular motion around a two wheel pulley type system. The blades and machines must be maintained and the people responsible for that are the saw doctors and the saw filers. They also determine the depth of the teeth on the bandsaw blades based on the lumber being cut.