Learning About Bandsaws5

Learning About Bandsaws

Bandsaws are machines powered by a variety of different sources. These machines use a blade that is long, narrow, flexible and a continuous band. The bandsaw blades have teeth that span the entire circumference of the blade. The bandsaw blades move on two pulley type wheels. A bandsaw is good for working with metal, wood or other materials and are very handy for cutting odd shapes. The width of the band determines how big of a radial curve can be cut with that particular saw.

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.

Loggers and mills often use headsaws, which are large bandsaws that make the initial cuts into large logs. The tooth spacing on the bandsaw blades are usually about two inches on the cutting edge and the back side of the blade has sliver teeth. The sliver teeth do not cut; they wipe the splinters out of the way as the band backs out of the log. Resaws are used in cutting logs along the grain to produce boards or veneers. The bandsaw blades used for cutting veneers are larger, averaging about three inches. Double cut saws have teeth on both sides of the blade and are generally very large saws.

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.