Bandsaw Blade Terminology

A clear understanding of blade terminology can help avoid confusion when discussing cutting problems.

  1. Blade Back – The body of the blade not including tooth portion.
  2. Thickness – The dimension from side to side on the blade.
  3. Width – The nominal dimension of a saw blade as measured from the tip of the tooth to the back of the band.
  4. Set – The bending of teeth to right or left to allow clearance of the back of the blade through the cut.
  5. Kerf – Amount of material removed by the cut of the blade.
  6. Tooth Pitch – The distance from the tip of one tooth to the tip of the next tooth.
  7. TPI – The number of teeth per inch as measured from gullet to gullet.
  8. Gullet – The curved area at the base of the tooth. The tooth tip to the bottom of the gullet is the gullet depth.
  9. Tooth Face – The surface of the tooth on which the chip is formed.
  10. Tooth Rake Angle – The angle of the tooth face measured with respect to a line perpendicular to the cutting direction of the saw.
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