Blade Selection - Grizzly G0668 Owner's Manual

blade selection

Blade Selection
Selecting the right blade for the cut requires a
knowledge of various blade characteristics.
Blade Terminology
A
B
C
E
D
F
G
Figure 11. Bandsaw blade terminology.
A. Kerf: The amount of material removed by the
blade during cutting.
B. Tooth Set: The amount each tooth is bent
left or right from the blade.
C. Gauge: The thickness of the blade.
D. Blade Width: The widest point of the blade
measured from the tip of the tooth to the back
edge of the blade.
E. Tooth Rake: The angle of the tooth face
from a line perpendicular to the length of the
blade.
F. Gullet Depth: The distance from the tooth tip
to the bottom of the curved area (gullet).
G. Tooth Pitch: The distance between tooth
tips.
H. Blade Back: The distance between the bot-
tom of the gullet and the back edge of the
blade.
I. TPI: The number of teeth per inch measured
from gullet to gullet.
G0668 20" Vertical Metal-Cutting Bandsaw
H
I
Blade Length
Measured by the blade circumference, blade
lengths are usually unique to the brand of your
bandsaw and the distance between the wheels.
G0668 Blade Length Range ..........154
Blade Width
Measured from the back of the blade to the tip of
the blade tooth (the widest point), blade width is
often the first consideration given to blade selec-
tion. Blade width dictates the largest and smallest
curve that can be cut, as well as how accurately
it can cut a straight line—generally the wider the
blade, the straighter it will cut. Always pick the
blade width that best suits your operation.
G0668 Blade Width Range .......................
Curve Cutting: Use the chart in Figure 12
to choose the correct blade for curve cutting.
Determine the smallest radius curve that will be
cut on your workpiece and use the corresponding
blade width.
The list below shows the minimum radius
that can be cut by common blade widths.
Width
⁄ "....................................
1
8
⁄ "...................................
3
16
⁄ ''....................................
1
4
⁄ ''.................................... 1
3
8
⁄ ''.................................... 2
1
2
⁄ ''.................................... 3
5
8
⁄ ''.................................... 5
3
4
Figure 12. Blade width radii.
blade widths and radius
⁄ "–159 ⁄
1 3
2 4
⁄ "– ⁄
1 3
8 4
Radius
⁄ "
1
8
⁄ "
3
8
⁄ ''
5
8
⁄ ''
1
4
⁄ ''
1
2
⁄ ''
3
4
⁄ ''
1
2
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"
"