The Anatomy of a Bandsaw Blade
TPI – number of teeth per inch measured gullet to gullet
Pitch – the distance from one tooth tip to the next
Points per Inch – the number of tooth tips (not full teeth) in one inch measured tooth tip to tooth tip – 4pts = 3tpi (tpi always equals one tooth less than points)
Blade Thickness/Gauge – the thickness of the blade
Saw Width – the distance between the tip of the tooth to back of the blade
Set – the amount of bending of teeth right or left
Tooth/Tooth Tip – the cutting portion of the bandsaw blade
Gullet – the curved area between the tooth points
Gullet Depth – the distance from the tooth tip to the bottom of the gullet
Kerf – the total width of the blade including set (or the width of the cut in the material)
Teeth Per Inch (TPI) Selection Chart
Blade Width Selection Chart
Blade Width – The blade width is measured from the tips of the teeth to the back edge of the blade. For contour sawing, the blade should be as wide as the machine permits, but still narrow enough so that it can cut the desired shape (radius).
TIP: For straight cutting the blade should be as wide as the machine permits.
Blade Tension Guide
It is essential that there is enough tension on the blade to prevent it from flexing
during the cut. Once the blade starts to flex, it is very difficult, if not impossible,
to correct the cut.
The greater the tension, the greater the resistance to side pressure or blade
deflection. While there must be enough tension to ensure a good cut, you don’t
want so much that the saw blade is damaged. Either refer to the machine
manufacturer’s instructions or use the tension gauge on your machine and follow
these guidelines:
Mr. Bandsaw 