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Band Saw Basics
Believe it or
not, your band saw is one of the safest and easiest to use saws in your
shop. You still need to respect it, of course, since it will take a
finger just as easily as cut wood. A little common sense and caution
will go a long way.
Basically, the
band saw is meant to cut things that curve. How sharp a curve you can
make will depend on the width of your blade. In this case, the width I
mean is from the back edge of the blade to the tip of the teeth.
A thinner blade
can cut a tighter curve. The general “workhorse” width for band saw
blades is ¼”. If you plan to cut a lot of tight curves, then you’ll need
to get an 1/8” blade for your saw. If you plan to cut really small
things, then you’ll need to use a scroll saw rather than a band saw.
If you want to
use your band saw to resaw (make a thick board thinner) then you’ll want
at least a ½” blade. Check your instructions to see which size blades
are available for your saw. This is important because it’s almost
impossible to cut a straight line on a band saw with a blade thinner
than ½”.
The “size” of a
band saw isn’t immediately apparent. The inches refer to the diameter of
the wheels in the cabinet. The blade rides on these wheels and provides
a continuous cutting stroke as they rotate.
My band saw Band saw wheel measure Band saw insides
Shopping Tips
If you haven’t
purchased your band saw yet, here are a few things to consider:
1)
You can get a benchtop
model or one on a stand. The models on the stand will be better if you
plan on making any large projects – including much furniture.
2)
The smaller the diameter
of the wheels, the less cutting capacity the saw will have. If you’ll
only be cutting relatively thin stock – say, 3” or less, then a benchtop model should work fine.
3)
A larger table helps
your cuts be more accurate since there is better support for your piece.
Plus, clamping on stop blocks or auxiliary fences will be a lot easier.
Here are a few
more pages with more information:
Band saw
setup
Basic
Uses for a Band Saw
Band saw
blade basics
Resawing
w/band saw
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