Woodstock STEELEX ST1000 - Manual (Page 32)

-30- ST1000 14" Bandsaw
• Hook—The teeth on this style have a positive
angle (downward) which makes them dig into
the material, and the gullets are usually rounded
for easier waste removal. These blades are excel-
lent for the tough demands of resawing and
ripping thick material.
Tooth Pitch
Usually measured as TPI (teeth per inch), tooth pitch
determines the size of the teeth. More teeth per
inch (fine pitch) will cut slower, but smoother; while
fewer teeth per inch (coarse pitch) will cut rougher,
but faster. As a general rule, choose blades that will
have at least three teeth in the material at all times.
Use fine pitched blades on harder woods and coarse
pitched blades on softer woods.
Blade Care
A bandsaw blade is a delicate piece of steel that
is subjected to tremendous strain. You can obtain
longer use from a bandsaw blade if you give it fair
treatment and always use the appropriate feed rate
for your operation.
Be sure to select blades with the proper width, style,
and pitch for each application. The wrong choice of
blades will often produce unnecessary heat which
will shorten the life of your blade.
A clean blade will perform much better than a dirty
blade. Dirty or gummed up blades pass through the
cutting material with much more resistance than
clean blades. This extra resistance also causes unnec-
essary heat.
Blade Breakage
Many conditions may cause a bandsaw blade to
break. Blade breakage is unavoidable, in some cases,
since it is the natural result of the peculiar stresses
that bandsaw blades are subjected to. Blade break-
age is also due to avoidable circumstances. Avoidable
breakage is most often the result of poor care or
judgement on the part of the operator when mount-
ing or adjusting the blade or support guides.
The most common causes of blade breakage are:
• Faulty alignment and adjustment of the guides.
• Forcing or twisting a wide blade around a curve
of short radius.
• Feeding the workpiece into the blade too fast.
• Tooth dullness or absence of sufficient set.
• Incorrect tension.
• Top blade guide assembly set too high above
the workpiece.
• Using a blade with a lumpy or improperly fin-
ished braze or weld.
• Continuously running the bandsaw when not in
use.