Vertical Band Saw Top User Tip

A common concern that woodworkers have when using their vertical band saw is that the saw seems to be underpowered, does not track very well and severely cupped kerfs. This means they only use their saw to cut thin material.. What a waste!

In my experience the main cause of these difficulties is the use of a vertical band saw blade that has too many teeth or points per inch (tpi and ppi). There isn’t sufficient space between the teeth to get rid of the sawdust effectively. This results in the sawdust becoming packed in the kerf and due to speed of the blade this then creates friction and a build up of a tremendous amount of heat.

Kerf: This is the width of the saw cut. Because the saw teeth are splayed outwards the kerf is normally wider than the blade so the blade is allowed to move through the cut without binding or sticking. Even though the term kerf is used to indicate how wide the saw blade is, it technically means the width of the cut.

The intense heat blunts the blade it loses its sharpness. This same intense heat causes the blade to move around more, which will have an impact on the cut. The first thing most woodworkers do is to tighten the tension on the vertical band saw, but this can throw up a whole raft of new problems.

Instead fit a ½ inch carbon steel skip tooth blade with 3 teeth per inch to the vertical band saw allows me to do just about any job I want. This will work for most jobs and on most materials.

A Great Tip.
A vertical band saw blade is reasonably priced, buying more than one keeps the cost down. Having a good spare sharp blade will allow you to keep operational and getting the most from your band saw.

For more tips on Vertical Band Saw www.verticalbandsaw.org

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