The Bandsaw Store guides
How to choose, measure and run bandsaw blades
Practical guides on blade length, tooth pitch, tension, speed and feed, plus which construction suits which material. Technical points follow general engineering practice and the manufacturers' published ranges, and we leave a figure out rather than guess one.
Latest guide
How to measure a bandsaw blade length
Three reliable ways to find your bandsaw blade length, from the machine plate to rolling an old blade along a tape or calculating from the wheel geometry.
More guides
- All bandsaw blades
How to choose the right bandsaw blade TPI
What TPI means on a bandsaw blade, how the three-teeth rule sets the limits and honest starting-point pitches for common workpiece thicknesses.
Carbide-tipped bladesBi-metal vs carbide bandsaw blades, an honest decision guide
How bi-metal and carbide-tipped bandsaw blades are made, where each construction wins and how to judge them on cost per cut rather than price per blade.
Carbon steel bladesCarbon steel or bi-metal bandsaw blades for wood?
Carbon steel is the honest default bandsaw blade for wood, ply and non-ferrous work. Here is what it does well and when bi-metal earns its higher price.
- Tension and accessories
Why bandsaw blades break and how to fix it
A diagnostic guide to premature bandsaw blade breakage. Read the failure signature, trace it to tension, wheels, guides or the weld and fix the cause.
Tension and accessoriesHow to get bandsaw blade tension right
Why blade tension decides cut quality and blade life, the symptoms of running slack or overtight and why a tension meter beats the machine's spring scale.
Bi-metal bladesBreaking in a new bandsaw blade, why and how
A razor-fresh bandsaw blade micro-chips under full feed. A short break-in at reduced feed hones the edge instead and repays itself in blade life.
All bandsaw bladesHow to set bandsaw blade speed and feed
How band speed and feed rate work together on a bandsaw, what the chips and the sound of the cut tell you and how speed follows the material family.
Blades for stainless steelChoosing a bandsaw blade for stainless steel
Stainless steel work hardens under a rubbing tooth. How to choose between M42 and M51 bi-metal and carbide-tipped bandsaw blades, with TPI and coolant guidance.
- Pallet dismantling blades
The best bandsaw blade for pallet dismantling
Hardened-tooth carbon palletband or M42 bi-metal for nail-laden pallet timber? An honest look at blade life, cost per pallet and downtime on the line.
- Food processing blades
Food-safe bandsaw blades: what to know
What food-safe honestly means for a bandsaw blade: hygienic bright steel, edge forms for fresh, frozen, bread and fish, and daily washdown practice.
Bi-metal bladesM42 vs M51 bandsaw blades, when the upgrade pays
M42 and M51 are the two cobalt HSS grades on bi-metal bandsaw blades. What separates them, when M42 is enough and when M51 repays its higher price.
- Sawmill and resaw blades
Sawmill blade maintenance and resharpening
How sawmills keep wide bands cutting. Blade rotation, resharpening on schedule, grinding wheel basics, tooth set checks and proper coiled storage.
Where the guides lead
Every guide ends at a page where you can choose a blade, price a length or ask a question. Start from the topic you are working on.
Custom length blades
Choose a blade, enter the loop length your machine takes and see the price for that length.
Price a custom bladeAll bandsaw blades
The full range of bandsaw blades by construction, each made to the length you order.
Browse bandsaw bladesBi-metal blades
Bi-metal blades for steels and alloys, made to order at the loop length your machine takes.
See bi-metal bladesCarbide-tipped blades
Carbide-tipped blades for hard, abrasive and heat-resistant materials, made to order at your length.
See carbide-tipped bladesCarbon steel blades
Carbon steel blades for wood, panel products, plastics and non-ferrous metals, made to order at your length.
See carbon steel bladesBlades for stainless steel
Which blade constructions suit stainless steel, and the blades in our range that fit.
Blades for stainless steelTension and accessories
How to set blade tension, and where to ask about gauges and other accessories.
Tension how-to and accessories
Reading done, blade needed? The blade wizard turns your material and machine into a shortlist.
Start the blade wizard