Technical Information
Band SawsBlade Basics
1423971051.0"11131268
Terminology
1) Width
The nominal dimension of a saw
blade, as measured from the tip of
the tooth to the back of the blade.
2) Gullet
The curved area at the base
of the tooth.
3) Blade Back
The blade body, not including
the tooth portion.
4) Gullet Depth
The distance from the tooth tip
to the bottom of the gullet.
5) Tooth
The cutting portion of the saw blade.
6) TPI
The number of teeth per inch.
7) Tooth Back or Relief Angle
The surface of the tooth opposite the
cutting edge, or tooth face.
8) Tooth Face or Rake Angle
The cutting surface of the tooth.
9) Tooth Back Clearance Angle
The angle of the tooth back measured
in relation to the cutting direction of
the saw.
10) Tooth Rake Angle
The angle of the tooth face measured
with respect to a line perpendicular to
the cutting direction of the saw.
11) Tooth Pitch
The distance from one tooth tip
to the next tooth tip.
12) Thickness (Gage)
The thickness of the blade.
13) Tooth Set
The bending of the teeth from right
to left to allow clearance (kerf) of
the blade back through the cut.
Tooth Form
Positive Rake
A positive rake is characterized by a 5° to 10° rake angle on
the tooth face, resulting in better tooth penetration and easier
chip formation. This tooth form is recommended for cutting
difficult to machine materials, and solid cross-sections.
Standard Straight
A standard straight tooth has a 0° cutting face, and is
recommended for cutting easy-to-cut, low alloy materials.
This is an efficient tooth form for cutting structural materials
and interrupted cuts.
Regular
This is a conventional tooth with a 0° cutting angle, ideal for
a wide range of general purpose cutting applications.
Hook
This tooth type has a 10° positive rake angle for fast cutting
with less feed pressure. The rounded, deeper gullets allow
for fast chip removal, and is generally used for cutting
nonmetallic and non-ferrous metals.
Skip
This tooth type has a 0° rake angle with shallow gullets and
evenly spaced teeth for efficient chip removal. It is used
for cutting large sections of soft, non-ferrous metal and
nonmetal materials, such as wood, composite materials,
cork, and plastic.
Turtle Back
This is a tooth configuration that has a reinforced shoulder
or “Turtle Back Hump” on the back of the cutting edge to
prevent stripping out and interrupted cuts.
Variable
A traditional tooth form that offers a 0° rake angle, varying
gullet depths, and tooth sizes. Designed to reduce harmonic
vibration, this blade efficiently removes chips, extending
blade life in solids and structural.
Variable Positive
Variable positive tooth form offers varying gullet depths, tooth
sizes, and a positive rake angle for maximum cutting speeds
and better tooth penetration in harder to machine materials.
Duplex
Duplex blades offer deep, chip clearing gullets, large chip-
resistant teeth, and a high positive rake angle. This results
in faster sawing rates, and improved finishes. Duplex blades
are recommended for production cutting of work hardened
metals, tool steels, and exotic alloys.
5°-10°
Positive Rake0°
Standard Straight Rake
5°-10°
Positive Rake0°
Standard Straight Rake
Tooth Type
RegularVariableHookVariable PositiveSkipTurtle BackDuplex
