How Does a Metal Cutting Bandsaw Work?

Types

• There are two different types of bandsaws that you can install in your shop. Vertical band saws are set up like a table saw, where the blade is held in a fixed, vertical position, requiring the user to push a piece of material through the blade. Horizontal bandsaws, on the other hand, swing on an arm, while the material is held in place, so the blade can pass through the metal.

Blade Wheels

• Bandsaw operate through a combination of wheels that act similar to the serpentine belt and pulley system in a car. The wheels, which have a rubber outer edge or, in some cases, a notched outer edge, spin against the blade to cause the blade to spin and cut through metal. The whole system runs through a series of belts, pulleys, gears and bearings attached to an electrical motor.

Blade

• The blade for a bandsaw is a single, continuous belt that is passed around the wheels of the pulley system inside of the saw. For metal, these blades are coated with a special combination of other materials, such as carbide or diamond, to make the blades hard enough to cut through metal. The teeth on metal blades are much harder, smaller and more compacted than blades used for wood, which have only a rough blade with longer teeth.

Guides

• Part of the internal workings of the bandsaw are the blade guides, which are set so that the blade passes between them. They are designed so that they can be adjusted depending on the type of blade you are using, and are generally some type of roller bearing or carbon steel plating that has just enough room between the pieces for the blade to pass. Without guides, the blade will flop around and potentially fall off the wheels, causing serious injury to the operator and the machine.