What Bandsaw Speed for Wood?

Speed for Wood

• The Massachusetts Institute of Technology recommends cutting wood at a speed under 5,000 feet per minute. MIT says that 1,000 feet per minute is a usual speed for bandsaw use. Although you can cut wood at speeds faster than 5,000 feet per minute with a bandsaw, using a slower pace ensures your safety.

Adjusting the Speed

• The bandsaw has a job-selector dial, with each option representing a different blade speed. Turn the machine on and set the dial to a job that requires the blade to run at 1,000 feet per minute. If you want the blade to run at different speeds through the length of one cut, set the tool’s variable speed control to slow the cutting or accelerate it through different sections of the wood.

When to Use a Bandsaw

• As you certainly know, saws come in a variety of shapes and sizes. The variations are not to appeal to users’ different predilections, but to provide the best cutting tool for any given job. In the case of the bandsaw, the machine is designed to cut items at least three times as thick as the width taken by three contiguous blade teeth.

Bandsaw’s Advantage

• The cut the bandsaw makes through wood is narrower than a circular saw. This feature results in less of the lumber being ground as the blade carves its way. You end up with little sawdust and more intact wood available.