If cutting the width of your material changes from day-to-day, make sure your bandsaw blades address the tooth-to-material ratio.
All bandsaw blade pitches, TPI (teeth per inch) have an ideal range of material widths they can accommodate. The ideal tooth-to-material ratio is 6-12 teeth engaged in the work while cutting. If the actual working ratio is greater – then 3-24 teeth engaged in the material is still workable, though not ideal. These numbers are based on the gullet capacity which is the amount of void (or space) between each cutting tooth that holds the chip until the tooth exits the cut.
For optimal performance and blade life, determine the range of widths of materials the bandsaw blade is expected to cut, then calculate the proper TPI to achieve this 6-12 tooth engagement. For great variations in material widths, two or even three different blade pitches may be necessary.
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