History
– The bandsaw dates back to at least 1809.
– William Newberry received a British patent for the idea.
– Bandsaws remained impractical due to the inability to produce accurate and durable blades.
– Frenchwoman Anne Paulin Crepin devised a welding technique to overcome this hurdle.
– Benjamin Barker of Ellsworth, Maine, received the first American bandsaw patent in January 1836.
Types
– Residential and light industry workshops often contain small or medium-sized bandsaws.
– General-purpose blades are commonly used, but specialized blades for wood or metal can be switched out.
– Vertical bandsaws are mounted on a bench or cabinet stand.
– Portable power tool versions, including cordless models, are also common.
– Meat cutting saws are typically made of stainless steel with fine teeth or plain/scalloped knife edges.
Residential and light industry
– Small or medium-sized bandsaws are commonly found in residential garages or basements.
– These bandsaws can cut wood, metal, or plastic.
– General-purpose blades are often used, but specialized blades can be switched out.
– Vertical bandsaws are typically mounted on a bench or cabinet stand.
– Portable power tool versions, including cordless models, are also common.
Meat cutting
– Meat cutting saws are typically made of all stainless steel.
– The blades have fine teeth with heat-treated tips or plain/scalloped knife edges.
– These saws are designed for easy cleaning.
– They are commonly used in the meat industry.
– The blades are optimized for cutting meat.
Metal fabrication shop and machine shop models
– Bandsaws dedicated to industrial metal-cutting use are available in vertical and horizontal designs.
– Band speeds range from 40ft/min to 5,000ft/min.
– Metal-cutting bandsaws are equipped with brushes or brushwheels to prevent chips from becoming stuck.
– Cutting fluid systems are common equipment on metal-cutting bandsaws.
– Horizontal bandsaws are used to cut long materials like pipes or bar stock to length. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bandsaw
This article needs additional citations for verification. (April 2009) |
A bandsaw (also written band saw) is a power saw with a long, sharp blade consisting of a continuous band of toothed metal stretched between two or more wheels to cut material. They are used principally in woodworking, metalworking, and lumbering, but may cut a variety of materials. Advantages include uniform cutting action as a result of an evenly distributed tooth load, and the ability to cut irregular or curved shapes like a jigsaw. The minimum radius of a curve is determined by the width of the band and its kerf. Most bandsaws have two wheels rotating in the same plane, one of which is powered, although some may have three or four to distribute the load. The blade itself can come in a variety of sizes and tooth pitches (teeth per inch, or TPI), which enables the machine to be highly versatile and able to cut a wide variety of materials including wood, metal and plastic.
Almost all bandsaws today are powered by an electric motor. Line shaft versions were once common but are now antiques.
