Band saw TPI

Hengelo_77

Hengelo_77

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Mar 2, 2006
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How many teeth per inch should I get for a metal cutting band saw?
I want to cut my blanks but also handle materials etc.
I know to get bi-metal.

I'm looking at a Milwaukee
 
I think it works like wood blades. The higher the count the nicer the cut. I personally hate my time at the bandsaw so i do what i can to expedite the process. The cuts with 14tpi look bad but i use my grinder to achieve final dimensions. If anyone knows any way to make it faster please share. I run my saw as fast as it will go.
 
I use 18 and have noticed if I run a high speed, 300fpm then it’ll eat up blade rather quick, but if I keep it half speed or around 100 it seems to last a long time.. cut rate and steel type I’m sure play a role as well.
 
I think the general rule is 3 teeth in the piece at once but that can yield some very fine blades. As I use mine mostly for wood I use 14 tpi but it gets plugged quickly with certain woods. I use a plasma for cutting out blanks.
 
18 is my magic number. It cuts stock decently at slow speeds without losing teeth and gets through wood at high speeds. Steel under 1/8 gets a 21 tpi.
 
I run with 14 for steel and 10 for handle materials. I've experimented with other tpi and this is what I keep coming back to. It's a nice balance for me between longevity and getting er done.
 
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We use 14/18 Lenox on the portaband but we cut big non knife stuff on the 7x12 and use 6-10 tpi on it
 
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High speed heats the cutting tooth and shortens blade life.Longer blade means more time to cool.14 to 24 tpi is good for most metal . A courser or less tpi works better for softer handle material or even skip tooth blade.It dose depend on what kind of saw you use and what you cutting, stacks of 3/16 or one 1/8 blank at a time? For sure use bi metal . WB
 
i use 14 tpi on my big bandsaw, and 18 tpi on my small portaband. honestly the 14 does not seem to cut any faster and leaves a more rough cut. i am thinking of switching the big saw over to 18 tpi.
 
I find 18tpi to cut steel the best and last longest, in both the portaband and years of using a hacksaw with Lenox blades. Steel thicknesses from 1/16” thru 3/16”. For wood, I prefer 14 tpi.
 
the painful truth is plan to have 2 saws and at least 2 different TPI blades i saw alot of 3/32 SS and use a 14-18 or 18 in the wood saw i use for ripping blocks to scales and other non metal cutting i use 14-18 or 10-12 depinding on whats on sale (the SFPM of the wood saw makes the high tooth count work ok ). all blades in my shop are at least bimetal. i have come up with what might be my last saw buy and that is a saw that is for wood that takes the same size blades as my metal saw so i can stock one size and have many different TPI blades for all kinds of thickness of stock. its going to cost me a bunch of $ but i think it will be worth it long haul cause having a 3-4tpi blade for ripping wood will be nice and for the odd ball big metal cuts i can put it on the other saw for cutting structural plate. i have not seen a 2 speed wood metal saw to date that can do the things my roll in saw and a resaw wood saw can cover
 
Stang Bladeworks said:
I think it works like wood blades. The higher the count the nicer the cut. I personally hate my time at the bandsaw so i do what i can to expedite the process. The cuts with 14tpi look bad but i use my grinder to achieve final dimensions. If anyone knows any way to make it faster please share. I run my saw as fast as it will go.
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I agree , I use 14 tpi and clean up with the grinder
 
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