Customer review 9.6!Which bandsaw blade for which material?
Which bandsaw blade for wood, plastic, metal, foam or food? For each material the right blade and the cutting speed in metres per minute.
For wood you choose Flexback, Chrome steel, Hardpoint or the Ripper, for plastic Flexback and for metal a bimetal bandsaw blade. Foam and soft food are cut with a band knife, and for glass, concrete, ceramics and fibre-reinforced plastic there is a grit bandsaw blade. The table shows which blade suits each material and which cutting speed our table uses.
| Material | Bandsaw blade | Cutting speed (m/min) |
|---|---|---|
| Softwood, construction timber and beams | Chrome steel, Flexback | 900 to 1,800 |
| Hardwood such as oak, beech and ash | Hardpoint, Flexback | 900 to 1,800 |
| MDF, chipboard, pallet wood | Flexback | 900 to 1,800 |
| Logs and planks | Ripper | 900 to 1,800 |
| Plastic | Flexback | 900 to 1,800 |
| Foam and foam rubber | Band knife Edge, Band knife 14TPI, Flexback | 900 to 1,800 |
| Food | Freshcut, Wavy, Scallop, Band knife Edge | 900 to 1,800 |
| Aluminium | Bimetal, Flexback | 100 to 700 |
| Copper | Bimetal, Flexback | 80 to 300 |
| Steel | Bimetal M42 or M51 | 60 to 80 |
| Stainless steel | Bimetal M42 or M51 | 30 to 50 |
| Glass-fibre reinforced plastic, ceramics, cast iron, graphite | Tungsten grit | - |
| Carbon-fibre reinforced plastic, concrete, glass | Diamond grit | - |
Our table gives no speed for the grit blades.
Wood
For wood we compare four types here. Flexback carbon steel is the broadest choice: hardwood and softwood, MDF, chipboard and pallet wood, from 3 to 32 mm wide and from coarse to fine teeth. Chrome steel is made for soft to medium-hard wood such as construction timber and beams, for joinery workshops and furniture makers. It is less suitable for hardwood.
For hardwood such as oak, beech, ash and chestnut there is Hardpoint, with hardened tooth tips. If you saw planks from logs, or rip and resaw, take the Ripper: a coarse tooth profile with a tooth hardness of 62 HRC, for mobile and stationary bandsaw mills. For the Mafell Z5 Ec there is also a dedicated blade, Mafell (Carbon). Everything for wood is in the Wood collection.
Plastic
Solid plastic is cut with Flexback, at the same speed as wood. Mind the tooth pitch: if it is too fine, the cut can heat up and melt shut again. More in cutting plastic with a bandsaw.
Metal
For metal you choose bimetal: high-speed steel teeth with cobalt on a spring steel back. The M42 is the standard for steel, stainless steel and non-ferrous metals, the M51 is for hardened steel, titanium and heavy production work. Stainless steel is cut slower than ordinary steel: 30 to 50 against 60 to 80 metres per minute. Tooth pitch, cooling and tension are covered in cutting stainless steel and steel with a bandsaw.
Foam and insulation
Soft material is cut with a band knife, which leaves no fibres along the cut. If your machine has a sharpening unit, take Band knife Edge or Band knife 14TPI; without one, Wavy or Scallop. Explained in cutting foam with a band knife.
Food
For frozen meat, fish and meat with bone there is Freshcut, with tooth tips hardened to 62 HRC, and Hardpoint. Soft food such as bread, cheese and vegetables is cut with a band knife. See bandsaw blade for meat and bone.
Glass, concrete, ceramics and fibre-reinforced plastic
For these hard and abrasive materials there are grit bandsaw blades. Tungsten grit is for glass-fibre reinforced plastic, ceramics, cast iron, graphite and wire-reinforced rubber such as car tyres. Diamond grit is for carbon-fibre reinforced plastic, concrete, glass, industrial ceramics and silicon. Allow a delivery time of 2 to 3 weeks for grit blades.
Next: size and tooth pitch
Once you know the type, the size of your machine and the tooth pitch follow. How to determine them is explained in choosing the right bandsaw blade. Unsure about a material that isn't listed here? Call us on +31 345 501 501.