1050 – 06 – Blade Vocabulary

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Band sawing may be the most well-known metalworking process, all of the sawing processes share a similar vocabulary to each other. Since they share the similar lexicon, it is important to familiarize yourself with the terminology in order to select the proper blade.

Most blades are identified by a common anatomy and terminology. The majority of the blade is called the back: it’s the section of blade that has no teeth. That portion of the blade may be either flexible or straight. Often times it is made of a different material than the saw blade’s teeth.

Blades are organized by width, measured from tip of the tooth to the top of the band. They are also organized by their gage, a representation of how thick the blade is. Gage is typically used to figure out cut width. However, the measurement may be modified by how the teeth are bent from side to side, which is called a set.