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Portable bandsaw sawmill blades come in different profiles and materials to suit specific tasks. Key characteristics to consider include face hook angle, pitch (tooth spacing), gullet depth, and tooth set. Flex-back blades are made from flexible carbon steel with hardened tooth tips for general use. Premium blades constructed with high-speed steel or other alloys to enhance durability and cutting performance. Tipped blades feature super hard alloy tips, like Stellite or tungsten carbide, for superior wear resistance and cutting precision.

The face hook angle on a bandsaw blade refers to the tilt of the teeth relative to the blade's vertical line. A higher hook angle means the teeth are angled forward, enhancing the blade's aggressiveness for cutting, and is ideal for faster feed rates. A lower hook angle, where the teeth align closer to vertical, balance cutting speed with control, especially useful for milling harder woods and frozen logs. The choice of hook angle depends on the material type and desired outcomes, such as cutting speed and finish quality.

Tooth spacing, or pitch, on a bandsaw blade greatly influences cutting performance. Wider tooth spacing (larger pitch) enables faster cutting by removing more material with each pass, ideal for quicker cuts. Finer tooth spacing (smaller pitch) yields a smoother finish, better suited for harder materials or when a more precise cut is needed. Additionally, the pitch impacts chip clearance; larger pitches improve chip clearance, reducing the risk of clogging, which is particularly beneficial when cutting wood with high sap content.

Note: 7/8" pitch has become the most popular tooth spacing that is seen in most bandsaw sawmill blades. In the past a 3/4" pitch was commonly used for hardwoods, but many sawyers are having success with the 7/8" spacing with a less aggressive hook angle for better sawdust management or upgrading to a more premium blade option.

Gullet depth is the distance from the bottom of the gullet to the blade tip and plays a critical role in managing sawdust. A deep gullet profile has added space in the gullet which allows more sawdust to be carried before reaching capacity. This specialized feature boosts performance, particularly when milling wide boards.

The number of teeth and the angle at which they are offset is referred to as tooth set. Tooth set affects cutting efficiency, and quality of the cut. Carbon steel sawmill band blades with tempered teeth tips typically follow a Raker three tooth pattern with a uniform set distance left and right, and a third straight “raker” tooth.

Whether you’re cutting hard or softwood, a sharp blade is essential to produce high-quality lumber on your Sawmill. A sharp blade also cuts with less effort meaning less strain for you and your sawmill’s engine. As a blade gets dull its cutting performance decreases and it will take more time and effort to push through a cut. A sharp blade leaves a relatively smooth surface, when the blade loses its sharpness cut surfaces become noticeably rougher or more ragged. A dull blade may not hold its path and can dive during a cut. Finally, listen for changes in the sound of the saw, often a higher-pitched screeching or increased noise levels suggest the blade is struggling to cut through the material.

Note: A telling sign you’ve pushed a blade beyond its capacity to produce marketable boards is if you see smoke during cutting or find burn marks on the cut surface. This indicates the blade is generating excessive friction due to dullness. Ideally you should never run a blade to this point as you will get more board feet out of a blade if you sharpen it more often to maintain a precision edge. 

For optimal performance of a standard carbon blade, it's recommended to sharpen a standard carbon steel blade profile approximately every two hours of cutting time. This may vary depending on the quality of blade and the material being cut. We advise honing the blade tips to maintain their sharpness rather than grinding a dull blade to reshape the edge.

Wear and tear resulting from regular use is a natural part of the life span of a band blade, which are subject to high physical loads on a daily basis. Visually inspect a blade for signs of stress, cracks in the metal, heavy wear, or damage to determine if it is safe to put back on the sawmill. When the metal gets fatigued and visible cracks are seen in the gullet, this is a serious sign to retire the blade. Tooth breakage will quickly put an unnatural end to a band blade and can happen at any point in the blade’s life. Damaged or broken teeth often result from striking a foreign object such as a rock or nail.