Band saw blades perform cutting action by a blade that is formed into a continuous loop. This blade gets looped around two separate pulleys that are operated by an electric motor. When turned on, the blade moves around the pulley, and the saw creates a continuous cutting action.
There are many types of band saw blades, and many different ways you can use one of these blades for woodworking. Here are some of the most common uses for band saw blades:
1. Curved cuts—One of the biggest uses for band saw blades is to make curved cuts in a piece of wood. Because the band runs on a loop and stays stationary during operation, a smaller, portable saw is capable of cutting denser, larger pieces of wood.
2. Milling lumber—To mill lumber, you basically need to resaw a raw log along four of its planes. In most cases, the first cut will be the most difficult, and then it is a matter of cutting the rounds. Once you are done with this process, you can resaw your rough lumber using a band saw to your desired level of thickness.
3. Resetting boards—A band saw can cut multiple pieces of wood at once to make sure each has precisely the same angle.
4. Resawing—Resawing refers to cutting a singular piece of wood into two thinner pieces. You can use a band saw for resawing because the blade remains static to the table and the blade runs in a loop perpendicular to the saw’s teeth.