Length: set by the saw
A blade's length is its circumference, and it is fixed by the saw: Grizzly says lengths are usually unique to the brand and the distance between the wheels, and lists a range only 3/8 in wide for its 9 in benchtop saw (61-13/16 to 62-3/16 in). Use the length or range in the saw's manual. Olson gives a formula from the wheel radii and the distance between centres only for saws whose manual does not. Lengths across the saws in the band saw guide run from about 62 in to 153 in.
Width: curves against straight cuts
Width is measured from the tips of the teeth to the back. A wide blade holds a straight line and resists wandering; a narrow one turns a tighter curve. Olson says to use a blade as wide as the machine allows for straight cuts, and for curves as wide as possible while still narrow enough for the radius; Grizzly says to use the widest blade you own for straight cuts. Every saw sets a range — 1/8 to 3/8 in on Grizzly's 9 in G0803, 1/8 to 1 in on Powermatic's 15 in PM1500 — and a blade outside it should not go on the saw.
| Blade width | Olson | Grizzly G0555LX |
|---|---|---|
| 1/8 in | 3/16 in | 1/8 in |
| 3/16 in | 5/16 in | 3/8 in |
| 1/4 in | 5/8 in | 5/8 in |
| 3/8 in | 1-1/2 in | Not stated in text |
| 1/2 in | 2-1/2 in | Not stated in text |
| 5/8 in | 4 in | Not stated in text |
| 3/4 in | 5-1/2 in | Not stated in text |
| 1 in | 7 in | Not stated in text |
Each figure is the maker's guidance for its own blades or saw, not a law of geometry: thickness, set and tooth form change what a blade will turn. Grizzly prints its full chart as a drawing; the values here are the ones it lists in text.
Teeth per inch and pitch
TPI counts teeth per inch; pitch is the distance from one tooth tip to the next, so a coarse blade has few teeth per inch and a long pitch. Fewer, larger teeth with bigger gullets clear more sawdust and cut faster; more teeth cut slower and leave a smoother face, Olson and Grizzly agree — but the right count depends on the thickness of the work. Olson and Grizzly both say at least three teeth should be in the workpiece; Suffolk says six to eight for scroll and straight cuts, and that its rule does not apply to resawing. For resawing, Olson suggests 2 or 3 TPI for stock up to 8 in, and Grizzly hook or skip teeth at 3 to 6 TPI. In 3/4 in wood, Olson gives 4 TPI for a fast cut and 14 TPI for a smoother one.
Tooth forms and the names makers use
| Form | Olson | Grizzly |
|---|---|---|
| Regular | Deep gullet with a smooth radius; for cut-off and contour sawing and thin material | Called raker: tooth and gullet the same size, no angle; smooth, cooler cuts |
| Skip | Widely spaced teeth, 0° rake, against clogging in wood and soft materials | A raker missing every other tooth: larger gullets, faster and rougher |
| Hook | Positive 10° rake to dig in; for long cuts in thicker wood | Positive angle, rounded gullets; for resawing and ripping thick stock |
Olson's 'raker' is not a tooth form but a set pattern; Suffolk uses a 10° hook on its Timber Wolf blades and says very hard wood may need 8°.
Set, kerf and body thickness
Set is the bending of teeth left and right of the body; it makes the kerf wider than the blade so the back clears the cut, and Olson defines side clearance as the difference between the set and the body. Patterns differ: every-tooth (alternate) set, raker set (left, right, unset), modified raker (left, right, left, right, unset), which Olson calls an excellent choice for wood on a two-wheel saw, and wavy set for thin metal. Uneven set matters: Powermatic lists teeth with excessive set on one side among the causes of blade lead. Kerf cannot be worked out from body thickness alone, because set adds to it; none of the makers' documents here publishes a kerf, so measure the cut your blade makes.
Thickness is not better the thicker it is. Olson lists a blade too thick for the wheel diameter and speed as a cause of breakage, and Suffolk ties blade life to wheel diameter, thickness, length, speed and tension together; it reports 20 to 50 percent less blade life on two-wheel saws with wheels under 14 in. Choose a thickness the saw maker or blade maker lists for that wheel size.
Steel, carbide and bi-metal
- Carbon spring steel: the common wood blade. Olson says its spring-steel wood blades must never run above 3000 SFM.
- Silicon steel: Suffolk's Timber Wolf blades, which it says run at 35 to 50 percent less tension than competitors' carbon blades — a claim about its own steel.
- Carbide-tipped: Suffolk lists a 1 in carbide-tipped blade; check that the saw takes a blade that wide before considering one.
- Bi-metal: recommended by Milwaukee, at 18 and 24 TPI, for its handheld metal-cutting portable band saw. Metal-cutting blades and speeds are a different trade from the woodworking blades here.
Speed and blade life
Blade speed is the surface speed of the band in feet per minute. Saw makers publish it — 2460 FPM on Grizzly's G0803, 3100 SFPM on Powermatic's PM1500 — and blade makers set limits and preferences: Olson's 3000 SFM ceiling for spring steel, and Suffolk's table recommending 2800 SFPM on 12 in wheels rising to 5000 on 20 in and larger, with the warning that smaller saws should not be run faster. Match the blade's limit to the saw's speed. Blades last longer, Suffolk and Powermatic both say, when their tension is released while the saw stands idle.
Reading a band saw blade's label
- Length matches the saw's manual
- Width within the saw's range and narrow enough for the tightest curve
- TPI suited to the thickness, with enough teeth in the work
- Tooth form and set named, in the maker's terms
- Steel and any speed limit, against the saw's blade speed
Choosing a blade for a job — resawing, curves, general work, hardwood — is in choosing a band saw blade; fitting and tensioning it in how to use a band saw.
Sources
Blade figures are each maker's. Olson and Grizzly publish different minimum radii for the same narrow widths and agree at 1/4 in; Olson and Grizzly say at least three teeth in the work, Suffolk six to eight outside resawing; Grizzly calls a regular-tooth blade raker, while Olson uses raker for a set pattern. Each is shown as its maker gives it. No kerf figure is given, because none of the documents reviewed publishes one. No blade was tested.
- 1.
Used for: Width measured from tooth tips to back, as wide as the machine allows for straight cuts and narrow enough for the radius in curves; a minimum-radius chart from 3/16 in for a 1/8 in blade to 7 in for a 1 in blade; TPI and the rule of at least three teeth in the workpiece; 2 to 3 TPI for resawing and stock up to 8 in, 4 TPI fast and 14 TPI smoother in 3/4 in wood; regular, skip (0° rake) and hook (10° positive rake) teeth; every-tooth, raker, modified raker and wavy set, modified raker described as an excellent choice for wood on a two-wheel saw; set, side clearance and kerf defined; spring-steel wood blades never above 3000 SFM; the length formula for a saw whose manual gives none; breakage from a blade too thick for the wheel diameter, among other causes.
- 2.
Timber Wolf Blades catalog 2026. Suffolk Machinery, 2026.
Used for: Low-tension silicon-steel Timber Wolf blades run with 35 to 50 percent less tension than the maker says competitors' carbon blades need; 6 to 8 teeth in the cut for scrolling and straight cuts, not for resawing; shorter blade life on wheels under 14 in; recommended blade speeds by wheel diameter; a 10° hook angle; a carbide-tipped 1 in blade.
- 3.
Six Rules of Sawing. Suffolk Machinery (Timber Wolf).
Used for: Set described by how the cut ejects sawdust; detensioning after use.
- 4.
Model G0555LX 14" Deluxe Bandsaw owner's manual (for models manufactured since 1/14). Grizzly Industrial.
Used for: Width measured back to tooth tip; minimum radii of 1/8 in for a 1/8 in blade, 3/8 in for 3/16 in and 5/8 in for 1/4 in; the widest blade owned for straight cuts; raker, skip and hook tooth styles in Grizzly's terms; at least three teeth in the material, fine pitch for hard woods; hook or skip, 3 to 6 TPI for resawing; blade length unique to each brand and wheel distance; breakage causes.
- 5.
Model G0803 9" Benchtop Bandsaw owner's manual (for models manufactured since 09/15). Grizzly Industrial.
Used for: A 9 in benchtop saw's blade range: 1/8 to 3/8 in wide, 61-13/16 to 62-3/16 in long.
- 6.
Operating Instructions and Parts Manual, 15-inch Woodworking Band Saw, Models PM1500 and PM1500T (M-1791500, edition 10). Powermatic, 2023.
Used for: A 15 in saw taking blades up to 1 in wide and 153 in long; the widest blade the saw can take as the ideal for resawing; blade lead from excessive set on one side of the blade, among other causes.
- 7.
Deep Cut Band Saw, Cat. No. 6232-20 and 6238-20, operator's manual (58-14-6232d2). Milwaukee Tool.
Used for: Bi-metal blades of 18 and 24 TPI recommended for a handheld metal-cutting portable band saw.
- 8.
Portable Band Saw, Model 94396, instruction manual, as hosted by a retailer. WEN.
Used for: A handheld portable band saw's 44-7/8 × 1/2 × 0.025 in blade with 10/14 TPI.
About this guide
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