Bandsaw blade guide

Which blade to put on the bandsaw: how tight a curve each width turns, how many teeth per inch suit the thickness you are cutting, how each maker says to set the tension, and what to fit for resawing. Every figure is a blade or saw maker's own; where they disagree, the charts are shown side by side. To work out a blade length or pick a blade for one job, use the bandsaw blade length calculator.

Minimum radius by blade width

The tightest curve each width cuts without backing out, in inches, from Laguna's and Timber Wolf's radius charts and Grizzly's chart of minimum circles (halved to a radius; Grizzly lists several blades of each width). Narrow blades are where the makers part ways: at 1/8 inch they differ more than twice over, so start with the larger figure.

Minimum cutting radius in inches for each blade width, from three makers, with the median
Width	Laguna	Timber Wolf	Grizzly	Median
1/8 in	1/8	7/32	3/32	1/8makers differ 2× or more
3/16 in	5/16	3/8	3/16–9/32	5/16makers differ 2× or more
1/4 in	5/8	5/8	3/8–3/4	5/8makers differ 2× or more
3/8 in	1 7/16	1 1/4	7/8–1 5/16	1 1/4
1/2 in	2 1/2	2 1/2	1 13/16–3 1/4	2 1/2
3/4 in	5 7/16	5 7/16	4 5/8	5 7/16

Median of 3 sources

Teeth per inch by stock thickness

Grizzly: at least three teeth in the wood

Choose a pitch that will have at least three teeth in the material at all times. For stock T inches thick, that is at least 3 ÷ T teeth per inch: 1 1/2 TPI or more for 2 inch stock.

One source: Grizzly Industrial, maker of the G0555LX bandsaw, in its manual

Laguna: six to eight teeth engaged

Normally six to eight teeth engaged in the cut; a general guide, not a rule. That is 6 ÷ T to 8 ÷ T teeth per inch: 3 to 4 TPI for 2 inch stock, about twice Grizzly's floor.

One source: Laguna Tools, bandsaw and blade maker, in its blade manual

Timber Wolf's usage chart rates each pitch for a range of thickness, in inches:

Timber Wolf blade pitch and the hardwood and softwood thickness each is rated for
TPI	Hardwood	Softwood
14	1/8 to 1/2	1/8 to 1/4
10	1/4 to 3/4	1/4 to 1/2
8	3/4 to 1 1/2	1/2 to 1
6	3/4 to 2 1/2	1/2 to 1 1/2
4	2 1/2 to 6	1 1/2 to 4
3	3 to 10	3 to 8
2/3 variable	3 to 12	3 to 10
2	3 to 15	3 to 12

One source: Suffolk Machinery (Timber Wolf), maker of Timber Wolf blades

Setting the tension

There is no single number to dial in: each maker describes a method, and these are theirs.

Flutter method: with the guides backed off and the saw running, ease the tension until the blade flutters, then add tension until it stops and give the knob another 1/8 to 1/4 turn; note the gauge reading for that blade.
One source: Grizzly Industrial, the maker of the G0555LX bandsaw, in its manual , sources [1]
Deflection method: with the guide post all the way up and the saw unplugged, push the middle of the blade sideways with moderate pressure; about 1/4 in of deflection is right, less is too tight.
One source: Grizzly Industrial, the maker of the G0555LX bandsaw, in its manual , sources [1]
Start from the saw’s own tension scale for the blade’s width, then adjust from that setting; too little or too much tension both hurt the cut.
One source: JET (JPW Industries), the maker of the JWBS-14SFX bandsaw, in its manual , sources [2]
Take the tension off at the end of the day: a blade left tensioned takes the shape of the wheels and stresses the saw.
One source: Laguna Tools, a bandsaw and blade maker, in its blade manual , sources [3]
Tension is not the only cause of wander: a dull blade, poorly set guides or thrust bearings, and a pitch too fine for the stock all make a blade wander.
One source: Laguna Tools, a bandsaw and blade maker, in its blade manual , sources [3]

Sources

Resawing

Use the widest blade the saw takes for straight cuts and resawing: a wider blade has more beam strength and wanders less.
Two sources: Laguna Tools and Grizzly Industrial , sources [1, 2]
Use a coarse pitch for thick stock: Timber Wolf rates its 3 TPI and 2/3 variable-pitch blades for hardwood 3 in thick and more, and Laguna’s carbide Resaw King comes in 3/4 in to 2 in widths.
Two sources: Suffolk Machinery (Timber Wolf) and Laguna Tools , sources [3, 1]
Every blade has a natural cutting angle (drift): set the fence to that angle when resawing against it.
One source: Laguna Tools, a bandsaw and blade maker, in its blade manual , sources [1]

Sources