There are a lot of different types of saws on the market. However, other than cutting materials, they specialize in different tasks.
Bandsaw for instance is also meant to cut the wood. However, it is more required to give precise shapes and curves to the material. Therefore, it is an inevitable in the kit of every woodworker.
Read More: What is Bandsaw Used for?
These are designed with a continuous metal band blade that has teeth running along on the edge. The saw is designed to handle a variety of materials which makes it a suitable pick for metalworking, woodworking and cutting other things like meat as well.
In this post:
Type of Bandsaws
Just like other power tools, the bandsaws can be categorized in two prime types that varies by purpose and shape. Let’s take a look:
1. By Purpose
This signifies how the bandsaw varies based on different materials.
Wood Band Saw
The authentic and traditional purpose why bandsaw was created was to cut through wood material. Therefore, it is not unusual for people to believe that these saws are only meant to cut wood, which make this variety vividly popular among others.
The saw comes handy while cutting smaller rabbets or large wood stocks. This indicates the versatility of the tool.
If you are buying for small-scale DIY projects or for your workshop then a smaller handheld bandsaw will work. However, the companies or professionals buy large-scale saws, operated to rip lumber and other wood varieties. One of the best things is that with these tools and machines, there is minimal wood wastage.
The operation of the wood bandsaw is similar to any other power saw. There is a continuous blade in a loop that runs to tear apart the wood stocks.
In the wood variant, there are three subcategories designed for different purposes.
- Double Cut Saw: These tools have teeth on both sides of the blade. These are available in tabletop, portable or industrial versions. Other than wood, the mechanism is so efficient that these saws are effective for metal and plastic cutting as well.
- Head Saws: These saws are particularly designed to handle hardwood cutting. The cutting edge has a row of large and wide-spaced teeth with a distance of 2 – 3 inches from one another. These can have deep impact on the material and they are meant to handle timber without getting stuck in them.
- Resaws: The purpose of these wooden bandsaws is to cut the wood pieces in smaller stocks. The heavy-duty saws are used in industries and cut the timber with minimal wastage.
While these saws are a mandatory inclusion in the tool set, they do have one disadvantage and that is the finishing of the cut wood is not too neat.
Metal Band Saw
Photo: Milwaukee
As the name justifies, the metal bandsaws are ideally used to cut metal material. These saws look very different from a wood bandsaw. The blade is a varying feature of this saw. Unlike the wood saw, the metal bandsaw blade has smaller teeth and runs on a lower speed to effectively cut the material.
These saws are further categorized in two types:
- Horizontal Metal Bandsaw: The horizontal version is more common and cut the pieces in smaller sizer. The working mechanism is towards the down position.
- Vertical Metal Bandsaw: These saws are meant to handle more intricate tasks and popularly used by the craftsmen for filing, polishing, and contour cutting jobs.
There are some unique features in metal bandsaw that you don’t get in a wood bandsaw. First, these come with a coolant to keep the saw well lubricated and cool. Also, there are brush wheels to prevent flying metal chips.
Meat Bandsaw
Photo: sharpteksupply.com
In this category, the last type is meat bandsaw that you can use for cutting and carving different meat types. The saw blades are constructed with stainless-steel material, so you have to spend less time in cleaning and maintaining them.
These saws are not only reserved for butchers and professionals but people with passion and love for meat will also appreciate the performance of these saws. They are also able to make sausage making spout.
2. By Shape
There is a little versatility as far as shape of bandsaw is concerned.
Handheld
Photo: DeWalt
Handheld, also known as portable bandsaw is pretty lightweight. People who have to move a lot for work will appreciate the lightweight and portability feature.
If you think there is anything to complain about the performance then there isn’t because the handheld saws are pretty good with creating curved lines and intricate cuts.
Also, they are able to cut down large timbers in small pieces. The best thing is that you can take the bandsaw to the wood instead of taking wood to the bandsaw.
Horizontal Bandsaw
Photo: Sealey
The horizontal bandsaws specialize in cutting wood horizontally. These are among the broader saws. It is very easy to cut the longer material to smaller sizes and helps in producing complicated shapes and curved lines.
You have to hold the material stationery and the blades swings down through the material to make cuts. Once the cut is finished, the saw will automatically stop. This will prevent injuries.
Well, the horizontal ones are able to cut wood, plastics, and metal and there are no heat-affected zones which makes them safe in operation.
Vertical Bandsaw
Photo: makehaven.org
The cutting type of vertical bandsaw is different from others. The saw is constant and the material that has to be cut moves.
There is a lot of versatility in how a vertical bandsaw works. It can make complicated cuts and shapes. Moreover, you can get precision cuts and straight lines with utmost ease. This way, the vertical saws are all-rounders among other categories in bandsaws.
They have amazing cutting capacity and can handle a variety of materials. Plus, there are brush wheels installed in the frame that help in preventing the chips from sticking in metal teeth.
Among the most interesting things about vertical saws is that they also have a built-in welder. It is used for creating new blades and repairing the ones that have lost their edge.
Conclusion
The bandsaws come in different shapes and suitable for a variety of purposes. Well, these are extremely essential for DIYers and professionals who wish to cut metal and wood in different shapes and styles. You should make sure to purchase a suitable product for the task you are doing and the rest of the work will be handled by the saw itself.