* Bandsaws and reciprocating saw blades are often made with bimetal construction * The teeth, made of high speed steel, are bonded (by various methods, for example, electron beam welding or laser beam welding) to the high-strength carbon steel base * Such construction makes for blades with a better combination of cutting speed and durability than shown by non-bimetal blades, because the advantages and disadvantages of each of the metals are applied in the best locations: the teeth are harder (and thus cut better), but therefore also brittler; meanwhile, the body area of the band is softer (which would make for poorer teeth), but also less brittle, and thus more resistant to cracking and breaking (which is desirable in the body area) *

* Bandsaws and reciprocating saw blades are often made with bimetal construction * The teeth, made of high speed steel, are bonded (by various methods, for example, electron beam welding or laser beam welding) to the high-strength carbon steel base * Such construction makes for blades with a better combination of cutting speed and durability than shown by non-bimetal blades, because the advantages and disadvantages of each of the metals are applied in the best locations: the teeth are harder (and thus cut better), but therefore also brittler; meanwhile, the body area of the band is softer (which would make for poorer teeth), but also less brittle, and thus more resistant to cracking and breaking (which is desirable in the body area) *

*Carbon blades are the economical choice for general purpose and utility sawing operations. * These blades cut a wide variety of materials from carbon steels and aluminum to abrasive materials like fiberglass and wood *For Metal: Bandsaw blades normally get dull from use, but some precautions will give you longer than normal wear on the blades. Blades will dull quickly if used at too rapid a speed for the metal being cut. Also, if the metal to be cut is too hard for the pitch of the blade, you will experience abnormal wear * The most common cause of premature blade wear comes from using too fine a pitch blade and from feeding the blade too heavy * For Wood: Proper tracking of the blade is crucial to accurate cutting and considerably reduces blade breakage. The first step to ensuring good tracking is to check that the two band wheels are co-planar. This can be done by placing a straightedge across the front of the wheels and adjusting until each wheel touches. Rotate the wheels with the blade in position and properly tensioned and check that the tracking is correct. Now install the blade guide rollers and leave a gap of about 1 mm between the back of the blade and the guide flange. The teeth of blades that have become narrow through repeated sharpening will foul the front edge of the guide rollers due to their kerf set and force the blade out of alignment. This can be remedied by cutting of a small step on the rollers' front edges to accommodate the protruding teeth. Ideally the rollers should be crowned, a configuration that assists in the proper tracking of bands and belts, at the same time allowing clearance for the set of the teeth * Carbon blades are more flexible than bi-metal and suit contour work in wood *

* Bandsaws and reciprocating saw blades are often made with bimetal construction * The teeth, made of high speed steel, are bonded (by various methods, for example, electron beam welding or laser beam welding) to the high-strength carbon steel base * Such construction makes for blades with a better combination of cutting speed and durability than shown by non-bimetal blades, because the advantages and disadvantages of each of the metals are applied in the best locations: the teeth are harder (and thus cut better), but therefore also brittler; meanwhile, the body area of the band is softer (which would make for poorer teeth), but also less brittle, and thus more resistant to cracking and breaking (which is desirable in the body area) *