Category:Vertical Band Saws -- Wood Cutting

Wood Cutting Band Saw
Band Saw "Bullwinkle" in the Wood Shop
General Info
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Description

The cutting blade in a band saw is a continuous loop that travels through the machine on pulleys. In a vertical band saw, the blade travels vertically through a slot in a table, and workpieces are hand-fed through the blade to make a cut.

Wood-grain affects the forces and motions during cutting in a saw, so there is a ripping fence and a miter gauge as in a table saw. With metal cutting, the workpiece is usually clamped in a vise.

Parts of a typical band saw.

Use For

• Dry, flat lumber

• Boards

• Plywood sheets that fit within the tool width

• Logs, carvings, or other irregular lumber if supported properly

Do Not Use For

• Pressure-treated

• Wet lumber

• Plastic

• Metal or metal-coated

• Composites

Safety Notes

This is a familiar tool that can deceive the user into believing that they can operate it casually.

Do not relax safety protocols or or treat this tool as anything but a potentially lethal hazard.

		Eye and lung protection required!

Personal:

• Always wear safety glasses. Eyeglasses are not safety glasses.

Keep fingers away!

• No loose clothing. Tie up long hair. No jewelry.

• Wear non-slip shoes and keep a stable stance to avoid falling or leaning against the blade.

• Do not wear gloves. Gloves can be drawn in by the moving blade, causing very serious injury.

• Hearing protection is recommended.

• Always use the dust collector. Both band saws in the Wood Shop are connected to the central dust collector (Coral AF/4C)

		Dust collection required!

• All forms of dust are hazardous. Wear a dust mask to avoid exposure.

• Do not cut hazardous materials such as pressure-treated lumber.

Tool:

• Always lower the blade guard to the lowest point that will allow a cut.

• Always unplug the tool before servicing.

• Remove adjusting keys and wrenches before switching on the tool.

• Keep safety guards in place at all times.

A generic rip fence. Fences on saws in the Wood Shop may have a different profile.

• Use a push stick when feeding small pieces into the saw.

Accessories

Rip Fence

Wood-cutting band saws have similar accessories to those on a table saw. The most important is the rip fence.

This accessory guides the workpiece lengthwise at a fixed distance through the blade. It clamps in place using the handle shown.

Important Use a push stick to finish cuts. Keep hands and fingers away from the blade at all times.

Miter Gauge

A generic miter gauge.

A miter gauge is used for cross-cutting or for making miter cuts. To use it, remove the rip fence and seat the gauge in the slot on the table.

Tilting the table

Many band saws have a feature allowing the operator to tilt the table to make bevel cuts. Please check with the shop lead whether these types of cuts are allowed on a particular tool.

Underneath the table there may be a tilting gauge for bevel cuts.