Bandsaw

[3] Constant flexing of the blade over the wheels caused either the material or the joint welding it into a loop to fail.

Nearly 40 years passed before Frenchwoman Anne Paulin Crepin devised a welding technique overcoming this hurdle.

Combining this method with new steel alloys and advanced tempering techniques allowed Perin to create the first modern bandsaw blade.

[6] Power hacksaws (with reciprocating blades) were once common in the metalworking industries, but bandsaws and cold saws have mostly displaced them.

Many workshops in residential garages or basements and in light industry contain small or medium-sized bandsaws that can cut wood, metal, or plastic.

Portable power tool versions, including cordless models, are also common in recent decades, allowing building contractors to bring them along on the truck to the jobsite.

Saws for cutting meat are typically of all stainless steel construction with easy to clean features.

The blades either have fine teeth with heat treated tips, or have plain or scalloped knife edges.

Metal-cutting bandsaws are usually equipped with brushes or brushwheels to prevent chips from becoming stuck in between the blade's teeth.

More sophisticated versions of this type of saw are partially or entirely automated (via PLC or CNC) for high-volume cutting of machining blanks.

A vertical bandsaw, also called a contour saw, keeps the blade's path stationary while the workpiece is moved across it.

These saws are often fitted with a built-in air blower to cool the blade and to blow chips away from the cut area giving the operator a clear view of the work.

The woodworking type is generally of much lighter construction and does not incorporate a power feed mechanism, coolant, or welder.

Bimetal blades with high speed steel teeth, including cobalt grades, are now the norm.

New materials and processes such as M51 steel and the cryogenic treatment of blades have produced results that were thought impossible just a few years ago.

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, (see belt_and_pulley_systems) a configuration that assists in the proper tracking of bands and belts, at the same time allowing clearance for the set of the teeth.