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| + | The bandsaw is generally defined as a saw blade in the form of an endless steel band that rotates around two or more wheels. This blade is a continuous metal band with teeth on one side. As the wheels rotate, so does the band, which creates the continuous sawing action. Because the direction of the blade is always downward toward the table, there is little danger (except for special cuts) that the wood will be thrown back at the operator, which is called a kickback. For safety reasons many woodworkers prefer the bandsaw especially when cutting small pieces. The unique feature of the bandsaw is that the workpiece can be rotated around the blade creating a curve. It is the tool most often used when curves have to be cut in wood. Because the bandsaw blade is fairly thin, it can cut thick stock with a minimum of horsepower. For this reason the bandsaw is often used when valuable pieces of wood are made into a thin piece of veneer. |
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| + | Although the bandsaw is usually associated with cutting curves, a variety of straight cuts are easily made with the saw. In fact, it is often used to rip wood because it is much safer than a radial arm saw and also has a smaller saw cut, so it wastes less wood. This becomes very important when using expensive wood where waste must be kept to a minimum. The cut is safer because the force of the cut is straight down on the table; the work cannot be pulled back or kicked back, which sometimes happens with table or radial arm saws. The bandsaw can also cut very thick stock, which the radial arm, or table saw cannot do. The disadvantage of cutting with the bandsaw is that the surface finish of the cut is not as good as with the table or radial arm saw. |