Why do bandsaw blades for metal break? The most common problems
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Full article
Bandsaw cutting speed for metal: what blade speed should you set?
The speed of a bandsaw blade for metal depends on the material: cut structural steel at about 50–100 m/min, stainless at 30–40 m/min, and aluminium, copper or brass as fast as your saw allows. Below you'll find a cutting speed chart, the calculation from wheel rpm, speeds of popular saws and how to tell the speed is right.
Blade speed is given in metres per minute (m/min). Blades for metal run much slower than blades for wood: each tooth needs time to bite into the material and take a chip. We sell bimetal bandsaw blades for metal, and the figures in this article apply to them.
50–100 m/min
Structural steel
Ordinary S235 (St 37) steel, sections, tubes and solid bar. The larger the cross-section, the slower.
30–40 m/min
Stainless steel
Stainless and hard steels need a slow blade, steady feed and coolant.
top speed
Aluminium, copper, brass
Soft metals can take the highest speed your saw offers.
Rule of thumb: cut soft material faster and hard material slower, and large cross-sections a little slower than thin ones. The best way to tell whether the speed is right is by the chips.
Bandsaw blade speed for metal by material: titanium and stainless 10–40 m/min, structural steel 50–100 m/min, aluminium and copper 80+ m/min
Chart
Cutting speed by material
The figures apply to a bimetal blade and a cross-section of about 100 mm. Thin material can be cut roughly 10–15% faster, and cross-sections of 200 mm and over roughly 10–15% slower.
m/min
075150 m/min
Titanium and nickel alloysTi Grade 1 to 5, NiCr 20 TiAl
10–25
Heat-resistant and creep-resistant steels1.4841, 1.4922
10–30
Stainless steel1.4301 (AISI 304), 1.4571
30–40
Tool and high-speed steels1.2379, 1.2080, high-speed steel 35–45 m/min
30–60
Cast irongrey and ductile iron, mostly cut without coolant
30–60
Bearing and spring steels100 Cr 6, 50 CrV 4
35–60
Quenched and tempered steelsC 45, 42 CrMo 4
50–70
Structural steelsS235 (St 37), E295, E335
50–100
Free-cutting steels9 S 20, 45 S 20
80–120
Aluminium and its alloysyour saw's top speed
80+
Copper and brasstop speed; aluminium bronzes only 35–50 m/min
100+
For aluminium, copper and brass, blade manufacturers quote speeds of several hundred m/min. Ordinary metal-cutting bandsaws, however, top out at 80–144 m/min, so set your saw to its top speed.
For the speed of a specific steel by material number, see the detailed chart at the end of the article.
Your saw
What speed does your saw run at?
The speed on a saw is usually set in one of three ways:
●Variable speed – a rotary knob, often marked only with a tortoise (slow) and a hare (fast). The manual tells you how many m/min the two end positions correspond to.
●Two or three speeds – a switch or a belt on stepped pulleys. Use the lower speed for stainless, tool steel and large cross-sections, and the higher one for ordinary steel, aluminium and thin sections.
●One fixed speed – you can't change it. Instead, you fine-tune the cut with the feed (down-feed pressure), the tooth pitch and coolant.
Speeds of popular saws
| Saw | Blade speed | Blades |
|---|---|---|
| Parkside PMB 1100 B2 | 0–144 m/min (variable) | blades for this saw |
| Scheppach MBS 1100 | 42–144 m/min (variable) | blades for this saw |
| Femi ABS NG120 / NG160 | 35–80 m/min (variable) | NG120, NG160 |
| Bomar Ergonomic 320.250 DG | 40 / 80 m/min (2 speeds, with inverter 20–120 m/min) | blades for this saw |
| Pilous ARG 220 | 40 / 80 m/min (2 speeds, with inverter 15–90 m/min) | blades for this saw |
| Pilous ARG 235 / ARG 260 | 35 / 70 m/min (2 speeds, with inverter 15–90 m/min) | 235, 260 |
| Holzmann BS128HDR (400 V) | 23 / 33 / 56 m/min (3 speeds) | blades for this saw |
Based on manuals and manufacturers' websites. Older versions of the same saw may have different speeds, so check the manual or the machine's rating plate.
How to calculate and measure blade speed
If you can't find the speed in the manual, work it out from the wheel diameter and the number of times the wheel turns per minute:
Measuring the speed is even easier. With a stopwatch, time how long it takes the weld on the blade to pass the same point ten times. Multiply the blade length in metres by ten, divide by the time in seconds and multiply the result by 60.
Some saws give the speed in metres per second: 1 m/s = 60 m/min, so 2.4 m/s = 144 m/min. Keep the guards in place while measuring and keep your hands away from the blade.
Check
The chips tell you whether the speed is right
Look at the chips while you cut. They show whether the blade speed and the feed are matched:
ideal
Thin, curled, silvery
Correct. Speed and feed are both right.
Fine powder
The feed is too light. Increase the feed or reduce the speed.
Golden brown
The cut is overheating. Reduce the feed or the speed.
Blue and thick
Too much heat. Reduce the feed or the speed and check the coolant.
Too fast or too slow?
Speed too high
●tooth tips quickly go dull and discolour
●chips turn brown or even blue
●the blade overheats and wears out sooner
Speed too low
●teeth take too big a bite and break off
●the cut surface is rough
●cutting takes longer than it needs to
For other causes of stripped teeth and broken blades, see the article Why do band saw blades for metal break?
New blade
Run in a new blade first
A new blade has very sharp tooth tips. For the first 15–20 minutes, cut soft solid material at about half the usual feed and at a slightly lower speed than normal, roughly 70–80%. The chips should be fine. Then increase the speed and feed step by step. Full details in the article Running in a band saw blade for metal.
Cooling
●Ordinary and structural steels: mineral oil emulsion, 5–7% concentration.
●Hard steels and stainless: semi-synthetic emulsion, at least 10%.
●Very hard and tough materials: semi-synthetic coolant or oil, 10–15%.
●Cast iron and plastics are usually cut without coolant.
No coolant on your saw? Cool the blade by hand with emulsion, oil or at least water. More in the article Cooling a band saw blade for metal.
Which blade for which material
| Series | Best for |
|---|---|
| EPIC GP | ordinary structural steel, solid bar and sections |
| SBX | hollow and open sections, bundles; impact-resistant teeth |
| SiClone | stainless and tool steels, solid or thick-walled material |
| XP | hard and tough steels, tool and stainless grades, cast iron |
Choose the tooth pitch by the cross-section, see How to choose a bandsaw blade for metal.
Frequently asked questions
?What speed should I set for stainless steel?
30–40 m/min, with coolant and steady feed pressure. On a two-speed saw, choose the lower speed.
?My saw only has one speed. What can I do?
You can't change the speed, but you can fine-tune the cut with the feed and the tooth pitch. On hard materials, reduce the feed and use coolant. You can tell when it's right by the chips.
?How do I find the speed if it isn't marked on the saw?
Calculate it from the wheel diameter and rpm, or use a stopwatch to time the weld going round. The method is described above.
?Which blade for the Parkside PMB 1100 B2?
The size is 1140 × 13 × 0.65 mm; for ordinary sections and thinner material, a 10/14 TPI pitch is the most common choice. Everything about blades for this saw is in the article PARKSIDE metal bandsaw from Lidl.
In detail
Speed by material number
Bimetal blade, cross-section about 100 mm. Look up your material by its DIN designation or material number (W.Nr.).
| Group | Material | Material number | m/min |
|---|---|---|---|
| Structural steels | St 37-2 (S235JR) | 1.0037 | 80–100 |
| St 50-2 (E295) | 1.0050 | 60–85 | |
| St 60-2 (E335) | 1.0060 | 50–70 | |
| Case-hardening steels | C 10 | 1.0301 | 80–100 |
| 14 NiCr 14 | 1.5752 | 40–55 | |
| 21 NiCrMo 2 | 1.6523 | 50–60 | |
| 16 MnCr 5 | 1.7131 | 40–60 | |
| Free-cutting steels | 9 S 20 | 1.0711 | 80–120 |
| 45 S 20 | 1.0727 | 80–120 | |
| Quenched and tempered steels | C 45 | 1.0503 | 60–70 |
| 40 Mn 4 | 1.1157 | 60–70 | |
| 36 NiCr 6 | 1.5710 | 60–70 | |
| 34 CrNiMo 6 | 1.6582 | 50–65 | |
| 42 CrMo 4 | 1.7225 | 50–65 | |
| Bearing steels | 100 Cr 6 | 1.3505 | 35–50 |
| 100 CrMn 6 | 1.3520 | 35–50 | |
| Spring steels | 65 Si 7 | 1.5028 | 45–60 |
| 50 CrV 4 | 1.8159 | 45–60 | |
| Tool steels | C 125 W | 1.1563 | 40–60 |
| C 75 W | 1.1750 | 40–60 | |
| Cold-work tool steels | 125 Cr 1 | 1.2002 | 40–50 |
| X 210 Cr 12 | 1.2080 | 30–40 | |
| X 155 CrVMo 12 1 | 1.2379 | 30–40 | |
| X 42 Cr 13 | 1.2083 | 35–45 | |
| X 165 CrV 12 | 1.2201 | 30–45 | |
| 100 CrMo 5 | 1.2303 | 30–50 | |
| X 32 CrMoV 3 3 | 1.2365 | 45–60 | |
| 45 WCrV 7 | 1.2542 | 40–50 | |
| Hot-work tool steels | 56 NiCrMoV 7 | 1.2714 | 40–50 |
| High-speed steels | S 6-5-2-5 (E Mo5 Co5) | 1.3243 | 35–45 |
| S 2-10-1-8 (M 42) | 1.3247 | 35–45 | |
| S 6-5-2 (DMo5) | 1.3343 | 35–45 | |
| Valve steels | X 45 CrSi 9 3 | 1.4718 | 30–45 |
| X 45 CrNiW 18 9 | 1.4873 | 30–40 | |
| Creep-resistant steels | X 20 CrMoV 12 1 | 1.4922 | 10–30 |
| X 5 NiCrTi 26 15 | 1.4980 | 10–30 | |
| Heat-resistant steels | X 10 CrSi 6 | 1.4712 | 15–25 |
| X 10 CrAl 18 | 1.4742 | 15–25 | |
| X 15 CrNiSi 25 20 | 1.4841 | 15–25 | |
| Stainless steels | X 5 CrNi 18 10 (AISI 304) | 1.4301 | 30–40 |
| X 6 CrNiMoTi 17 12 2 (AISI 316Ti) | 1.4571 | 30–40 | |
| Cast steel | GS-38 | 1.0420 | 40–60 |
| GS-60 | 1.0558 | 40–60 | |
| Grey and ductile cast iron | GG-15 | 0.6015 | 30–60 |
| GG-30 | 0.6030 | 30–60 | |
| GGG-50 | 0.7050 | 30–60 | |
| GTW-40-05 | 0.8040 | 30–60 | |
| GTS-65-02 | 0.8165 | 30–60 | |
| Copper and brass | E-Cu58 (Cu-ETP) | 2.0065 | 100–400* |
| CuZn 31 Si 1 | 2.0490 | 100–400* | |
| Aluminium bronzes | CuAl 8 | 2.0920 | 35–50 |
| CuAl 10 Fe 3 Mn 2 | 2.0936 | 35–50 | |
| Tin bronzes | CuSn 6 | 2.1020 | 80–150 |
| CuSn 6 Zn 6 | 2.1080 | 80–150 | |
| Gunmetal (castings) | G-CuSn 10 Zn | 2.1086 | 50–100 |
| G-CuSn 5 ZnPb | 2.1096 | 50–100 | |
| Nickel alloys | NiCr 20 TiAl | 2.4631 | 10–25 |
| Aluminium and its alloys | Al 99,5 | 3.0255 | 80–800* |
| AlMgSiPb | 3.0615 | 80–800* | |
| G-AlSi 5 Mg | 3.2341 | 80–800* | |
| Titanium and its alloys | Ti 99,5 (Grade 1) | 3.7025 | 10–20 |
| TiAl 6 V 4 | 3.7165 | 10–20 | |
| Thermoplastics | PVC | – | 100–400 |
| Teflon, Hostalen T | – | 100–400 | |
| Composites | Resitex | – | 50–300 |
| Novotex | – | 50–300 |
* Aluminium, copper and brass: blade manufacturers quote up to several hundred m/min. Ordinary metal-cutting bandsaws top out at 80–144 m/min, so set your saw to its top speed.
Choose your blade
Your questions
Good day, we only offer such a fine tooth pitch (TPI 14/18) in a thickness of 0.5 mm, specifically as EPIC GP 1140 × 13 × 0.5 mm TPI 14/18. However, we would rather recommend trying the EPIC GP 1140 × 13 × 0.65 mm TPI 10/14 blade. For the Parkside PBM 1100 B2, tooth pitches TPI 10/14, 8/12, or 6/10 are usually used. Between us: TPI 14/18 is a very fine pitch and is mainly suitable for very thin cross-sections. Ideally, about 6–12 teeth should be in the cut at the same time. If there are 20, for example, tooth breakage frequently occurs.
With TPI 14/18, the optimum is: solid material up to approx. 10 mm in diameter, for profiles a wall thickness of approx. 2 mm
Be careful, for example, when exiting a square tube (e.g. 30 × 30 mm): At the end, you suddenly cut the full cross-section of 30 mm – and thus quickly have 20 teeth engaged.
The correct choice of tooth pitch can save you a lot of time and costs. We therefore recommend testing and comparing several pitches.
If you write to us what dimensions you are cutting, we will be happy to recommend a suitable tooth pitch.
Best regards
Your Dudr Saw Team