Basic Saw Types and Blades

Koch (1964), Quelch (1972, 1977) and Williston (1989) provide detailed accounts of tooth geometry, saw doctoring and saw characteristics. 

Steel for bandsaws comes in rolls. The desired length is cut and teeth are punched before welding into a continuous band. This invisible joint has to sustain endless flexing on the wheels of the bandsaw. 

The set provides clearance between the gauge of the blade and the wood. 

Blades are tensioned. In this process the metal a little back from the tip is stretched thus allowing the blade to run straight when centrifugal forces (with circular saws) and the heating of the teeth cause the metal on the outer edge of the blade to expand. 

Tensioning of circular saw blades involves carefully hammering or squeezing the blade between narrow rolls in a zone about half to two-thirds of the way from the centre to the periphery so that the metal there is very slightly thinner with the metal being spread out sideways. The blade is pre-strained. However the metal in the 

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