Cutting steel should be simple. You measure, you cut, and you move on to the next job. But in reality, that’s not always how it goes.
Your blade wears out too fast. The cut takes longer than it should. You’re constantly adjusting settings, replacing blades, or dealing with inaccurate cuts that cost time and money.
If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. The good news? The solution isn’t as complicated as it seems.
Why Is Bandsaw Cutting So Frustrating?
Think of your bandsaw operation like a puzzle—if one piece is missing, everything else suffers. The most common challenges come down to three key areas:
1️. Using the Wrong Blade for the Job
Too many teeth, not enough teeth, or the wrong blade type altogether? The wrong choice slows down cutting and wears out blades faster than necessary.
2️. Inefficient Setup & Machine Settings
If your feed rate, speed, or coolant aren’t dialed in correctly, your blade won’t perform at its best. Worse still, it could break prematurely.
3️. Material Handling Slowdowns
If your workflow isn’t smooth, every cut adds wasted time and effort, making the whole process feel like a drag.
How to Solve the Bandsaw Puzzle
The right blade, setup, and cutting strategy can completely transform your workflow. Here’s what to focus on:
✅ Select the Right Tooth Pitch
A fine-pitch blade works best on thin materials, while a coarse pitch is better for solid steel. Too many teeth, and the gullets clog. Too few, and the cut becomes rough and inefficient. Here’s a guide on getting it right.
✅ Dial in Your Feed & Speed
Every steel type has an ideal cutting speed. Running too fast burns up your blade. Too slow, and you waste time—and you can still churn through blades (yes, contradictory, but true). Small tweaks to machine settings can make a huge difference, even something as simple as using a swarf-clearing brush can extend blade life by over 30%.
✅ Keep Your Blades Cool
Heat and friction are the enemies of any cutting process. The right coolant mix keeps your blade sharp longer, prevents overheating, and ensures a smooth cut. Switching from flood coolant to misting oil can reduce waste while significantly improving blade life.
✅ Streamline Your Workflow
The fastest way to improve productivity isn’t just the cut itself—it’s what happens before and after. Organising materials, reducing setup times, and eliminating bottlenecks can save hours over a workweek.
When was the last time you measured how much time your bandsaw machine is actually cutting? From our time and motion studies, it’s rare for a bandsaw to be fully utilised more than 20% of the time—that’s just 12 minutes per hour. Check this out.
Excision roller tables and digital length stops have been proven to increase efficiency by up to 60%. In fact, one customer eliminated three bandsaw machines by replacing them with just one Excision machine equipped with a digital length stop.
Get More Done with Less Frustration
Imagine a cutting process where you don’t have to constantly swap out blades, fight through slow cuts, or deal with unexpected breakdowns.
With the right approach—and some Excision expertise—you can cut faster, reduce costs, and keep your operations running smoothly.
Want to fine-tune your cutting process? Check out our Learning Centre for expert tips, blade selection guides, and practical solutions you can apply today.
