Band Saw

A bandsaw, also written band saw, is a power saw with a long, sharp blade made of a continuous band of toothed metal, its two ends welded together and stretched between two or more wheels that turn it to cut material. Used principally in woodworking, metalworking and lumber milling, though it can cut a wide variety of materials, its evenly distributed tooth load gives a uniform cutting action and its narrow blade lets it cut irregular or curved shapes much as a jigsaw does, the tightest curve it can cut being set by the width of the blade and its kerf. Most bandsaws have two wheels turning in the same plane, one of them powered, though some use three or four wheels to spread the load; the blade itself comes in many widths and tooth pitches, making the machine versatile enough to cut wood, metal and plastic alike, and it produces far less toxic fume and dust cutting metal than an angle grinder or a reciprocating saw does. Nearly every modern bandsaw is driven by an electric motor.