Q:
What’s the difference between hook-tooth and skip-tooth bandsaw blades?
Harrison Fortson, San Pedro, CA
A:
The difference is the shape of the teeth, which has a noticeable impact on how each type of blade performs.
As the name suggests, the teeth on hook-tooth blades resemble hooks, raked aggressively forward. They cut quickly, but the sides of the kerf are rougher and there is noticeable tearout along the bottom of the workpiece, where the teeth exit the wood. They are best used just for ripping boards to rough size.
Skip-tooth blades have a less-aggressive rake angle and so make cuts more slowly, but the cuts are much smoother and cleaner. They are a better choice for general use. I outfit all six of the bandsaws in my shop with skip-tooth blades. I use 1/2-in.-wide, 3-tpi (teeth per inch) blades for ripping stock, resawing, and cutting joinery. For cutting curves, I use 1/4-in.-wide and 1/8-in.-wide blades, both with 4 tpi.
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Comments
I am having trouble finding a 3 TPI skip tooth blade for my Delta 14" online. It needs a 93 1/2" blade where can I find these.
Thank you
Paul Northfield
You can order blades of any size from a good manufacturer. I recently bought a bunch of blades from Olson because they're in manufactured in my hometown. I've been very impressed so far. Call them up and they'll make them exactly how you want them.
Hey Ben! I cannot figure this out. Does skip tooth only describe the tooth geometry? I.e. skip toothe does not omit every second tooth? Google images show both things so I cannot decipher what is what. Thanks <3
@ben: were you able to pick up from them? I live near by but it seemed that they did not have a will call / warehouse and I'd have to have the blades shipped @>$10
If you order over the phone they can do a pickup order.
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