01
Find and identify your machine model label ↗︎
Find your machine’s model number, type and configuration on its identification plate, and the details to keep when you look up blades or belts.
A note from the reference bench
Workshop guides
Plain explanations for before you order a blade or belt, and for when you fit it. They stay general: for the settings on your exact machine, its manual comes first.
Before you order
02
Understand blade and sanding belt dimensions ↗︎
Understand sanding belt width and loop length, bandsaw blade length and width, metric and inch units, and why the exact machine configuration matters.
03
How to measure a bandsaw blade or sanding belt ↗︎
Find the size of an old belt or blade: measure width, thickness and teeth per inch, and work out blade length from the wheels.
04
Metric and inch sizes: is 150 × 1220 mm the same as 6 × 48 in? ↗︎
Why one belt is listed as 6 × 48 in and as 150 × 1220 mm, how far apart the two figures really are, and the inch and metric pairs in our catalogue.
05
What a bandsaw’s specifications mean ↗︎
Wheel size, throat, depth of cut, blade length, motor power and speeds: what the numbers on a bandsaw’s spec sheet tell you, and which ones matter for blades.
06
Bandsaw, jigsaw or scroll saw? ↗︎
Which saw suits which curved and straight cuts, what each one does best, and what it means for the blades you buy.
07
Choosing a belt sander ↗︎
Handheld, bench or belt and disc: which kind of belt sander suits which work, and why the belt size it takes matters before you buy.
08
Ordering a bandsaw blade welded to length ↗︎
When a blade in your length is hard to find: what to tell a supplier who welds blades to order, and what to check when it arrives.
09
Glossary of bandsaw and sanding belt terms ↗︎
Plain explanations of the words used for bandsaw blades, sanding belts and the machines that run them, from kerf and gullet to platen and tracking.
Bandsaw blades
10
Bandsaw blade width and the tightest curve it can cut ↗︎
Published charts of the tightest curve each bandsaw blade width can cut, what your saw’s width range allows, and how relief cuts help.
11
Choosing bandsaw blade TPI and tooth shape ↗︎
How many teeth per inch to choose for the thickness you cut, and what regular, skip, hook and variable-pitch teeth are for.
12
Carbon, bi-metal or carbide bandsaw blades ↗︎
What bandsaw blades are made of, what each material is good at, and when a dearer blade pays for itself.
13
Straight cuts on a bandsaw: ripping and crosscutting ↗︎
Ripping along the grain with the fence, crosscutting with the mitre gauge, supporting long boards, and why a bandsaw cut needs cleaning up.
14
Cutting curves and circles on a bandsaw ↗︎
Choosing the blade, planning the cut, relief cuts, and a simple jig for cutting accurate circles on a bandsaw.
15
Resawing on a bandsaw ↗︎
Cutting thick boards into thinner ones: the blade to use, setting up the fence for drift, and how riser blocks and blade tension affect the result.
16
Cutting small parts and thin stock safely ↗︎
Push sticks, carrier boards, zero-clearance inserts and other ways to cut small pieces and thin strips on a bandsaw with your fingers clear.
17
Cutting logs, branches and bowl blanks on a bandsaw ↗︎
Why round wood is dangerous on a bandsaw, how a sled or cradle holds it, and the blade and setup for green wood and bowl blanks.
18
Cutting aluminium and plastics on a bandsaw ↗︎
When a bandsaw can cut non-ferrous metal and plastics, the blade and speed they need, and why steel needs a metal-cutting saw.
19
Blades for benchtop bandsaws ↗︎
The blade lengths and widths small benchtop bandsaws take, why two similar saws can need lengths 25 mm apart, and the sizes documented in our catalogue.
20
Blades for floor-standing bandsaws ↗︎
Blade lengths and width ranges for floor-standing bandsaws, from 2240 mm and 93-1/2 in to large resaw machines, with the sizes documented in our catalogue.
21
Portable band saw blades: lengths and teeth ↗︎
The blade lengths portable and cordless band saws take, from compact saws to deep-cut models, and how to choose teeth for the metal you cut.
22
Cutting pipe, rod and strut with a portable band saw ↗︎
Clamping the work, letting the saw’s weight do the cutting, choosing the blade for the wall thickness, and finishing the cut cleanly.
23
Blades for small metal-cutting bandsaws ↗︎
Blade lengths for horizontal and vertical metal-cutting bandsaws, what sizes like “4 × 6” describe, and how to choose teeth for solid bar, tube and profiles.
24
Riser blocks: why a bandsaw can take two blade lengths ↗︎
How a riser block changes a 14-inch bandsaw’s blade length, with the figures manufacturers give for standard and raised saws.
Sanding belts
25
Belts for handheld belt sanders ↗︎
The common belt sizes for handheld belt sanders, from 3 × 18 in to 100 × 610 mm, and what else to check besides the size.
26
Using a handheld belt sander ↗︎
How to sand flat with a handheld belt sander without gouging: starting and stopping, direction, pressure and when to change grit.
27
Looking after a belt sander ↗︎
Cleaning, the platen and its pad, rollers, carbon brushes and the dust path: the routine that keeps a belt sander tracking and cutting well.
28
Belts for bench belt sanders ↗︎
Belt sizes for bench and stationary belt sanders, from 1 × 30 in to 6 × 48 in and wide industrial belts, with the sizes documented in our catalogue.
29
Shaping on a bench or belt and disc sander ↗︎
Sanding to a line, squaring ends, shaping curves and working end grain on a bench belt sander or a belt and disc sander, safely.
30
Belts for belt and disc sanders ↗︎
The belt sizes belt and disc sanders take, mostly 4 × 36 in and 6 × 48 in and their metric figures, and what to check for the disc.
31
Belts for edge sanders ↗︎
Long belts for oscillating edge sanders: why lengths vary so much between models, and the sizes documented in our catalogue.
32
Belts for belt files ↗︎
The narrow belts power files take, from 9 × 533 mm to 13 × 457 mm, and why one Makita file is documented under three sizes.
33
Belts for belt grinders and linishers ↗︎
Belt sizes for belt grinders, from small combination grinders to 2 × 72 in knife grinders and wide linishers, with the sizes documented in our catalogue.
34
Sharpening tools on a belt sander or grinder ↗︎
Grinding and honing edges on a belt sander or belt grinder: belts to use, keeping the angle, and keeping the steel cool so it keeps its temper.
35
Sanding belt grits and abrasives ↗︎
What P and CAMI grit numbers mean, which grits to use for which job, and how aluminium oxide, zirconia, ceramic and silicon carbide belts differ.
36
Sanding belt joints and running direction ↗︎
How sanding belts are joined into a loop, the difference between lap and butt joints, and why some belts must run one way only.
Fixing problems
37
Bandsaw blade problems: breaking, drifting and burning ↗︎
Common reasons a bandsaw blade breaks, wanders off the line, burns or cuts wavy, and what to check first.
38
Sanding belt problems: tracking, snapping and clogging ↗︎
Why a sanding belt wanders, breaks at the joint, slips or clogs, and how to clean a loaded belt.
Changing blades and belts
39
How to change a bandsaw blade ↗︎
The general steps for changing a bandsaw blade: release the tension, fit it the right way round, tension, track and set the guides.
40
How to change a sanding belt ↗︎
The general steps for changing a sanding belt: release the tension, match the direction arrow, re-tension and set the tracking.
41
How to fold and store a bandsaw blade ↗︎
Folding a bandsaw blade into three loops safely, opening it again without it springing at you, and storing blades so they stay sharp and straight.
42
When to replace a blade or belt ↗︎
The signs that a bandsaw blade or sanding belt is worn out, what keeps them going longer, and how to dispose of old ones.
Setting up the bandsaw
43
Setting bandsaw blade tension and tracking ↗︎
How tight a bandsaw blade should be, the checks woodworkers use besides the tension scale, and how to set where the blade runs on the wheels.
44
Setting bandsaw blade guides ↗︎
What the blade guides and thrust bearings do, how blocks and bearings differ, and the order for setting them after a blade change.
45
Squaring the bandsaw table and setting the fence ↗︎
Checking that the table is square to the blade, setting the tilt stop, aligning the fence, and allowing for drift.
46
Bandsaw blade speed explained ↗︎
How fast a bandsaw blade travels, how to work it out from wheel size and motor speed, and why wood, aluminium and steel need very different speeds.
47
Bandsaw tyres: checking and replacing them ↗︎
What the tyres on bandsaw wheels do, signs they need replacing, the difference between rubber and urethane tyres, and how a new tyre affects tracking.
48
Looking after a bandsaw ↗︎
Cleaning out sawdust, keeping the table free of rust, checking tyres, guides and bearings, and the small jobs that keep a bandsaw cutting well.
In the workshop
49
Storing sanding belts ↗︎
The temperature and humidity abrasive makers recommend, why damp or dry air ruins belts, and how to store and hang them in a home workshop.
50
Keeping a spares list of blades and belts ↗︎
Which blades and belts to keep in stock for your machines, how many, and how to keep the sizes to hand when you reorder.
51
Organising a small workshop around your machines ↗︎
Planning space for a bandsaw and sanders in a small shop: room for long boards, mobile bases, light, power, dust extraction and somewhere for blades and belts.
52
Dust extraction for bandsaws and sanders ↗︎
Why fine wood dust matters, how to extract it at the machine, which vacuum to use for cleaning up, and when to wear a mask as well.
53
Buying a used bandsaw or belt sander ↗︎
What to check on a second-hand bandsaw or belt sander before you pay, from the model plate and blade size to tyres, bearings and guides.
54
Bandsaw safety basics ↗︎
The habits that keep fingers away from a bandsaw blade: guard height, push sticks, round stock, backing out of cuts, and broken blades.