Manuals, spec sheets and shop listings use a lot of specialist words. These are the ones you will meet most often around bandsaw blades and sanding belts, in plain English. The guides linked in each entry go into more detail.
Bandsaw blades.
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Loop length | The length of the blade as a closed loop, measured all the way round. The figure that has to match your saw. See dimensions. |
| Width | The blade’s width from the back edge to the tips of the teeth. Narrow blades turn tighter curves. |
| Thickness (gauge) | The thickness of the blade body, such as 0.025 in (0.64 mm). Thin blades suit small wheels. |
| TPI | Teeth per inch: how many tooth tips there are in 25.4 mm of blade. See choosing TPI. |
| Pitch | The spacing of the teeth; another way of describing TPI. Variable pitch mixes two spacings, written for example 10/14. |
| Gullet | The curved hollow between two teeth that carries sawdust out of the cut. |
| Rake angle | The angle of a tooth’s cutting face. 0° is square to the blade; a positive rake leans forward and cuts more aggressively. |
| Regular, skip, hook | The three common tooth forms: evenly spaced 0° teeth, widely spaced 0° teeth, and widely spaced teeth with positive rake. |
| Set | The way teeth are bent slightly left and right, so the cut is wider than the blade body and the blade doesn’t bind. |
| Kerf | The width of the cut a blade makes, set by the set of its teeth. |
| Bi-metal | A blade with hardened high-speed steel teeth welded to a flexible steel back. See blade materials. |
| Drift (lead) | A blade’s tendency to cut slightly off square to the table edge, so the fence has to be angled to suit. |
| Resawing | Cutting a board on its edge into thinner boards. See resawing. |
| Relief cut | A short straight cut into the waste, made before a curve so the blade doesn’t have to twist. |
The bandsaw.
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Tyre | The rubber or urethane band on each wheel that cushions and grips the blade. See bandsaw tyres. |
| Crown | A slight rounding of a wheel or tyre that helps the blade stay centred. |
| Tension | How tightly the blade is stretched between the wheels. |
| Tracking | Where the blade runs across the width of the wheels, set by tilting the upper wheel. See tension and tracking. |
| Guides | Blocks or bearings above and below the table that stop the blade twisting sideways. |
| Thrust bearing | The bearing behind the blade that stops it being pushed back when you feed the work. |
| Throat | The distance from the blade to the frame column: the widest piece you can cut through the middle. |
| Depth of cut | The height between the table and the upper guide at its highest. |
| Riser block | A casting that raises a saw’s upper half for more depth of cut, needing a longer blade. See riser blocks. |
Sanding belts.
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Grit | The size of the abrasive grains; higher numbers are finer. P-numbers follow the FEPA scale. See grits and abrasives. |
| Grain (abrasive) | The material of the abrasive: aluminium oxide, zirconia, ceramic or silicon carbide. |
| Backing | The cloth or paper the grains are glued to. |
| Open and closed coat | Whether the grains are spaced out (open, clogs less) or cover the backing completely (closed, cuts faster). |
| Joint (splice) | Where the two ends of the belt are joined into a loop. Many joints are made to run one way, shown by an arrow. |
| Platen | The flat plate behind the belt that you press the work against, often with a cork or graphite cover. |
| Loading and glazing | A belt filled with dust and resin (loading) or with dull, shiny grains (glazing). See sanding belt problems. |
| Contact wheel | A wheel on a belt grinder that the belt runs over, used for hollow grinding and shaping. |
On BenchRefill.
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Documented | A manufacturer source states every required dimension for that exact machine and configuration, and we have checked it. See how we source sizes. |
| Configuration | A version of a machine: a country version, or a factory option such as a riser block. Each can take a different blade or belt. |
| Nominal size | The size a blade or belt is sold as, which may be rounded from its exact figure. See metric and inch sizes. |