The bending out of the blade’s teeth, left or right, and away from the blade is known as tooth set. It works to give a straighter cut. Tooth set clears the chips from the kerf, allowing the band back to clear the cut without binding or becoming stuck in the material.
The set will vary depending on the intended cut. A rip saw has a tooth set similar to the angle used on a chisel, ripping the material apart. A flush-cut saw has no set on one side, allowing the saw to be laid out flat onto a surface and cut without scratching.
The set of a blade’s teeth can be adjusted using a saw tooth setter.
There are four common types of tooth set: Raker or Regular, Wavy, Every Tooth (E.T.S.), and Variable or Modified.
RAKER or Regular Set consists of a repetitive pattern with one tooth set to the right, the next to the left, and the third (called the raker tooth) without a set. This set type is best on uniform size material. It is also used in contour sawing. The usage of this tooth set is usually for cutting thick and solid metals and sections on horizontal cut-off machines. Also applicable for contour cutting and resawing on vertical band machines.
EVERY TOOTH Set (E.T.S.) is similar to the regular set pattern but without the raker or unset tooth. All teeth are set right and left in an alternating and repeating pattern, providing one-third more cutting teeth. They are especially good for use in foundries sawing non-ferrous castings. Excellent for wood cutting applications and provides a faster cut with a smoother finish.
WAVY Set blades have set teeth to the left and right, alternating throughout the band. This reduces strain that occurs on individually set teeth, making the saw more suitable for different shapes and thickness without changing blades. The design also helps to eliminate tooth stripping when sawing thin sections of the material and is recommended for light duty bandsaw machines. Used mainly for cutting thinner section tubes, pipes, thin sheets, and other small shapes. Wavy set offers a range of applications superior to the raker/regular set.
VARIABLE or MODIFIED tooth set consists of teeth set alternately right and left at regular intervals, but with a raker tooth left-right-left-right-raker pattern. Excellent for cutting a variety of shapes and pipe from 15ml thickness on up. A good choice for cutting wood on any 2-wheel, vertical, stationary bandsaw.
