FAQ's

Frequently Asked Questions

• How many teeth should I have on my cold saw blade?
• What is the proper speed at which to cut my material?
• Do you have cold saw blades to fit my machine?

 

How many teeth should I have on my cold saw blade?

This is easy to answer in theory, but not so easy to calculate in practice. Typically, it is ideal to have about 2-4 teeth engaged in the work at all times for a cold saw blade (consider both walls of tubing when figuring this). Too few teeth may cut faster, but you risk stripping teeth or breaking the blade. Too many teeth may cut smooth, but your cut time will increase (lower production) and the blade will dull prematurely.

For those who don’t have the time or desire to learn and understand the calculation method, please use our industry first AutoTooth feature. AutoTooth automatically calculates the correct number of teeth, and tooth style, for the material shape and thickness that you are cutting. This is truly revolutionary for the customer. Find our New Blade Selector with AutoTooth under NEW BLADES/HIGH SPEED STEEL.

For those who wish to understand the technical aspects of tooth count.

The calculation itself is fairly straight forward. You can find all the necessary Conversion Calculators on our RESOURCES/CALCULATORS page. Let’s say you want to know how many teeth you would need on a 350mm diameter blade to cut 1” square solid.

• First, find the correct pitch for your application (distance from tip to tip).
  Take your stock width and divide by three (1” solid divided by 3 = .333”)
• Second, convert .333” to millimeters (.33” x 25.4 = 8.458mm tooth pitch).
• Third, multiply your machines blade diameter by pi, then divide this number
  by the pitch (350mm x 3.1416 = 1100mm, then 1100mm/8.458 = 130 teeth)

So, this says that you would need a 350mm x 130 tooth cold saw blade. But there are problems to consider. Depending on the material shape, the tooth count can vary greatly. Consider what is happening when cutting 1/8” wall x 2” wide square tubing in a flat position. In this situation you are cutting 1/4” solid as you cut the two side walls, and 2” solid as you exit the bottom.  Obviously you will not change blades in the middle of each cut, so an average has to be taken. This, and other factors, makes calculating the correct number of teeth difficult at best.

For this reason we highly recommend that you utilize our AutoTooth feature. And even if it suggests a tooth count different from what you wish to order, remember that you can switch back and forth between using AutoTooth and choosing the number of teeth yourself as often as you want. AutoTooth does not lock you into any one method during the order process.

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What is the proper speed at which to cut my material?

This is an important question to ask.  Consequences of running a cold saw blade (or cold cut blade) at too low an RPM (revolutions per minute) are poor cut quality, possible tooth breakage, and of course, low production. Conversely, running at too high of an RPM will prematurely dull the cold saw blade.

Some machines are variable speed, which gives you perfect control to be able to set the correct RPM. Most machines are two speed, giving you a choice of maybe 27 or 54 RPM, as an example. Some manufacturers offer their 2-speed machines in a low or a high range (either 27/54 RPM or 54/108 RPM). Lastly, there are machines that are single speed. The more control that you have of the RPM, the better performance you will experience over a greater range of materials, shapes and thicknesses. One good place to turn to is your machines’ owners’ manual. Many manuals have a good listing of cutting speeds for different applications.

We have listed recommended cutting speeds for common materials. You will notice that the speed is listed in SFM (surface feet per minute), even though your machine is controlled in RPM. This is because a 275mm blade turns at a much slower rim speed (SFM) than does a 350mm blade, even though they are both turning at the same RPM. So, to use the chart below, you need to first find the correct SFM for your application, then convert it to the correct RPM for your blade size with our ‘Calculate Surface Feet/Minute (SFM)’ conversion calculator found under RESOURSES/CALCULATORS.

                                            Material Type and Shape                                  SFM 

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Do you have cold saw blades to fit my machine?

Yes. We manufacture cold saw blades for virtually every machine on the market. The following is a list of many of the popular (and not so popular) machines for which we can supply blades.
 

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