The Wikus Bandsaw Blades we carry have 4% Chrome in the beam, which gives the blade extra strength & rigidity compared to the standard spring steel backing other manufacturers use, and we generally see 1.5 to 4 times the blade life because of this! But to optimize Blade Life you need to break in the blade correctly and run the correct speeds and feeds. Here are our recommendations:
Run Blade at Full Speed Listed Below and ½ Feed Rate for first 3-10 cuts (depending on size of material: if 4” Diameter then 3 cuts but if 1” Diameter then closer to 10 cuts). Then incrementally increase feed rate to full feed rate listed.
Steel, Low Carbon (1018, 12L14) Steel, Alloy (4140, 4340, 8620)
Diameter |
SFPM |
Sq In/Min |
Cut Time |
Diameter |
SFPM |
Sq In/Min |
Cut Time |
|
1/2" |
260 |
2.3-4 |
3-6 Sec |
1/2" |
200 |
1.5-2.5 |
5-9 Sec |
|
1" |
260 |
4.0-6.0 |
8-12 Sec |
1" |
200 |
2.5-4 |
12-19 Sec |
|
1-1/2" |
260 |
5.5-8.0 |
14-20 Sec |
1-1/2" |
200 |
3.0-5.0 |
21-36 Sec |
|
2-1/2" |
260 |
6.0-9.0 |
33-50 Sec |
2-1/2" |
200 |
4.0-6.0 |
49s-1m13s |
|
4" |
260 |
8-11.6 |
1m4s-1m34s |
4" |
200 |
4.5-7.5 |
1m40s-2m47s |
Stainless Steel (304, 316) Aluminum (6061, 7075)
Diameter |
SFPM |
Sq In/Min |
Cut Time |
Diameter |
SFPM |
Sq In/Min |
Cut Time |
|
1/2" |
130 |
1-1.5 |
8-12 Sec |
1/2" |
394 |
5.5-13 |
1-3 Sec |
|
1" |
130 |
1-1.5 |
30-50 Sec |
1" |
394 |
7.5-8.5 |
5-6 Sec |
|
1-1/2" |
120 |
1.5-2 |
55-70 Sec |
1-1/2" |
394 |
11.0-26.0 |
10 Sec |
|
2-1/2" |
120 |
1.5-2 |
2m30s-3m15s |
2-1/2" |
394 |
15-33 |
20 Sec |
|
4" |
115 |
2-2.5 |
5m-6m20s |
4" |
394 |
20-40 |
40 Sec |
If you have any questions or need specific speeds and feeds for a specific material or Diameter not listed Contact Us and we will get you an answer right away!
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