Q: How does a saw’s design and blade twist relate to operation cost and cutting performance?

Similar to machine tools, the better that vibration is dampened and isolated from the cutting process, the greater the overall performance. These gains are realized by making accurate cuts faster, and with greater blade life. Increased blade life has two benefits: obviously the cost savings of using less blades, and with the additional production time from the saw. As an example: If a saw was bundle cutting two bars side by side with a 30 second cycle time, and a blade change takes 20 minutes. In that 20 minutes, 80 parts could have been cut, saving one blade per month could produce another 960 parts per year. Some amount of blade twist exists on nearly all band saws, twisting the blade adds fatigue and reduces blade life. Saws that have less angle on their band wheels introduce less twist, which extends the life of the blade, again saving time and money.