KEVOS® MAKEOS · Manufacturing
Bandsaw Cutting Plan (Time, Bars, Blades and Cost per Cut)
How long will this batch of saw cuts take, how many bars and blades will it use, and what does each cut cost?
Plan of a bandsaw cut-off job: section area and cutting time per cut from the cutting rate in area per minute (as the bandsaw time tool), cuts per hour with handling, pieces per bar after kerf and end allowance, bars needed, blades used from the blade life in area cut, blade changes, total time against the hours available, and cost per cut from machine time and blades.
Open the calculatorRuns in your browser. No account needed.
How this tool works
Inputs, units and where to find them
| Input | Unit | Typical source |
|---|---|---|
| Section | choice | Shape of the bar. |
| Diameter or width | mm | Diameter of a round bar or tube, or width of a rectangular bar. |
| Height or tube wall | mm | Height of a rectangular bar, or wall thickness of a tube. |
| Cutting rate | cm²/min | Area the saw cuts per minute in this material (from the saw maker or your records). |
| Handling time per cut | s | Time to index the bar, clamp and unclamp per cut. |
| Cuts in the batch | Number of pieces to cut. | |
| Piece length | mm | Length of each piece. |
| Kerf | mm | Width of the saw cut. |
| Bar length | mm | Length of the stock bars. |
| End allowance per bar | mm | Unusable length at the bar ends (squaring cut and remnant). |
| Blade life (area cut) | cm² | Area a blade cuts before it needs changing (your records). |
| Blade price | $ | Price of a blade. |
| Blade change time | min | Time to change a blade. |
| Machine and labour rate | $/h | Machine plus operator rate. |
| Hours available | h | Time available to finish the batch. |
Method and formulas
- Area: π a² ÷ 4 (round), a b (rectangle), π [a² − (a − 2b)²] ÷ 4 (tube); time per cut = area ÷ rate (as the bandsaw time tool).
- Pieces per bar = ⌊(bar − ends) ÷ (piece + kerf)⌋; bars = cuts ÷ pieces per bar (rounded up).
- Blades used = cuts × area ÷ life; blade changes = blades used rounded up − 1.
- Total time = cuts × (cut time + handling) + changes × change time; cost per cut = (rate × time + blades × price) ÷ cuts.
- Example: 200 cuts take 8.7117 h using 9 bars and 3.1416 blades; each cut costs about 3.556.
Limitations
- Constant cutting rate; blade wear slows the last cuts on each blade.
- Bundle cutting of several bars at once is not modelled.
- Example values are illustrations. Replace them with values for your actual task.
Typical uses
- Plan a cut-off batch for a shift
- Quote sawing cost per piece
- Work out bar stock to order
Who it is for
- Saw operators
- Estimators
- Production planners
What you get
- Area, time per cut and cuts per hour
- Pieces per bar and bars needed
- Blades, total time and cost per cut
Interpreting the result
- On large sections blade cost can rival machine time: a better blade often pays for itself.
References
- Machinery’s Handbook, 29th edition (Industrial Press, 2012), printed pp. 1182–1192. Topic reference; no source tables or recommended settings are reproduced.
WORKOS tools are screening and decision-support utilities. Verify important financial, engineering, safety, legal or operational decisions using appropriate professional standards and your organisation’s approved data.
Open the Bandsaw Cutting Plan (Time, Bars, Blades and Cost per Cut) calculator
