Saw Feed Rate: How to Calculate Feed Speed
Saw feed rate = bite per tooth × teeth × RPM. How to calculate feed speed for circular and band saws without burning or stalling.
The feed rate formula
Feed speed vf equals the bite per tooth (fz) times the number of teeth (z) times blade speed (n): vf = fz × z × n. For a circular saw this comes out in mm/min; divide by 1,000 for m/min.
Worked example
A 24-tooth blade at 4,000 rpm with a 0.05 mm bite per tooth: vf = 0.05 × 24 × 4,000 = 4,800 mm/min ≈ 4.8 m/min. Hardwoods and dense panels call for a smaller bite, softwoods a larger one.
Signs your feed is wrong
Too slow: burning, glazing, dulling — the blade rubs instead of cutting. Too fast: motor overload, wander, rough cut faces. A clean chip and a steady motor sound mean the feed is right.
Band saws
On band saws think in bite per tooth, teeth per meter and blade speed (m/min): vf = fz × teeth-per-meter × blade speed. Example: 0.05 mm bite, 6 teeth/cm, 700 m/min blade speed → feed ≈ 21 m/min.
Feed for routers and mills
Milling uses the same idea — feed per tooth times flutes times rpm. The Feeds & speeds computes it with chip-load presets per material, so router and CNC feeds stay consistent with the saw math above.