The number of teeth per inch on all types of blades affects the type of cut you achieve. Coarse-tooth blades have fewer teeth per inch than finer tooth blades. Typically, coarse blades with fewer, larger teeth are used to cut wood, while blades that create a finer cut with several, smaller teeth are ideal for metal cutting.
Regular tooth band-saw blades are made with straight-faced teeth. These blades have deep gullets between each tooth and typically are used for general metal cutting and for achieving smooth cuts in woodworking.
A hook-tooth band-saw blade features deep gullets like a regular tooth blade but the teeth are widely spaced and they have a 10-degree undercut face, which is designed for high-speed, coarse cuts. A hook-tooth blade is used to cut hard, nonferrous alloys, hardwoods and plastics.
Skip-tooth blades look similar to a hook-tooth blade, but they have a straight 90-degree tooth and a sharp angle where the tooth and gullet meet. This type of tooth is used for general woodwork and to cut soft, nonferrous metals, which tend to gum and clog the blade when cutting.
Variable-tooth blades, which also are called broach-tooth blades, have teeth with varying angles and gullet depths. This type of tooth reduces vibrations, which is useful when cutting in and out of holes and slots. The variable-tooth blades is an all-purpose blade used for general woodworking and contouring.
When looking for band-saw blades, you may hear the word "sets." This refers to the arrangement of the blades. Each type of blade may have teeth arranged in a couple of ways. Raker-set blades have one tooth set to the right, one tooth set to the left and a straight tooth. This is used for cutting wood and coarse metals. Wavy-set blades have teeth set in groups that gradually set to the left and right, making them resemble a wavy pattern. This typically is a fine-tooth blade used to cut thin materials and small sections such as metal sheets, tubes and small shapes.
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