band saw

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

• noun A power saw used in woodworking, consisting essentially of a toothed metal band coupled to and continuously driven around the circumferences of two wheels.

from The Century Dictionary.

• noun An endless narrow band or ribbon of steel with a serrated edge, passing over two large wheels, which give a continuous uniform motion instead of the reciprocating action of the jig-saw. It was invented by William Newberry of London. Also called belt-saw and endless saw.
• noun This power-tool has in recent years become one of the most important used in woodworking. Band-saws range from small machines, employing fine, slender saws in cabinet-work, up to large machines used in sawing logs. They are used in scroll-sawing, as cut-off saws, rip-saws, and resaws, and in the largest sawmills. The smaller saws are fitted with tilting work-tables, and the resaws have feed-rolls to guide the material to the saw. Band-sawmills are supplied with log-carriages and are fitted with all the log-handling machines and tools used in first-class sawmills. In all types appliances are provided to secure the proper tension of the saw on the wheels. In saw mills the aim is to bring the log close up to the point where the band leaves the upper wheel, this being the most effective sawing-point. The chief advantage of the band-saw over the circular saw is in economy of material because of the narrow band-saw kerf.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

• noun Alternative spelling of bandsaw.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

• noun an endless saw consisting of a toothed metal band that is driven around two wheels
• noun an endless saw consisting of a toothed metal band that is driven around two wheels