Overview
ISO 7294:1983 defines the terminology and designation system for saw tooth profile shapes used in woodworking saws. It provides standardized names, letter symbols and dimensional terms for the tops and roots of saw teeth on hand or machine saw blades. The standard is expressly not intended to standardize specific tooth types and its designation system does not apply to saw blades with hard‑metal (carbide) tips. Annexes provide English–French indexes and equivalent Italian terms.
Key topics
- Terminology for tooth elements: standardized names for gullet (gullet area), face, flank (first/second flank), root, point, heel and top.
- Dimensional symbols and definitions: common dimensions used in tooth geometry, including:
- distance between points, gullet width, tooth height, heel height
- gullet radius, tooth pitch, blade thickness
- clearance angle, wedge (sharpness) angle, rake (cutting) angle
- cutting edge angles, set (left/right) and overall set (kerf width)
- Letter‑symbol classification for tooth tops and roots:
- Top profiles classified by number of points, symmetry, point shape, flank shape (straight, broken, curved) and rake (positive/zero/negative).
- Root profiles classified by gullet shape (radiused or straight) and face shape (straight or curved).
- Final designation = letter symbol for top + letter symbol for root (e.g., NV, KU). When root shape is not specified, the top symbol alone may be used.
- Language support: Annex A and B list English ↔ French equivalents; Annex C supplies equivalent Italian terms (published under responsibility of the Italian member body).
Applications and users
ISO 7294 is valuable for:
- Saw blade manufacturers and tooling engineers - to describe tooth geometry consistently in design, production and specifications.
- Quality control and inspection - to verify that tooth profiles and critical angles are described and measured using common terms.
- Procurement and technical documentation - for unambiguous part descriptions and ordering of blades for woodworking machinery.
- Standards writers, translators and educators - for consistent multilingual terminology (English, French, Italian).
- Machine tool and woodworking equipment OEMs - when referencing tooth profiles in manuals and interface specifications.
Practical use cases include specification sheets, drawing notes, inspection protocols, and training materials where precise, standardized tooth geometry language improves communication and reduces errors.
Related standards
ISO 7294 references ISO work on basic cutting tool geometry (Basic quantities in cutting and grinding - geometry of the active part of cutting tools) for fundamental definitions. Users should consult that ISO for broader tool‑geometry terms when applying ISO 7294 in design and metrology.