A band saw blade comprising: a body extending in an endless ribbon; a cutting edge on a first side of said body, said cutting edge defining a plurality of cutting teeth configured to engage and remove material from a workpiece during movement of said body across the workpiece in a cutting direction, said plurality of teeth including at least one sequence of teeth having a variable height with a tooth height variation defined by a difference in height between a height of a tallest tooth of said sequence and a height of a shortest tooth of said sequence; a back edge on a second side of said body opposite of said first side; a series of notches formed in said back edge, said back edge otherwise flat, said series arranged in said back edge in a repeating pattern, and said series of notches having: a first continuously arcuate notch having a first radius of curvature and a first width along said back edge and extending into said back edge a first depth; a second continuously arcuate notch having a second radius of curvature and a second width along said back edge and extending into said back edge said first depth, said second continuously arcuate notch adjacent to said first continuously arcuate notch along said back edge and spaced a first distance from said first continuously arcuate notch along said back edge; and a third continuously arcuate notch having a third radius of curvature and a third width along said back edge and extending into said back edge said first depth, said third continuously arcuate notch adjacent to said second continuously arcuate notch along said back edge and spaced said first distance from said second continuously arcuate notch along said back edge, said second continuously arcuate notch thus positioned between said first continuously arcuate notch and said third continuously arcuate notch along said back edge; and characterized in that said first radius of curvature and said second radius of curvature and said third radius of curvature are all different from one another. a body extending in an endless ribbon; a cutting edge on a first side of said body, said cutting edge defining a plurality of cutting teeth configured to engage and remove material from a workpiece during movement of said body across the workpiece in a cutting direction, said plurality of teeth including at least one sequence of teeth having a variable height with a tooth height variation defined by a difference in height between a height of a tallest tooth of said sequence and a height of a shortest tooth of said sequence; a back edge on a second side of said body opposite of said first side; a series of notches formed in said back edge, said back edge otherwise flat, said series arranged in said back edge in a repeating pattern, and said series of notches having: a first continuously arcuate notch having a first radius of curvature and a first width along said back edge and extending into said back edge a first depth; a second continuously arcuate notch having a second radius of curvature and a second width along said back edge and extending into said back edge said first depth, said second continuously arcuate notch adjacent to said first continuously arcuate notch along said back edge and spaced a first distance from said first continuously arcuate notch along said back edge; and a third continuously arcuate notch having a third radius of curvature and a third width along said back edge and extending into said back edge said first depth, said third continuously arcuate notch adjacent to said second continuously arcuate notch along said back edge and spaced said first distance from said second continuously arcuate notch along said back edge, said second continuously arcuate notch thus positioned between said first continuously arcuate notch and said third continuously arcuate notch along said back edge; and a first continuously arcuate notch having a first radius of curvature and a first width along said back edge and extending into said back edge a first depth; a second continuously arcuate notch having a second radius of curvature and a second width along said back edge and extending into said back edge said first depth, said second continuously arcuate notch adjacent to said first continuously arcuate notch along said back edge and spaced a first distance from said first continuously arcuate notch along said back edge; and a third continuously arcuate notch having a third radius of curvature and a third width along said back edge and extending into said back edge said first depth, said third continuously arcuate notch adjacent to said second continuously arcuate notch along said back edge and spaced said first distance from said second continuously arcuate notch along said back edge, said second continuously arcuate notch thus positioned between said first continuously arcuate notch and said third continuously arcuate notch along said back edge; and characterized in that said first radius of curvature and said second radius of curvature and said third radius of curvature are all different from one another.