This page is about choosing, not explaining. How rip and crosscut teeth work, what tooth counts mean and how a saw is made are covered in the handsaw guide; the three kinds of backsaw in the backsaw guide; pull saws in the Japanese saw guide. Here the question is simpler: which saw suits the work you do?
Note— How this guide was made
It compares types of saw and their published specifications. No saw was tested for it, no product is ranked, and no price or rating appears. Where makers’ figures differ, the range is given.
Start from the work
Four questions decide most of the choice. Which way does the grain run in the cuts you make most — along it or across it? How thick is the stock? Are the cuts rough sizing or finished joinery? And will you sharpen the saw, or replace it when it dulls? The table maps common tasks to the type of saw that suits them.
| Task | Saw type | Teeth per inch | Blade: replaceable or resharpenable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rough dimensioning: ripping boards along the grain | Full-size rip saw | Coarse: 4½ tpi on Pax’s rip saw; 5–8 tpi typical | Resharpenable |
| Crosscutting boards to length | Crosscut handsaw or panel saw | 7 tpi on Pax’s crosscut saw; 8–12 tpi typical | Resharpenable, or a hardpoint saw that is replaced |
| General workshop cutting, mixed rips and crosscuts | A ryoba, or a general-purpose hardpoint saw | Ryoba: 8 tpi rip edge and 15 tpi crosscut edge (Gyokucho #610) | Usually replaceable blade or replaced saw |
| Fine crosscuts at the bench | Crosscut backsaw (carcass saw), or a fine panel saw | 14 ppi on Lie-Nielsen’s carcass saw; 10 tpi on Pax’s panel saw | Resharpenable |
| Dovetails | Rip-filed dovetail saw, or a rip dozuki | 14 tpi for ½–¾ in stock and 20 tpi for ½ in and thinner (Veritas) | Resharpenable; dozuki blades replaceable |
| Tenons | Rip tenon saw for cheeks; crosscut carcass saw for shoulders | 9–11 on tenon saws; 12–14 on crosscut backsaws | Resharpenable |
| Flush cutting dowels and plugs | Flush-cut saw with no set | 25 tpi on Gyokucho’s #1150 | Replaced when dull |
| Curves and waste in joinery | Coping saw | 10 or 15 tpi on Olson’s blades | Blades replaced |
Tooth counts are examples from particular makers and typical ranges from a saw reference; other saws differ. Lie-Nielsen quotes points per inch and most others teeth per inch — ppi is one more than tpi, so convert before comparing. For curves, see the coping saw guide.
If you buy one saw first
There is no single right first saw; there is a right first saw for the work you are about to do. Two paths cover most people starting out.
Two starting points
- Mostly sizing boards and sheet
- A general-purpose saw that crosscuts well and will rip when needed: a ryoba, with a rip and a crosscut edge on one plate, or a hardpoint saw. Richard Maguire describes hardpoint saws as optimised for crosscutting and slower when ripping, so they suit work that is mostly crosscuts.
- Mostly joinery at the bench
- A backsaw sized to your stock. A crosscut carcass saw handles shoulders, small parts and dado edges; a rip dovetail saw handles dovetails and small tenon cheeks. Check the depth under the spine against the deepest joint you plan to cut.
Both paths assume you know where the cut goes and how to start it. The guide to cutting straight covers that for any saw — a well-chosen saw will not correct a poor start.
When a second saw is justified
- You rip often with a crosscut or hardpoint saw. It will cut, but slowly. A rip saw, or the rip edge of a ryoba, does the job with less effort.
- Your joints need more precision than a panel saw gives. A backsaw’s stiffened thin plate and fine teeth are made for shallow, accurate cuts.
- Your joints are deeper than your backsaw’s spine allows. Published depths run from about 1 9⁄16 in on Veritas’s dovetail saw to nearly 4 in on its tenon saws, and from 1⅝ to 3 in across Lie-Nielsen’s range. A tenon longer than the depth under the spine needs a bigger saw.
- You trim dowels, plugs or through-joints flush. A flush-cut saw has no set, so it will not scratch the surface it lies on.
- You cut curves. No straight saw replaces a coping saw.
Specifications that matter
| Specification | What to look for | Why | How it varies |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tooth form | Rip, crosscut, or two edges on one plate | Matches the grain direction of the cuts you make most | Named on most saws; general-purpose saws vary by maker |
| Pitch | A tooth count suited to your stock thickness | Too fine clogs in thick stock; too coarse is hard to start in thin stock | Veritas pairs 14 tpi with ½–¾ in stock and 20 tpi with ½ in and thinner |
| Depth under the spine | More than your deepest joint | The spine stops the cut | About 1 9⁄16 in to nearly 4 in across the backsaws cited here |
| Plate and set | A straight plate with light, even set | A narrow kerf helps the saw track the line | Plates of 0.020–0.024 in and set of 0.003–0.004 in per side on the backsaws cited here |
| Blade system | Resharpenable teeth, or replacement blades you can buy | Decides what you do when the saw dulls | Hardened teeth cannot be filed; unhardened teeth can |
| Length | A stroke that suits your arm and where you saw | A longer plate takes a longer stroke | Pax full-size saws run from 20 to 28 in |
| Handle | A grip that points the saw along the line | Control, especially in joinery | Veritas shapes its backsaw handle so the index finger rests on the spine |
For how pitch, set and kerf relate, see the handsaw guide.
What matters less than it seems
- A tooth or two either way. The difference between two pitches close to each other matters less than whether the pitch suits your stock and the teeth suit the grain direction.
- Headline tooth counts in different units. A 15 ppi saw and a 14 tpi saw have the same pitch. Convert before comparing (ppi = tpi + 1).
- Labels such as “universal” or “all-purpose”. Look at what the teeth are designed to do; a saw optimised for crosscutting still rips more slowly.
- Cosmetic finish. The handle wood and plate finish do not change how the teeth cut. Fit and straightness do.
- Length within a few inches. It changes the stroke, not the kind of cut the saw makes.
Maintenance you are choosing
Choosing a saw also chooses how it is kept sharp. The two systems suit different workshops; neither is right for everyone.
Two ways to keep a saw cutting
- Resharpenable teeth
- Filed and set again when dull, many times over the life of the saw. Veritas notes that its high-carbon steel teeth can be resharpened; Lie-Nielsen names the taper files it uses — a 5 in double extra slim file for its carcass saws and a 6 in file for its tenon saws. You will need the files and the skill, or a saw sharpener.
- Hardened teeth
- Induction- or impulse-hardened teeth stay sharp longer but cannot be filed. A hardpoint saw is replaced; many pull saws take a replacement blade — Gyokucho sells one for its #610 ryoba. Before buying a replaceable-blade saw, check that blades for it are available.
Either way, the plate needs care. Veritas recommends storing its saws with the blade protector in place, a light coat of silicone-free wax against rust, and paraffin wax rubbed on the plate so that it runs smoothly in the cut — and advises against beeswax, which gums up.
Common buying mistakes
- Buying a crosscut or hardpoint saw for work that is mostly ripping.
- Buying a dovetail saw for tenons deeper than its spine allows.
- Buying fine teeth for thick stock, or coarse teeth for thin stock.
- Comparing a points-per-inch figure with a teeth-per-inch figure without converting.
- Buying a replaceable-blade saw without checking that replacement blades are available.
- Buying several saws before knowing which cuts you make most.
Specification checklist
Before you buy a saw
- The tooth form matches the grain direction of most of your cuts.
- The pitch suits the thickness of your usual stock.
- Tooth counts from different makers are converted to one unit.
- A backsaw’s depth under the spine exceeds your deepest joint.
- The plate is straight, and the set is light and even.
- You know whether the teeth can be resharpened or the blade replaced.
- Replacement blades are available, if the saw uses them.
- The handle fits your hand and points the saw along the line.
Sources
This guide is specification-based: it compares types of saw and published specifications, and no saw was tested for it. Figures are the makers’ own, for particular saws, and are given as examples of how specifications vary rather than as standards.
- 1.
Small Joinery Saws — instructions. Veritas Tools Inc., 2019.
Used for: Matching tooth count to stock thickness (14 tpi for ½ to ¾ in, 20 tpi for ½ in and thinner); rip filing for dovetails and crosscut filing for shoulders.
- 2.
Carcass Saws — instructions. Veritas Tools Inc., 2018.
Used for: Resharpenable high-carbon steel teeth; care: storing with the blade protector, silicone-free wax against rust, paraffin wax on the plate, and no beeswax.
- 3.
Veritas Dovetail Saws. Veritas Tools Inc. / Lee Valley.
Used for: A cut depth of about 1 9⁄16 in and a 0.020 in plate.
- 4.
Veritas Rip & Crosscut Tenon Saws. Veritas Tools Inc. / Lee Valley.
Used for: A cut depth of nearly 4 in, a 0.024 in plate, and 9 tpi rip or 12 tpi crosscut teeth.
- 5.
Dovetail Saw (1-SAW-DS) specifications. Lie-Nielsen Toolworks.
Used for: A 1⅝ in depth under the spine, 0.020 in plate and 0.003 in set, quoted in points per inch (15 ppi).
- 6.
Carcass Saw specifications. Lie-Nielsen Toolworks.
Used for: A 2¼ in depth, 14 ppi crosscut teeth, its uses (shoulders, dado edges, cuts across the grain) and the 5 in double extra slim taper file used to sharpen it.
- 7.
Tapered Tenon Saw specifications. Lie-Nielsen Toolworks.
Used for: A depth of 2⅝ in at the toe and 3 in at the heel, 11 ppi rip, 0.004 in set, and the 6 in double extra slim taper file used to sharpen it.
- 8.
Coping Blades and Saws. Olson Saw.
Used for: Coping-saw blades at 10 and 15 tpi.
- 9.
Pax Handsaws. Thomas Flinn & Co.
Used for: One maker’s full-size saws: rip at 4½ tpi, crosscut at 7 tpi and panel saws at 10 tpi, in 20 to 28 in lengths; resharpenable, taper-ground plates.
- 10.
Luther Shealy. What You Need to Know About Western-Style Hand Saws. RobCosman.com.
Used for: Typical tooth counts by saw type, and saw length as a matter of the user’s build and where the saw is used.
- 11.
Gyokucho #610 Ryoba (Double-Sided) Saw — specifications. Hida Tool.
Used for: A ryoba with 15 tpi crosscut and 8 tpi rip edges on one plate, impulse-hardened teeth that cannot be sharpened, and a replacement blade sold separately.
- 12.
Gyokucho #1150 Flush Cut Saw — specifications. Hida Tool.
Used for: A flush-cut saw at 25 tpi whose teeth have no set.
- 13.
Hand Saw Guide: Types, How to Use & Sharpening Tips. RS Components.
Used for: Hardpoint saws with induction-hardened teeth are replaced rather than resharpened; coarse, medium and fine tooth-count bands.
- 14.
Richard Maguire. The Hardpoint Saw. The English Woodworker.
Used for: Hardpoint saws are optimised for crosscutting, rip more slowly, and are designed for trade use.
- 15.
Saw Tooth Geometry. Blackburn Tools.
Used for: ppi = tpi + 1, for comparing tooth counts quoted in different units.
About this buying guide
Written by BenchRoot Editorial. How BenchRoot sources, checks and corrects its pages is set out in the Editorial Policy. If something here is wrong or unclear, the contact page explains how to tell us.