Start from the cut
Four kinds of cut cover almost all saw work in wood. A rip runs along the grain — the direction in which, the Wood Handbook explains, most of the wood's cells lie — and a crosscut runs across it; the two are different jobs, which is why saws are filed for one or the other or made as a compromise. A curve needs a narrow blade that can turn in its own kerf. A joint needs a stiff, fine saw that stops exactly at a line. Marking the line and keeping a cut on it are explained in how to cut wood straight; this page is about choosing the kind of saw.
Hand saws
| Family | What it is for | Explained on |
|---|---|---|
| Handsaw (panel saw) | Ripping and crosscutting boards to size; filed rip, crosscut or as a compromise | Handsaws |
| Backsaw: dovetail, carcass, tenon | Joinery; a spine stiffens the plate and limits the depth | Backsaws; using one for crosscuts |
| Japanese pull saw: ryoba, dozuki, kataba | Thin plates that cut on the pull stroke; often replaceable blades | Japanese saws |
| Frame saws: coping, fret | Curves and waste removal, with a thin blade held in tension | Coping saws |
| Small saws: razor, flush-cut | Detail cuts, small parts, pegs and plugs | Choosing a small hand saw |
A map, not a ranking. Each page gives its makers' own figures.
Size and tooth count vary within every family, and makers count teeth differently: Lie-Nielsen gives its 10 in dovetail saw as 15 ppi (points per inch), while Zona gives its 4-1/2 in razor saw as 42 tpi (teeth per inch). How the two counts relate, what rip and crosscut teeth do, and how set and plate thickness make the kerf are explained in the handsaw guide; why a pull saw's plate can be thinner is in the Japanese saw guide.
A bow saw is a frame saw too: a wider blade held in tension in a wooden or metal frame, used for curves and for cuts the frame can reach round. The coping saw is its small relative for tight curves and dovetail waste.
Equipment notePaid link
42 tpi ultra-thin-kerf razor saw
Zona 35-150
Zona's 35-150, the 4-1/2 in razor saw this section counts at 42 tpi: a .008 in blade with 7/16 in of cutting depth that cuts on the pull stroke, by Zona.
Paid link — BenchRoot may earn a commission if you buy through this link.
Power saws
| Saw | What it is for | Explained on |
|---|---|---|
| Table saw | Rips, repeated straight cuts and grooves, the work fed past a fixed blade | Table saws |
| Circular saw | Portable straight cuts in boards and sheets | Circular saws |
| Track saw | Long, straight cuts in sheet goods along a guide rail | Track saws |
| Miter saw | Crosscuts and angled cuts to length | Miter saws |
| Band saw | Curves and resawing boards into thinner ones | Band saws |
| Jigsaw and scroll saw | Tight curves and cut-outs | Scroll saws: Scroll saws; jigsaws: Jigsaws |
A map, not a ranking. Each machine's safety rules and capacities are on its own pages.
For a small shop choosing among compact machines, choosing a benchtop saw matches the work to the benchtop table saw, compact miter saw, benchtop band saw or a small hand saw.
Which saw for which cut
| Cut | By hand | By machine |
|---|---|---|
| Rip a board to width | A rip-filed handsaw, or a ryoba's rip edge | Table saw or band saw |
| Crosscut to length | A crosscut handsaw, or a backsaw for small parts | Miter saw, or a table saw with a sled |
| Cut sheet goods | A panel saw for occasional cuts | Track saw or circular saw |
| Cut a joint | A backsaw or Japanese saw sized to the joint | A table saw or band saw for some joints |
| Cut a curve | A coping, fret or bow saw | Band saw, jigsaw or scroll saw |
| Trim a peg or plug flush | A flush-cut saw | Not usually a machine job |
Common matches, not rules; a general-purpose saw can make the other cuts, more slowly or less cleanly.
Hand saws are not harmless
A hand saw has no motor, but OSHA's guide to hand and power tools puts the greatest hazards of hand tools down to misuse and poor maintenance. Its rules for saws are short: direct the blade away from aisles and from anyone working close by; a dull tool is more hazardous than a sharp one; take a cracked saw blade out of service; and keep wooden handles free of splinters.
Safety— Hold the work, not the line
Clamp or hook the work so that your free hand is never in the path the saw would take if it jumped out of the kerf, and support the offcut. Each power saw's rules are on its own pages; the general rules are in woodworking safety rules.
Before choosing a saw for a cut
- The cut: rip, crosscut, curve or joint
- The stock: its thickness and size
- How many identical cuts, and how exact
- Whether the work comes to the saw or the saw goes to the work
- The saw sharp, uncracked and with a sound handle
Sources
A routing page: the examples are each maker's own figures for one saw, kept in the maker's terms (Lie-Nielsen counts points per inch, Zona teeth per inch). Tooth geometry, set and kerf, push and pull saws, and each power saw are covered on their own BenchRoot pages and are not repeated here. No saw is ranked against another family.
- 1.
Chapter 3: Structure and Function of Wood. USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory — Wood Handbook, FPL-GTR-282, 2021.
Used for: Most of the cells of wood running lengthwise in the trunk — the grain — which is why a cut along it (a rip) and a cut across it (a crosscut) are different jobs.
- 2.
Dovetail Saw (1-SAW-DS) specifications. Lie-Nielsen Toolworks.
Used for: A backsaw as an example: Lie-Nielsen's dovetail saw with a 10 in blade, 1⅝ in deep under its spine, filed 15 ppi rip; dovetailing described as a ripping operation.
- 3.
Ultra Thin Kerf Razor Saw 42tpi (35-150). Zona Tool Co..
Used for: A small saw as an example: Zona's 42 tpi razor saw with a 4-1/2 in blade, 7/16 in cutting depth and a steel back, cutting on the pull stroke.
- 4.
Hand and Power Tools (OSHA 3080). Occupational Safety and Health Administration, 2002 (revised).
Used for: The greatest hazards of hand tools coming from misuse and improper maintenance; saw blades directed away from aisles and other people; dull tools causing more hazards than sharp ones; cracked saw blades removed from service; wooden handles not splintered.
About this guide
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