Carpentry/Hand Tools/Saws  From Wikibooks, open books for an
open world Jump to: navigation, search   The two main types of
handsaws in the western world are the crosscut saw and the
ripsaw. The teeth on a ripsaw are like a row of chisels, each
used to sever a fiber of wood as they pass parallel to the
grain. The teeth on a crosscut saw are like a row of knives,
each used to slice across the wood fiber as they pass
perpendicular to the grain. As its name suggests, a crosscut saw
is used to cut wood perpendicular or at an angle to the wood
grain. The crosscut saw typically has more teeth per inch than
the ripsaw. A crosscut saw can also be used to cut plywood. The
ripsaw is only used to cut wood in the same direction as the
grain. The ripsaw makes a very rough and ragged cut when used to
cut across the grain. The crosscut saw is a better all-purpose
saw since you can cut with or against the grain. Although it can
tend to follow the wood grain and make it harder to make a
straight cut with the grain.  Both of t