Ripsaws, utilized for cutting along the grain of the wood,
will encounter less resistance and thus have bigger and fewer teeth than the
crosscut—typically from 5 1/2 to 6 points to the inch. The teeth are slanted at
almost 90 degrees so that wood fibers could be ripped as well as cut. For
cutting thick stock, a coarser tooth is needed—for thin stock, a fine tooth.
Because every tooth rips, no bevel is needed on the edge of the tooth, as it is
on the crosscut saw. Carpenters liken the ripsaw with a row of chisels pushing
forwards.
by TipWriter