What is Rip Cut or Cross Cut?
What is the difference between a rip cut and a cross cut and how do you cut these with a circular saw?
08/11/2019
When you’re in the pursuit of doing some woodwork by yourself, this is something that you’ll have to go through with plenty of research. It’s wrong for you to simply get right into it, without even having a quick background. Else, you might fall into the trap of starting a wood project, but then end up doing it wrongly. Once you get started, when done correctly, your project can go even better than you’ve initially intended.
In woodworking, two of the most common terms that you’re going to come across are rip cuts and crosscuts. But, what is the difference between a rip cut and a cross-cut, and how do you cut these with a circular saw? You will often hear woodworkers and DIY enthusiasts talk about doing a rip cut or a cross-cut. When you are starting out in DIY, these terms can be a bit confusing a first, but this article looks at the difference between a rip cut and a cross-cut and how you would undertake these two different cuts using a circular saw.
What is a Rip Cut?
Woodworkers and DIY enthusiasts alike often talk about doing a rip cut for projects. Watch any YouTube video where large sheets or timber or board are cut down to size and they will refer to a rip cut. All rip cuts follow the grain of the wood from one end to the other. This cut cuts parallel with the grain and is an easy cut to do using a circular saw or other cutting tools, including a handsaw.
Because you’re cutting through by following the grain of the wood, this can also be easier to do, in comparison with other forms of cuts. So, if you’re a beginner, a rip cut is one of the best first cuts for you to learn and master.
Cutting from one end of a piece of timber or board to the other end, and following the grain, can be performed with a table saw, circular saw or most other types of power saws.
When using power saws, blades designed for rip cuts can be identified by the smaller number of larger teeth. There are a variety of combination blades that can be used specifically for ripping and cross-cutting.
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What is a Cross Cut?
As the name implies, a cross cut is done across or through the grain. In other words, you are cutting board from side-to-side rather than top-to-bottom. For a clean, safe cross cut you need to use a blade that has far smaller teeth than a rip cut blade, to ensure you achieve a clean cut. Opposite to the rip cut, the cross-cut is used for woodworking projects that require you to go perpendicular with the grain of the wood.
How a blade cuts best is determined, in part, by the number of teeth, the size of the gullet (gap between the teeth), the tooth configuration and the angle of the cutting teeth.
Using a Circular Saw for Rip Cuts or Cross Cuts
When you’re in the market for a circular saw, you can be overwhelmed by how many different brands and types of circular saws there are on the market. To ensure you get the right tool for your type of cutting projects, there are a few things to consider:
• Corded or cordless Circular Saw
If you often cut larger boards down to size, or prefer to cut your own pieces for projects, corded circular saws continue to be popular among DIY enthusiasts and professionals.
“Today, both corded and cordless brands offer the same features, power and torque and will do the job,” said Greg De Villiers of Vermont Sales. "In South Africa, and as a regular user, I would certainly go for the cordless option and the portability it offers. You also never have to worry about working on site or anywhere outdoors,” said de Villiers.
A corded circular saw offers consistent power that doesn't fade with long or continued use, but does requires direct access to electrical outlet. However, the disadvantage of a corded circular saw is that they are not that mobile, and the cord can get in the way. If you’re buying your first circular saw, a corded saw probably the best way to go. In general, you’ll get more cutting power and capacity for less money.
With a cordless circular saw you will have power decreases as the battery drains, but many top models have long lasting batteries.
The bottom line is that one needs to look at the cost and what is best suited and meets your needs.
• Choosing the right blade for cutting
One of the biggest frustrations DIY enthusiasts come across when using a circular saw is rough cutting results. Circular saws come with blades that are made for making fast rip cuts or for smooth rip cuts.
Using these blades for cross cutting or diagonal cuts will give you bad results. This is easily fixed by swapping the blade with a “fine cut” or cross cutting blade. This type of blade has more teeth with sharp carbide tips that will produce a smooth, clean cut.
That said, these facts only highlight even more the very reason why it’s important to choose the right blade at all times. If you’re still a beginner and you need help in choosing the right blade, here are some tips for you to follow:
● Determine the primary purpose in which the blade will be used
● Factor in the kind of materials that the blade of the saw will have to cut
● Consider also the types of cuts that the blade will have to make
● Check for the manufacturer’s instructions or recommendations as to the blade that will have to be used
Final Word
After reading through this content, now it’s easier and more effortless for you to decipher precisely the right cut that you should use, whenever you’re doing some DIY woodwork in your home. Just because you’re doing a DIY, this doesn’t mean that the quality of your woodwork should suffer. As, in fact, when done correctly, it may even look better and more well done than that which is created by the experts. A quick background on these different forms of cuts will have you working on that project like a pro.