How to Choose Between Rip, Cross and Combination Knives for Your Woodworking Project
Saw blades come in many different types, and knowing the difference will save you time and additional trips to the hardware store. Using the correct blade will also make it easier to cut and improve the look, so here are the most common blade types you will look for and when to use them.
When to buy cut-off knives
Rip saws are the most common type of saw blade used in table and professional saws. They are designed to cut parallel to the grain of the wood, and are shaped so that they split the lumber you cut like an ax if you hit a log with it. The range of teeth is from 10 to thirty, with more teeth for a smoother, better cut, and less for faster, coarser cuts.
If you are not interested in sanding the bond before applying the glue and securing the boards, you will usually need to use more teeth. If you are working on something less finished or still need to grind, fewer teeth are a good choice. The downside of a higher tooth count is that your blade wears out faster.
When to buy cross-cut knives
The cut-to-length blade is designed for cutting perpendicular to the grain of the lumber. These blades are designed to cut through many of the fibers in the lumber you use, which means that while cross cut blades usually have more teeth, they take longer and create more friction when cutting. This is where the expression “go against the tide” arose.
The difference between blades with a transverse cutting edge lies in the shape of their teeth: they have either an alternating top chamfer (marked on the package as ABT) or Hi-ABT, an alternative chamfer design with a sharper corner at the top. Regular ABT is a good choice for softer lumber like pine, especially if you’re working on something that doesn’t require a lot of finishing. For finer, finer cuts with less cut-out, a Hi-ABT blade is preferred, especially when cutting hard wood.
The Hi-ABT blade has a thinner tooth so it wears out faster. If you have a small project, a regular ABT blade and some sandpaper is probably the right choice.
When to use combo blades
If you have some experience with wood, you know that if you are making a lot of cuts, changing the saw blade every time you use the saw is not practical. Combo blades are the most useful type if you are not doing large scale cabinetry trimming or a project where you only need to cut one type of cut.
These combo blades have several types of teeth that vary in count: Combo blades, which will last a long time and also perform a decently clean cut, usually have a range of 40 to 60 teeth. These blades have a so-called ATBR (Alternative Top Bevel with Rake) or Hi-ATBR tooth design. Sometimes it can be marked on the packaging as ATAFR, but they are one and the same. This tooth design gives the blade some range in what it can cut by changing the shape of the teeth.
For most carpenters, this type of blade will be your best friend, as you can make several types of cuts with the same blade.