I'm starting to do some woodworking and looking to get a hand saw for large panel cuts. I'm generally not finding saws that call out whether they are rip or cross cut saws. A couple examples from Lee Valley and Irwin don't call out which type of cut they are for. I know there are dedicated rip saws out there, particularly for smaller saws. But is there less need for a dedicated cut type today? Do we have truly universally toothed saws? Is there an expectation that the type of saw dictates the cut type so it isn't specified? Is there an easy way to determine the type if it's not specified?
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Rob, generally speaking modern panel saws are made for crosscutting (or more accurately have crosscut-style tooth geometry, or some sort of hybrid tooth that is essentially still a crosscut type and very much not a rip tooth). This is all possibly irrelevant however, the panel cuts you are intending to do, is this just in board materials? If so there isn't any ripping — ripping refers more to the orientation of the cut relative to the wood fibres, not the cut's orientation relative to any long or short axis in the piece of wood. So to boil it down, ALL cuts in board materials are crosscuts.– GraphusCommented Jul 8 at 8:14
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For future reference, although these questions are of course highly related, they should ideally have their own Qs (if it's worth asking, it's worth it's own Q). "Do we have truly universally toothed saws?" There are claims made to this effect but from personal experience & virtually all comments I've ever read, the reality falls somewhat short of the hype. "Is there an expectation that the type of saw dictates the cut type so it isn't specified?" As far as an intention to cut manmade boards, yes. "Is there an easy way to determine the type if it's not specified?" Yup, examine the teeth.– GraphusCommented Jul 8 at 8:19
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I recall that when I was a kid, my dad had a pair of hand saws which looked nearly identical, but one (he said) was for ripping and one was for cross-cutting. He was adamant that I not use the wrong saw. I think the ripping one had some black lines etched on the side of the blade, running parallel to the length of it. I'm sure he still has them but sadly I live too far away to go check.– Charles BurgeCommented Jul 12 at 23:24
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I've never seen any designation of rip or crosscut on a handsaw. A rip type handsaw will have fewer teeth per inch. Your Lee Valley examples show the 4.5 TPI saw as a Pax 26" Rip Saw while the other one is listed as a Pax Panel Saw, 10 tpi. It's the teeth per inch that count. While the rip designation is not stamped on the tool, just observing those teeth will mark a handsaw for ripping vs general use.
For someone just starting to woodwork, and specifically wanting something to cut panels, it's better to have more teeth per inch. When I started woodworking, I began with a single hand saw. It's probably around 10 TPI. It was a lot of work to cut 4x8 sheets of plywood. Some people might suggest considering a circular saw (7.5 inch), which at the time I started would have been corded (it was much later that battery options became available). Now days there are mini battery powered circular saws, almost all of which are less money than the Lee Valley examples cited above.
Something at or greater than 10 TPI handsaw makes good sense while starting. I find a powered circular saw is more likely to cause serious injury or damage. There's also the noise factor if a beginning woodworker is still in a multi-family building. It was during the time I only had a general purpose handsaw that I came to understand how to plan and cut large panels. You don't just put the handsaw at a point and start cutting because 1) it's a longer cut that anyone's arm can reach and 2) it will be necessary to consider supporting the cut edges as the cut is made.
