Friction-Rubbing of one object
against another.
Webster’s New World Dictionarythrough the wood. If these saws were to cut on the push stroke, the
blade would bend. Handles on Japanese saws are barrel shaped and you
grip it like a pole. Since Japanese saws cut on the pull stroke, the
sawdustispulledtowardyou,whichcancoverup
a line being used to guide the cut. Japanese
saws overall do take less energy to use because
of their thin blade which causes lessfriction.
Crosscut and Ripsaws
Two other distinctions that handsaws have are
whether they are a crosscut saw or a ripsaw. The differences in these are
the shape of the teeth. The crosscut saw is for cutting across a board
(against the grain). Its teeth lean back slightly and are filed at an angle to
form a sharp edge. The ripsaw is for cutting down the length of a board
(with the grain). Its teeth are large and filed square to the face of the
blade.
Crosscut Teeth Ripsaw Teeth
Looking at the teeth of the saw you’ll notice that each tooth angles out in
an alternating pattern, one tooth will angle slightly towards the left, and
the next tooth will angle slightly towards the right. This is called the
“set” of the teeth. This angle makes the sawkerflarger than the body of
the saw preventing it from binding in the wood.