The cross cut saw blade is ideally suited for wood work when you need a finely cut finish, and will go across the grain of the wood to produce a finer edge, usually associated with activities that require a smoother finish, such as in cutting wood to be used in furniture. To achieve this finer cut, a crosscut saw usually has from 8 to 15 teeth, whereas saws that achieve a rougher finish usually have around seven teeth.
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The teeth of a crosscut saw also work in an alternating pattern, with alternate teeth angled forward and backward. This allows the cross cut blade to move smoothly through the grain of the wood, with one set of teeth doing the cutting, and the other pushing out the excess sawdust in the process. Because of this design however, a cross cut blade does not cut as aggressively as a rip cut blade might, and using a cross cut saw will take somewhat longer to do the same job as a rip cut blade.
If you intend to use the wood in something such as furniture however, it is probably worth the extra effort to use a cross cut blade. These saws have smaller teeth that will create a finer finish on the edges than the larger teeth seen in a rip saw, and also have special teeth known as “rakers” that pull out the sawdust, further promoting a smooth edge for the cut.
They are also slightly more difficult to maintain a straight line with than other types of saw. To counteract this effect, draw a line through the wood indicating the path that you need the blade to follow. As you cut, push forward and backward to achieve the proper motion of the blade and as you cut a piece of wood, ensure that the wood is not going to splinter as you work with it.
