Good inexpensive rip saw?

[Chris Hachet]

What is the best current bang for the buck in a rip saw large enough to rip longer lumber? Thinking panel as here, guys....

[Peter Pedisich]

What is the best current bang for the buck in a rip saw large enough to rip longer lumber? Thinking panel as here, guys....

Ok, taking a big risk here... when I rip I prefer my Bahco saw with the orange plastic handle and the hardened japanese-syle teeth.:o

That is if the cut is 3' or less... over that I use my bandsaw!:eek:

(running away now)

[David Weaver]

An off brand saw that's 5 1/2 points per inch for general 4/4+ ripping. If you find a disston in the wild, that's good, too, but they seem to go for funny money on ebay.

Almost guaranteed for inexpensive prices you'll have a little work to do to a saw and at least filing. But if you're going to do heavy ripping, you want to be able to file your own saws to be able to lightly touch up the saw between projects.

[David Weaver]

No risk in the bahco. The japanese teeth rip OK, but not as well as well filed dedicated rip teeth.... BUT, you can't hand file a saw to touch the induction hardened saws for crosscut speed and have any kind of tooth life (though they are hard on the back side of a cut)

[Jim Koepke]

My favorite is a Disstan D-8 with 6ppi. Not hard to keep moving. I had a 4ppi saw that was just a little faster, but it required more horse power.

jtk

[Mike Allen1010]

Chris,

You can't go wrong with David and Jim's suggestions of a vintage (pre-1950 generally) ripsaw by any of the major manufacturers (Disston, Atkins, Simonds, Keen Kutter, etc.), or their "warranted superior" models frequently manufactured for retail hardware chains.

Because rip cuts are typically longer and more work than crosscuts, I would highly recommend getting something with dedicated "rip sharpened" teeth, as opposed to a modern saw with impulse hardened teeth (which are generally filed for crosscutting), unless you can find one like Peter mentioned filed for ripping.

For the same reasons, IMHO wider plate, 26-28" saws are a particularly good choice for ripping because the greater mass of the larger saw plate provides more inertia in the cutting stroke which I find help you maintain momentum during longer rips.

As David mentioned, you can't go wrong with a standard 5 1/2 PPI Pitch for most ripping. If you're looking for something a bit better suited for specific ripping tasks; I like a 6 PPI pitch for 4/4 stock and particularly really hard/dense woods (leaves a bit of a smoother finish requiring less cleanup with the joiner plane). For anything 8/4 or thick a 4 PPI pitch will speed things up. Just like hand planes, it's nice to have a couple options, but certainly not necessary.

FYI, many of the top-of-the-line rip saws from the leading vintage manufacturers, (like a Disston #12, Thumhole D-8's, Atkins 53 and Simonds #70 series), typically have a graduated pitch -- 5 1/2 PPI at the heel and 6 1/2 PPI at the toe (this is particularly common in 28" saws), which is a great way to go if you're going to own one ripsaw.

If you're having trouble finding what you're looking for, shoot me a PM and I'm sure I have an "extra" ripsaw I can let you have inexpensively.

All the best, Mike

[Chris Hachet]

Chris,

You can't go wrong with David and Jim's suggestions of a vintage (pre-1950 generally) ripsaw by any of the major manufacturers (Disston, Atkins, Simonds, Keen Kutter, etc.), or their "warranted superior" models frequently manufactured for retail hardware chains.

Because rip cuts are typically longer and more work than crosscuts, I would highly recommend getting something with dedicated "rip sharpened" teeth, as opposed to a modern saw with impulse hardened teeth (which are generally filed for crosscutting), unless you can find one like Peter mentioned filed for ripping.

For the same reasons, IMHO wider plate, 26-28" saws are a particularly good choice for ripping because the greater mass of the larger saw plate provides more inertia in the cutting stroke which I find help you maintain momentum during longer rips.

As David mentioned, you can't go wrong with a standard 5 1/2 PPI Pitch for most ripping. If you're looking for something a bit better suited for specific ripping tasks; I like a 6 PPI pitch for 4/4 stock and particularly really hard/dense woods (leaves a bit of a smoother finish requiring less cleanup with the joiner plane). For anything 8/4 or thick a 4 PPI pitch will speed things up. Just like hand planes, it's nice to have a couple options, but certainly not necessary.

FYI, many of the top-of-the-line rip saws from the leading vintage manufacturers, (like a Disston #12, Thumhole D-8's, Atkins 53 and Simonds #70 series), typically have a graduated pitch -- 5 1/2 PPI at the heel and 6 1/2 PPI at the toe (this is particularly common in 28" saws), which is a great way to go if you're going to own one ripsaw.

If you're having trouble finding what you're looking for, shoot me a PM and I'm sure I have an "extra" ripsaw I can let you have inexpensively.

All the best, Mike

Thanks for your generous offer, I will keep that in mind!