There are many popular hardwood species used for woodworking projects, including oak, maple, poplar, cherry, birch and walnut. When working with these wood varieties for projects like flooring, you may need to rip the wood. Ripping refers to cutting the wood along its grain for a lengthwise cut. This type of cut is easy to make, especially when your table saw is equipped with a sharp and durable blade by Luxite Saw.
Best Blade for Ripping Hardwood
The best saw blade for ripping hardwood is a rip blade. This blade is specially made for cutting through wood fibers, so it will cut through hardwood easily and leave a clean edge. Rip blades usually have 10 to 40 flat-topped (FT) teeth, which is a comparatively small number, but it will move through the grain quickly. The gullet, or space between the teeth, is also large, which allows it to handle the large amount of material required in rip cuts and remove sawdust.
Other Suitable Blades
Combination, or general-purpose, blades are great stand-ins for rip blades. These blades can handle ripping and crosscuts, or cuts made against the grain, because they have alternately beveled teeth (ATB) like crosscut blades and FT teeth like rip blades. You can use combination blades for many different types of projects.
If you’re working with a tight budget and can only buy one blade, a combination blade will do the trick. Combination blades are also ideal for practicality. If you are making different cuts in your project, there is no need to switch out the blade.
How to Rip Hardwood
As long as you have the tools to rip hardwood safely, you can make a smooth rip cut while avoiding dangers like kickbacks. The equipment you’ll need includes:
- Table saw with a rip blade
- Stop block
- Clamp
- Measuring tape
Here are the steps for ripping hardwood:
- Unplug the table saw and lay the rip board along the blade.
- Use the measuring tape to measure from the board edge a distance equal to the blade thickness plus the strip thickness.
- Lay the stop block according to this measurement. Secure it with a clamp.
- Put the rip board against the edge of the stop block. Set the fence along the edge of the rip block, parallel to the blade.
- Plug in and turn on your table saw, then guide the rip board through the blade.
Will Luxite Rip Blades Work for You?
Luxite Saw has some of the best saw blades for ripping hardwood on the market, so we are sure to have a blade that will work for your project. Shop our rip blades online now!