HAND WOOD-WORKING TOOLS 421 



entirely clear itself in the groove and therefore cannot 

 cut freely. While the cross-cut saw is better for ripping 

 lumber than a rip-saw is for cross-cutting, ripping lumber 

 with a cross-cut saw is slow and arduous work. 



485. Action of a Cross-cut Saw. The purpose of the 

 cross-cut saw is to cut across the grain. The teeth are 



FIG. 199. Enlarged View of Cross-Cut Teeth. 



practically V-shaped (Fig. 199) with the points set alter- 

 nately to the right and left. The front and back of each tooth 

 are sharpened and beveled. The outside edge of the front 

 of the saw-point (the portion set) does the cutting. 



The action of the cross-cutting hand-saw is as follows: 

 An extremely light, short cut is made across the grain of the 

 lumber, so that the extreme points on both sides of the 

 cutting edge (Fig. 200) make parallel scorings, indicating the 

 width of the rip apart. This action, which is similar to the 

 fine cutting of a knife across the face of wood, starts the cut. 

 Pressure is then applied to the saw, and the teeth enter 



