Rip Cut

A rip cut is a cut made parallel to the wood grain or along the longer side of the material. It is used mainly to narrow boards, to cut panels into strips or to split square timber into thinner pieces. A band saw is well suited to rip cutting because, thanks to its narrow band, it can cut even thicker material with little material loss. A sliding fence is usually used for straight guidance, keeping the material at a constant distance from the saw band. The operator feeds the material smoothly and evenly so that the cut does not drift off the line. Rip cutting is often used when processing solid wood.