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Hand tools for cutting wood

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The unpowered tools that cut wood, all 29 grouped by how they cut. Wood does not cut the same way in every direction, and a tooth shaped for ripping along the grain is close to useless across it.

9 are marked essential: the ones a workshop is genuinely short without.

Part of the full hand tools list, 73 tools in 11 groups.

Saws for straight cuts 8

Cutting a board to size. The choice here is grain direction first, then how fine the finished edge needs to be.

  • A wooden handled panel saw with a straight steel blade and fine crosscut teethEssential

    Panel saw

    A shorter hand saw around 550mm with about 10 teeth per inch, and the one saw most people should own first. Long enough to cut a board to length efficiently, fine enough that the sawn edge needs almost no cleaning up.

  • A long rip saw with a wooden handle and coarse large chisel shaped teeth

    Rip saw

    A long saw with coarse chisel-shaped teeth, filed straight across, for cutting along the grain. The teeth shave fibres out of the kerf rather than slicing them, which is why it removes wood so fast and leaves such a rough edge.

  • Crosscut hand saw

    Crosscut hand saw

    A full length saw with knife-pointed teeth angled to sever fibres across the grain. Longer than a panel saw so each stroke does more work, which pays off cutting wide boards and joists to length.

  • A tenon saw with a brass reinforced back spine, wooden handle and fine teethEssential

    Tenon saw

    A short fine saw with a brass or steel spine stiffening the blade, so the cut goes exactly where you place it. That rigidity is what makes joints possible, since a flexing plate wanders by more than a joint can tolerate.

  • A dovetail saw with a small turned wooden handle, brass back and very fine teeth

    Dovetail saw

    The finest backed saw, around 20 teeth per inch with very little set, cutting a kerf barely wider than the plate. Made for joints where the saw line itself is the finished surface and there is no room to correct afterwards.

  • A japanese ryoba saw with a long straight wooden handle and double edged blade with teeth on both sidesEssential

    Ryoba saw

    A Japanese saw with rip teeth on one edge and crosscut teeth on the other, cutting on the pull stroke. Two saws in one, and because pulling puts the thin blade in tension the kerf is roughly half that of a Western saw.

  • A japanese dozuki saw with a rattan wrapped handle, reinforced spine and very fine teeth

    Dozuki saw

    A Japanese backed saw with an extremely thin stiffened blade and very fine crosscut teeth. It leaves a cut surface smooth enough to glue straight from the saw, which no Western backsaw quite manages.

  • Mitre box and saw

    Mitre box and saw

    A slotted guide that holds a backsaw at 45 and 90 degrees so the angle is set by the box rather than your eye. Slower than a powered mitre saw and considerably quieter, and accurate enough for trim and picture frames.

Saws for curves and openings 7

A narrow blade can turn inside its own kerf. That is the whole principle behind everything in this group.

  • Coping saw: Wooden handle and thin narrow bladeEssential

    Coping saw

    A sprung steel frame tensioning a thin replaceable blade that can be rotated to any angle. It cuts tight curves in thin stock and, with the blade threaded through a drilled hole, removes waste from the middle of a panel.

  • Fret saw: Wooden handle and extremely fine thin blade

    Fret saw

    A deeper frame than a coping saw with an even finer blade, reaching much further from the edge of the work. Made for scrollwork and marquetry, where the cut has to curve tightly in the middle of a wide panel.

  • A wooden turning bow saw with a twisted cord tensioner, two turned handles and narrow blade

    Turning bow saw

    A wooden frame tensioned by a twisted cord, holding a blade that swivels in its handles. The frame gives it the depth and the blade the width to cut sweeping curves in thick stock, which a coping saw cannot manage.

  • A keyhole saw with a narrow tapering pointed blade and a straight wooden handleEssential

    Keyhole saw

    A narrow tapering blade in a straight handle, made to start a cut from a drilled hole in the middle of a board. The point is stiff enough to plunge and the taper lets it turn, which is how you cut an opening without a router.

  • A flush cut saw with a very thin flexible blade and offset wooden handle

    Flush cut saw

    A flexible blade with teeth that have no set at all, so it can be laid flat against a surface and trim a dowel or peg without scratching it. The absence of set is the whole design, and it is why the blade must be kept flat.

  • A curved pruning saw with a hooked blade, coarse teeth and a moulded pistol grip handle

    Pruning saw

    A curved blade with coarse hooked teeth that cut on the pull, made for green wood which clogs a fine saw immediately. The curve pulls the blade into the branch as you draw it, so it does not need to be pushed.

  • A veneer saw with a small curved double edged blade and short offset wooden handle

    Veneer saw

    A small curved blade with teeth on a convex edge and an offset handle, for slicing veneer against a straightedge. It severs the thin sheet rather than tearing it, which any ordinary saw or knife would do.

Axes, splitting and riving 6

Following the grain instead of crossing it. Far less effort, and a stronger surface, at the cost of controlling exactly where the cut goes.

  • A felling axe with a long straight wooden handle and a thin sharp steel head

    Felling axe

    A long-handled axe with a thin sharp bit that slices across the fibres. The narrow profile is what lets it bite deep rather than bounce, and it is exactly why the same axe is poor at splitting rounds.

  • A splitting maul with a heavy blunt wedge shaped steel head and long wooden handle

    Splitting maul

    A heavy blunt wedge on a long handle that forces fibres apart along the grain. The weight does the work and the wide cheeks pop the round open, where a thin axe head would simply bury itself and stick.

  • A hatchet with a short wooden handle and a compact sharp steel headEssential

    Hatchet

    A short one-handed axe for limbing, kindling and rough shaping. Close enough to the work to be accurate, which is why it doubles as a carving tool for taking waste off a blank quickly.

  • Froe

    Froe

    A thick blade at right angles to its handle, driven into the end grain then levered to steer a split along the length. The lever is what separates riving from smashing, and it is how lath, shingles and chair parts were made.

  • A steel splitting wedge, a solid tapered metal wedge with a flat struck top

    Splitting wedge

    A steel wedge hammered into a round to open a split too wide or too stubborn for an axe. Two used in turn will walk a split down the length of a log that no single blow would part.

  • A side axe with a wide flat single bevelled steel head and short offset wooden handle

    Side axe

    An axe ground flat on one face and bevelled on the other, so it can hew a surface flat without the handle fouling the work. This is the tool that squared beams before sawmills, and it still shapes green timber fastest.

Edge tools that pare and shape 8

Cutting wood by slicing a shaving rather than removing a kerf. Slower per cut, and the only way to work to a curved or fitted surface.

  • Bevel edge chisel: A bevel edge wood chisel with a flat blade, bevelled sides and a wooden handleEssential

    Bevel edge chisel

    A flat blade with bevelled sides so it can reach into an acute corner, pared by hand or driven by a mallet. The bevelled edges are the difference between cleaning a dovetail socket and not being able to enter it.

  • A mortise chisel with a very thick square section blade, leather washer and heavy wooden handle

    Mortise chisel

    A thick square-sectioned chisel built to be struck hard and levered, chopping a deep rectangular hole. The mass resists the twisting that would snap a bench chisel used the same way.

  • A firmer gouge with a curved hollow steel blade and turned wooden handle

    Firmer gouge

    A chisel curved across its width, cutting a hollow rather than a flat. Used to waste out a shallow dish, ease a curve, or start a carving where a flat edge would dig its corners in.

  • Drawknife

    Drawknife

    A wide blade with a handle at each end, pulled toward you to peel off thick shavings. It removes waste faster than any plane and follows a curve freely, which is why chair and axe handle makers still start with one.

  • A metal spokeshave with two side handles, a flat sole and adjustable bladeEssential

    Spokeshave

    A short blade in a two-handled body that works like a plane with almost no sole, so it can follow a tight curve. Where a drawknife takes the waste off, this is what brings the curve to a finished surface.

  • An adze with a curved steel blade mounted crosswise on a short wooden handle

    Adze

    A curved blade mounted across the handle rather than in line with it, swung to scoop hollows out of solid wood. Bowl and seat makers use it because nothing else removes that much material from a concave shape.

  • A billhook with a heavy curved hooked steel blade and short wooden handle

    Billhook

    A heavy hooked blade for cutting green stems and small branches in one stroke. The hook catches the material and holds it against the cut instead of letting it bend away, which is why it beats a saw on anything springy.

  • A marking knife with a small single bevel pointed steel blade and slim wooden handleEssential

    Marking knife

    A single-bevel blade that severs surface fibres along a layout line, giving the saw or chisel a wall to register against. It is a cutting tool that exists to make the next cut accurate, and it removes tearout before it happens.

Choosing a wood cutting tool

Grain direction first, then how accurate the cut has to be. Those two answers narrow this list to two or three tools.

Ripping and crosscutting are different cuts

A rip cut runs along the grain and a crosscut runs across it. A rip tooth is filed straight across, like a row of tiny chisels, and it shaves the fibres out of the kerf. A crosscut tooth is filed at an angle to a point, so it slices through the fibres like a row of knives.

Use the wrong one and the saw still cuts, badly. A rip saw dragged across the grain tears the surface and jumps. A crosscut saw pushed along the grain clogs and takes three times as long. Almost every complaint about a hand saw comes down to this.

Rip
Along the grain. Chisel-shaped teeth, coarse pitch, and it clears its own waste as long as you keep the stroke long.
Crosscut
Across the grain. Knife-pointed teeth, finer pitch, and it leaves a surface that needs no cleaning up.
Universal
Modern hardpoint saws compromise between the two. Fine for site work, never as good as either at its own job.

Teeth per inch decides speed against finish

Tooth count is the other number that matters. Fewer, larger teeth take a bigger bite and cut faster, but they leave a rough edge and tear out on the far side. More, smaller teeth cut slowly and leave a face that needs little work afterwards.

The practical rule is to keep at least three teeth in the material at all times. That is why a fine dovetail saw cannot cut a fence post and a coarse rip saw destroys thin plywood: in each case the tooth count is wrong for the thickness.

4 to 7 TPI
Fast rough cutting in thick stock. Framing, fence rails, firewood sizing.
8 to 12 TPI
General joinery. Cuts boards to length with an edge you can plane straight away.
14 to 20 TPI
Joints, trim, thin stock. Slow, precise, and it will not tear the far face.

Push saws and pull saws

Western saws cut on the push stroke, which means the blade must be thick enough not to buckle under compression. Japanese saws cut on the pull stroke, so the blade is in tension and can be far thinner. A thinner blade removes less wood, so the cut is finer and takes less effort.

The trade-off is control. A pull saw starts easily and tracks well, but it is less forgiving if you try to steer mid-cut, and the thin blade will kink if you force it. Neither tradition is better. Many workshops now hold both.

Push
Thicker plate, stiffer, more tolerant of being steered and of rough handling. Easier to sharpen at home.
Pull
Thinner kerf, less effort, cleaner surface. Hardened teeth on most, so they are replaced rather than sharpened.
Starting
A pull saw starts on the pull with almost no pressure. Forcing it is the usual reason a beginner kinks one.

When to split instead of saw

Splitting follows the grain rather than crossing it, so it takes a fraction of the effort and leaves a surface stronger than any sawn one. The fibres run unbroken along the length, which is why riven oak lath and split shingles outlast sawn equivalents.

The limit is that you get what the grain gives you. A split follows a knot or a twist and there is nothing you can do about it mid-cut. Sawing is what you choose when the dimension matters more than the fibre.

Froe and maul
Controlled riving. The froe lever steers the split, within the limits the grain allows.
Splitting axe
Wedge-shaped head that forces fibres apart rather than cutting them. Not a felling tool.
Straight grain only
Knotty or spiral-grained stock will not rive cleanly, and forcing it wastes the piece.

A sharp tool is the safe one

Every tool here works by being sharper than the wood is hard. A blunt saw needs force, and force is what makes it jump out of the kerf. A blunt axe glances off instead of biting. Almost every injury with these tools happens at the moment they stop cutting and start skating.

Traditional saws can be sharpened with a file and a saw set, and that skill is worth having if you own more than a couple. Hardpoint saws cannot be resharpened at all, which is the real cost of the cheaper option.

Test on your thumbnail
A sharp edge catches. A blunt one slides. It takes a second and it is the only check that matters.
Saw set
Teeth need a slight alternating bend so the kerf is wider than the plate. Without set, the saw binds.
Hardpoint means disposable
The induction-hardened teeth that stay sharp longer are too hard to file. When it dulls, it is finished.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a rip saw and a crosscut saw?
The tooth shape. A rip saw has teeth filed straight across like small chisels, which shave fibres out when cutting along the grain. A crosscut saw has teeth filed to angled points that slice fibres when cutting across the grain. Each is slow and rough at the other's job.
Which hand saw should I buy first?
A panel saw around 10 TPI. It crosscuts boards to length cleanly, will rip short lengths at a push, and is short enough to store and control easily. Add a tenon saw next, because a panel saw cannot cut a joint accurately.
Are Japanese pull saws better than Western saws?
They cut a finer kerf with less effort, because pulling puts the blade in tension so it can be thinner. Western saws are stiffer, more forgiving of rough use, and can be resharpened at home. Different tools rather than better ones, and plenty of workshops keep both.
How do I stop a saw from wandering off my line?
Start the kerf with the saw held at a low angle using the thumb of your other hand as a guide, and take the first few strokes almost weightlessly. Once the kerf is established the saw follows it. Wandering is nearly always a bad start, not a bad stroke.
What is a tenon saw for if I already own a hand saw?
Accuracy. A tenon saw has a stiffened brass or steel back that stops the thin blade flexing, so the cut stays exactly where you put it. That is what makes it the tool for joints, where a hand saw's flexible plate would wander enough to spoil the fit.
Can I cut a curve with a hand saw?
Not with a straight-bladed one. A coping saw handles tight curves in thin stock, a bow saw handles larger sweeping curves in thicker wood, and a keyhole saw starts a cut in the middle of a panel. All three work by having a narrow blade that can turn in the kerf.
What is the difference between an axe and a splitting maul?
An axe has a thin, sharp head that cuts across fibres, for felling and limbing. A maul has a heavy blunt wedge that forces fibres apart along the grain, for splitting rounds. Using an axe to split is slow and buries the head; using a maul to cut does nothing at all.
Do I need to sharpen a new hand saw?
A hardpoint saw, no, and you cannot: the teeth are induction hardened and too hard to file. A traditional saw usually benefits from a touch up out of the box, and will need a file and a saw set every so often through its life, which is the trade for it lasting decades.