Score Your Rip Hand Saw

What We’re Scoring On (Your “Dream Rip Hand Saw” Anchor)

We start by defining one perfect rip hand saw, our dream model. Every spec you enter gets compared to these ideal values. Each metric begins at 10 points and loses points the further it strays.

• Blade length: 26 inch
• TPI (teeth per inch): 4 TPI
• Tooth rake angle: 12 degrees
• Blade thickness: 1.0 mm
• Kerf width: 1.6 mm
• Blade material hardness: 50 HRC

Note: This tool does not cover every possible specification. The formula used is only made to give a general idea of what a good product may look like. It’s a great way to shortlist your choices, but this tool is not 100% bias-free, and cannot replace real-world testing insights

Values for the Best Rip Hand Saw

Metric	Dream Spec	Score at Perfect Match
Blade length	26 in	10
TPI	4	10
Tooth rake angle	12°	10
Blade thickness	1.0 mm	10
Kerf width	1.6 mm	10
Steel hardness (HRC)	50 HRC	10

Enter any real world spec into the tool and each metric starts at 10 then loses points as it deviates.

How Score Changes with Deviation

Here is how the scoring works. For each metric we subtract 1 point for each unit of deviation or part of that unit, down to a minimum score of 1 point.

Blade length

• Rule: Subtract 1 point for every 0.5 in (or part of 0.5 in) the length is away from 26 inch. Minimum score is 1 point.
• Examples:
  • Exactly 26.00 in → 10 points
  • Within ±0.5 in (25.50–26.49 in) → 9 points
  • Within ±1.0 in (25.00–26.99 in) → 8 points
  • Within ±1.5 in (24.50–27.49 in) → 7 points
  • Within ±2.0 in (24.00–27.99 in) → 6 points
  • Within ±2.5 in (23.50–28.49 in) → 5 points
  • Within ±3.0 in (23.00–28.99 in) → 4 points
  • Within ±3.5 in (22.50–29.49 in) → 3 points
  • Within ±4.0 in (22.00–29.99 in) → 2 points
  • More than ±4.5 in away → 1 point

TPI

• Rule: Subtract 1 point per tooth difference from 4 TPI. Minimum score is 1 point.
• Examples:
  • Exact 4 TPI → 10
  • 1 tooth off (3 or 5) → 9
  • 2 teeth off (2 or 6) → 8
  • 3 teeth off → 7
  • 4 teeth off → 6
  • 5 teeth off → 5
  • 6 or more teeth off → 1

Tooth rake angle

• Rule: Subtract 1 point for every 1 degree (or part of 1 degree) the rake is away from 12 degrees. Minimum score is 1 point.
• Examples:
  • Exactly 12.0° → 10
  • 11.0–11.9° or 12.1–13.0° → 9
  • 10.0–10.9° or 13.1–14.0° → 8
  • 9.0–9.9° or 14.1–15.0° → 7
  • 8.0–8.9° or 15.1–16.0° → 6
  • 7.0–7.9° or 16.1–17.0° → 5
  • Farther away → down to 1

Blade thickness

• Rule: Subtract 1 point for every 0.1 mm (or part of 0.1 mm) the thickness is away from 1.0 mm. Minimum score is 1 point.
• Examples:
  • Exactly 1.00 mm → 10
  • 0.90–0.999 mm or 1.001–1.10 mm → 9
  • 0.80–0.899 mm or 1.101–1.20 mm → 8
  • 0.70–0.799 mm or 1.201–1.30 mm → 7
  • 0.60–0.699 mm or 1.301–1.40 mm → 6
  • 0.50–0.599 mm or 1.401–1.50 mm → 5
  • Farther away → down to 1

Kerf width

• Rule: Subtract 1 point for every 0.1 mm (or part of 0.1 mm) the kerf is away from 1.6 mm. Minimum score is 1 point.
• Examples:
  • Exactly 1.60 mm → 10
  • 1.50–1.599 mm or 1.601–1.70 mm → 9
  • 1.40–1.499 mm or 1.701–1.80 mm → 8
  • 1.30–1.399 mm or 1.801–1.90 mm → 7
  • 1.20–1.299 mm or 1.901–2.00 mm → 6
  • Farther away → down to 1

Steel hardness (HRC)

• Rule: If HRC is 50 or higher, the metric gets the full 10 points. If HRC is below 50, subtract 1 point for every 1 HRC (or part of 1) below 50. Minimum score is 1 point. If the spec lists a grade instead of HRC, map the grade to an estimated HRC before scoring.
• Examples:
  • 50 HRC → 10
  • 51, 55, or 60 HRC → 10
  • 49.0–49.9 HRC → 9
  • 48.0–48.9 HRC → 8
  • 47.0–47.9 HRC → 7
  • 46.0–46.9 HRC → 6
  • Farther below 50 → down to 1

Overall Score

1. Enter the spec values in the Rip Hand Saw Spec Scorer tool.
2. Each metric outputs a 1 to 10 score using the deviation rule above.
3. The tool averages the six metric scores to give a final rating from 1.0 to 10.0.

Use this page to quickly compare rip saws by their spec sheets. Higher scores mean a closer match to the dream rip saw every ripper wants for fast, straight ripping along the grain.