How a Saw Cuts

The cutting teeth of a crosscut saw sever the fibers on each side of the kerf. The raker teeth, cutting like a plane bit, peel the cut fibers and collect them in the sawdust gullets between the cutting teeth and the raker teeth and carry them out of the cut. A properly sharpened crosscut saw cuts deep and makes thick shavings. On large timber, where the amount of shavings accumulated per stroke is considerable, a large gullet is necessary to carry out the shavings to prevent the saw from binding.

How a Saw Cuts