This article is about the tool. There is also a style of music called ripsaw music.

In woodworking, a cut made parallel to the direction of the grain of the workpiece is known as a rip cut. If one was to cut a tree trunk in half from top to bottom, this would be a rip cut--but the term also applies to cutting free lumber.

A rip saw is a saw that is specially designed for making rip cuts. The cutting edge of each tooth has a flat front edge and it is not angled forward or backward. This design allows each tooth to act like a chisel (as opposed to a crosscut saw), which prevents the saw from following grain lines. By acting like a chisel, the saw can more easily cut across grain lines, which is necessary if a straight cut is to be achieved.

On the vast majority of American saws, the teeth are designed to cut when the saw is being pushed through the wood (on the push stroke). However, some saws (such as Japanese saws) are designed to cut on the pull stroke.