What is Crosscut?

A crosscut runs perpendicular to the wood grain to change a board's length. Each tooth on a crosscut blade acts like a small knife, scoring and severing wood fibers rather than chiseling them away (which is what rip teeth do).

Blade specs. Crosscut blades have more teeth than rip blades, typically 60-80 on a 10-inch blade, with an alternating top bevel (ATB) grind. More teeth means a smoother finish because each tooth removes less material per pass.

Tools for crosscutting. The miter saw is the most common choice. You can also crosscut on a table saw using a crosscut sled or miter gauge. For rough cuts in the field, a circular saw with a speed square works fine.

Preventing tear-out. Place the "show" face up on a table saw or face down on a miter saw. A strip of painter's tape across the cut line also helps. For veneer plywood like oak or walnut, scoring the line with a utility knife before sawing prevents the top veneer from tearing.

In the cut list workflow, crosscuts come after rip cuts. You rip stock to width first, then crosscut to length. This sequence reduces waste and keeps board sizes manageable. When planning a project in SmartCutList, every crosscut is factored into the cutting diagram with kerf included, so your final pieces match your plan.