A professional who operates electrically powered machines equipped with one or more bandsaw or circular saw blades to rip boards along grain or to trim edges of boards, according to work ticket. Responsibilities include:

• Turns handwheel, uses wrench and ruler, or positions and secures collars and turns setscrews on saw shaft to adjust ripping and saw guides or distance between saws, according to specified width of boards.
• Moves levers or turns handwheel to adjust height of saw blade and speed of feed rolls, according to thickness of board.
• Starts saw, positions board against guide, and slides board into feed rolls or aligns board on feed rolls, using shadow line as guide.
• Verifies accuracy of saw setting and dimensions of lumber stock, using rule.
• May count pieces of lumber cut to determine when specified quantity has been ripped.
• May replace saw blades and lubricate machine.
• May be designated according to saw operated as band-ripsaw operator; circular-ripsaw operator; gang-ripsaw operator.
• May operate ripsaws to cut stock so that grain and pattern match adjoining parts and be designated ripsaw matcher.