Understanding the terms that are used in woodworking can help you get the right tools, including the best band saws for resawing. The terms ripping and resawing are usually used interchangeably, but they are not the same thing. However, you must realize that whilst resawing is a type of rip cut. It is not all rip cuts resawn.
Resawing refers to the action of slicing a piece of wood right down its thickness to end up with two slices. Meanwhile, rip cutting is when you cut across the width of the wood. Ripping is about reducing the with, but the thickness and length do not change. Whereas resawing is about reducing the thickness whilst the length and width remain the same.
Woodworkers will resaw wood when they need a thinner version of the wood that they are working on. It is beneficial when you are working on expensive wood that is thicker than you need and you do not want to waste a bit of it.
Resawing will reveal interesting grain patterns on the side of the wood that you have cut. It also helps you get two identical pieces of wood, meaning that you can match them better and more efficiently.