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Several properties of wood including the cutting power requirements can be correlated to wood density. Therefore, according to the literature, the cutting power requirements (and/or cutting forces) could be computed as a function of the wood specific gravity. This research shows that such an approach, based solely on specific gravity, may be considered a rather rough and imperfect estimate of cutting power. Samples of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) wood from different provinces in Poland with varying densities were machined on a sash gang saw. The average cutting force versus average wood density (estimated with the standard gravimetric method) was calculated, and the local cutting forces correlated to the local wood density. The average values of the cutting forces measured at selected points along the sample's length were calculated by linear regression to the X-ray absorbance (density) estimated by means of X-ray radiography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]