What additional features can mitre saw protractors have?
What additional features can mitre saw protractors have? |
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Standard mitre saw protractors and combination mitre saw protractors are available with additional features that allow them to perform specific applications such as measuring angles in tight spaces, converting angles to produce compound cuts and measuring the pitch of a roof.
Not all mitre saw protractors come with these features, so make sure you check the product spec carefully before purchasing. |
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Narrow arms |
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Standard mitre saw protractors are available with shorter thinner arms, making them suitable for more measuring angles in confined spaces. | |||
Compound cut conversion table |
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Some protractors contain a compound cut conversion table, which is used to convert one angle measurement to a corresponding angle measurement so that your pieces join up correctly when installing crown mouldings. These tables are useful when determining the angles needed to produce compound cuts.
The compound cut conversion table is usually found on the rear side of combination protractors. To find out more, visit |
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A compound cut is a mitre cut and a bevel cut together.
A bevel cut is an angled cut between 0-45 degree to the edge of the material and a mitre cut is an angled cut. |
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If your protractor does not have a compound cut conversion table, they are available to download from certain manufacturer’s websites. | |||
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As only combination protractors have a two scale protractor, if you are planning on using a downloadable conversion table with a regular mitre saw protractor, you will require an additional angle measuring tool to determine the spring angle of your crown moulding. | |||
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The spring angle is the gap between the wall and the ceiling, where the crown moulding sits. | |||
Roof pitch scale |
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The roof pitch scale is another feature that often comes with combination protractors. The scale is used to provide a quick reference to common roof pitches, and will provide you with the angle of the roof pitch using the protractor and also determine the number of inches of rise per every 300 mm (12 inches). | |||
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Roof pitch (angle) is the steepness of a roof and is measured by the rise and run of the roof. It is calculated by the number of inches the roof rises, for every 300 mm (12 inches) the roof horizontally extends. | |||
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Although you probably won’t need to use the roof pitch scale feature if you are using a mitre saw, it is a useful tool if you need to calculate the pitch of a roof as part of another DIY task. | |||
