What is a mitre cut?

18th March 2020


	What is a mitre cut?


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			When joining pieces of wood, or other materials, there are a number of cutting options available to create the angle of the joint required. The place where the cut is will be referred to by different names, a mitre cut is one of the types of cuts you may come across.

			Mitre shears are designed to make cuts in materials at various angles. This includes cuts at 90 degrees from the edge as well as other angles. The base plate will have a guard marking out 45 degree angles, which are then used to create a true mitre joint of 90 degrees.

			Mitre cuts
			A mitre cut refers to an angled cut on the face of two structures that will be joined to create a corner, which would then be called a mitre joint. A true mitre joint requires two pieces to be cut at 45 degree angles, so when they are joined the corner created will be 90 degrees. However, a mitre joint can also be created from other angles.

			The angle of the mitre cut will always be half the angle of the finished corner, so 60 degree corners will be created with two 30 degree edges. A mitre joint is commonly used in applications such as box making, framing structures, door and window seals, and mouldings.

			It is also worth noting that while you might expect corners of walls, and other structure, to generally be 90 degree angles they are often a little off from this; therefore to create accurate mitre joints you will need to measure the exact angle of the corner first. You may need a protractor or angle finder for this.

			Other types of cut
			Cross cut This cut is also across the face of the material, but this refers to the cut when it is perpendicular (at a right angle) to the grain of the wood, or to the length of the material. Mitre shears can make straight cross cuts, as long as the material is not too wide or thick.

			Rip cut This refers to a cut which runs parallel to the grain of the wood, or along the length of the material. Mitre shears could make rip cuts, but only on very short lengths of material. The specifications of individual shears will tell you the maximum lengths they can cut.

			Bevel cut This is an angled cut along the edge or end of the wood. It may sometimes be called an end mitre or edge mitre cut, if it will be used to create a corner. Mitre shears can create a bevelled cut, as it is an angled cut, but only in narrow materials.

			Compound cut This refers to a cut which combines a mitre and a bevel cut, commonly found when fitting mouldings as they usually rest on the wall at an angle and will require some corner joints. Mitre shears can be used to create a compound cut on an appropriately sized piece of stock by making two angled cuts – one across the face of the material and one on the edge or end of it.