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Compound cutting

Compound cutting is a cut where the saw blade is both swivelled and tilted, so the cut face is angled across the timber and inclined at the same time.

Also known as compound cut, compound mitre, compound miter cut, bevel and mitre cut, inclined cut, bevel cut

A compound cut combines two angles: the swivel (mitre) across the width of the piece and the incline (bevel) of the blade. The resulting end face is sloped in two directions, which is what members meeting at a roof hip or valley, or at an inclined joint, need to sit tight.

Compound cutting is standard in roof-truss production and complex framing. A cut with only the tilt and no swivel is a bevel or inclined cut.

A compound cut: the blade swivelled and tilted, so the cut face is both angled and inclined
Compound cutting: the blade swivels and tilts, the cut face is both angled and inclined.
Related terms
Angled cuttingAngled cutting is crosscutting timber at an angle across its width, with the saw blade swivelled but still upright, so the cut face stays vertical. Crosscut sawA crosscut saw cuts timber across the grain to length and angle, producing the individual members for trusses, walls and floors. Hip trussHip trusses are a set of trusses of decreasing height that together form the sloping end of a hipped roof.
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