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Cabinet Terminology

What is a Mitre?

MitreA mitre, also spelled miter, is a term applied to the presence of controlled precision cuts. Mitre joint refers to the presence of these cuts for achieving a functional lap joint, but mitre can also be used to refer to the guiding device attached to the saw that was used in making the cuts. The contextual use of the term will assist in determining which of these two uses of the word is intended.

When the term mitre is used in reference to lap joints, this is a highly technical use of the term typically only exchanged amongst professional woodworkers. The most likely use of the term is going to be in conjunction with a saw. If this is the case, then mitre can refer to the jig into which a flat saw is inserted to assist in cutting precise angles every time. Most professionals no use electric powered mitre saws that consist of circular saw blade attached to a spring returned arm that is pulled downward to introduce the cut to the wood. This should not be confused with a radial arm saw though both can be used for accomplishing similar styles of cutting.

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