Carpentry and Woodworking - Compound/Complex Mitre

Is a compound/complex mitre the same? I substitute at a local high school. A student asked me if I could make s complex mitre cut. He was working on a gun cabinet. Anyone have an answer I can give or a reference site I can go to? Thanks.

I believe that 'complex' and 'compound' are the same. I have sometimes heard the term complex applied to a compound miter saw. A miter saw cuts up to (and normally a little beyond) 45 degrees about a vertical axis (usually to both left and right)thus allowing cuts to be made horizontally across the wood at various angles. A compound miter saw will ALSO cut up to (and a little beyond) 45 degrees about a horizontal axis thus allowing cuts to be made at varying vertical angles. By manipulating the angle of the blade about both axes a "compound" cut can be made. Thus a piece of wood may be cut at an angle to both vertical and horizontal plains at the same time. Hope this explains it simply enough!

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Steve

Tom Webb:
yes, they are the same. It is a cut that is made both up and down and at an angle at the same time. For instance a cut that is made at a 45 degree angle both horizontially and vertically at the same time. You must have a compound mitre saw to make this cut.

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Jack the Contractor

Thom,
You might find that your student has a psychological challenge when it comes to making those cuts... I would have to say that you would call THAT a "miter complex"
:-)