A mason's mitre is a type of

mitre joint A miter joint (mitre in British English) is a joint made by cutting each of two parts to be joined, across the main surface, usually at a 45° angle, to form a corner, usually to form a 90° angle, though it can comprise any angle greater than 0 ...

, traditionally used in

stonework Stonemasonry or stonecraft is the creation of buildings, structures, and sculpture using rock (geology), stone as the primary material. Stonemasonry is the craft of shaping and arranging stones, often together with Mortar (masonry), mortar ...

masonry Masonry is the craft of building a structure with brick, stone, or similar material, including mortar plastering which are often laid in, bound, and pasted together by mortar (masonry), mortar. The term ''masonry'' can also refer to the buildin ...

but commonly seen in

kitchen countertops A kitchen is a room or part of a room used for cooking and food preparation in a dwelling or in a commercial establishment. A modern middle-class residential kitchen is typically equipped with a stove, a sink with hot and cold running water, a ...

. In a mason's mitre, the two elements being joined meet as for a

butt joint A butt joint is a joinery, wood joint in which the end of a piece of material is simply placed (or “butted”) against another piece. The butt joint is the simplest joint. An unreinforced butt joint is also the weakest joint, as it provides a ...

but a small section of one member is removed creating a socket to receive the end of the other. A small mitre is made at the inside edges of the socket and on the end of the intersecting member so that edge treatments are carried through the joint appropriately. The mason's mitre allows the appearance of a mitre joint to be created with much less waste than occurs with a common mitre joint, in which triangular sections must be removed from the ends of both joint members. The terms "back mitre" and "mason's mitre" (or "miter") are often used interchangeably, but are different types of joints, and used for different purposes. Both joints are traditionally used in stone or woodwork. Neither joint requires that one part be coped (or fit) over the other. In the back mitre, the joints follow the mitre and

stile A stile is a structure or opening that provides passage for humansrather than animals such as livestockover or through a boundary. Common forms include steps, ladders, or narrow gaps. Stiles are often built in rural areas along footpaths, fen ...

/rail joining lines. In the mason's mitre, the intersecting mouldings are carved within a single stone block or the woodwork's stile, with the rail or adjacent block having a straight profile.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mason's Mitre Joinery Masonry Kitchen countertops Woodworking