Receiving step notch

A receiving step notch is the recess in a beam or post where the end of a strut presses in.

Step depth 10 mm

Step depth 15 mm

Step depth 25 mm

Receiving step notch. Drawn by the editor's own geometry code; right: the carved part in 3D.

When to use it

Use it on the member that takes a strut, such as a tie beam under a rafter or a post under a brace. Give the strut its matching step joint end.

Fields

Field	Unit	Range or options	Default	What it changes
Position X	mm	from 0	1500	Where the strut touches the surface.
Face		Top, Bottom, Front, Back	Front	The side of the part the processing is on.
Orientation		start, end	start	Reverse it to mirror the notch.
Profile		Step, Heel, Double	Step	Step, heel or both (double).
Strut inclination	°	0.1 to 179.9	45	Angle of the strut to this member. 90° is not supported.
Strut height	mm	0.1 to 50000	120	Thickness of the strut, measured square to its axis.
Step depth	mm	0.1 to 50000	15	Depth of the step.
Heel depth	mm	0.1 to 50000	25	Depth of the heel. Shown only for some settings of the other fields.
Limit width			off	Off: the notch runs across the full face. On: set a width and position.
Width	mm	0.1 to 50000	120	Width of a limited notch. It must fit inside the face. Shown only for some settings of the other fields.
Position Y	mm	from 0	0	Lower edge of a limited notch across the face. Shown only for some settings of the other fields.
Splinter-free		Machine default, Off, Tool path	Machine default	Machining that keeps the edges from splintering. Machine default writes what each file normally has for that operation. BVX and BVN carry an explicit choice where the operation has the setting, and the export says so where it does not. BTLx has no such setting.

Default: what Add fills in on a 3000 mm part of 120 x 120 mm.

Add a receiving step notch

1. Select the part in the Parts list.
2. Under Extra processings, click Add.
3. Type step notch in the search field and pick Receiving step notch.
4. Set Face, Position X and Orientation. Position X is where the strut touches the surface.
5. Pick the Profile, then set Strut inclination, Strut height and the depths.
6. Check that the part shows a green check. If not, open the Issues tab.

Caution

A strut at exactly 90°, a notch with an integral mortise, and notches that overlap other machining are not supported.

Machine export

Format	Status	Details
BTLx	Partly supported	StepJointNotch: plain step, heel or double recess on a long face.
BVN (Hundegger)	Partly supported	Experimental, included with a warning unless you leave it out. Operation 1000 for a notch across the whole face is experimental and included with a warning.
BVX2 (Hundegger)	Partly supported	Experimental, included with a warning unless you leave it out. One to three Steps per notch across the whole face are experimental and included with a warning.
BTL 10.6	Supported	080 step, heel and double notches with the specified strut and optional socket dimensions.

BTL status describes what the specification can represent. CAMBIUM imported our earlier BTL test files; confirmation applies to the tested forms and build. See BTL coverage for representation and receiver caveats.

Related pages

• Step joint end: Shape the end of a strut as a step joint: step, heel or double. How it owns the part end, its fields and machine export.
• Birdsmouth: Cut a birdsmouth so a rafter or purlin sits on its support. Point, depth, seat and heel angles, with defaults and machine export.
• Queen post roof truss: A 7.2 m queen post truss at 40 degrees. Rafters and struts step into the tie beam and posts with heel step joints.
• Dovetail socket: Cut a dovetail socket into a long face, with a flank angle and a square or round closed end. Fields, limits and machine export.
• End-grain recess: A flat seat let into the end of a part for a steel base plate, square in the section. With a bore in its floor it makes a post base.
• Free contour: Your own outline of lines, arcs and curves, milled out of a face to a depth or right through. Fields, shapes, sharp corners and export.