Can anyone tell me why this ridge beam is cut diagonally
It doesnt look cracked,its got a clean cut. Has anyone seen this before.Its on a single story home
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After sure it’s a ridge beam vs. a ridge board?
Any other photos?
A splice, complete with nails, from the original construction? See the nails from both directions.
How many feet in each direction to the edge of the house, or the next seam?
Note: you can’t ask a specific question without supplying a lot more detail. Nobody here was with you in that attic.
It is a failing scarf joint.
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Larry is right. Improperly spliced and it is not a ridge beam, it is a ridge board.
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What was the roof slope? it could indeed be or should be a ridge beam. From here the slope looks pretty low.
Looks like a crap repair job. Half the roof is sheathed in plywood, the other in wafer board.
And you won’t find that method of attachment in any code book, so that’s non-prescriptive construction.
It is a ridge beam and the slope is not steep at all
Im pretty positive its a scarf joint now that i had some help from yall. But why would this be used instead of one solid beam
Maybe they were short on the right length board. 
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But why would this be built like this. Its a 1955 home with low slope
They didn’t know what they were doing. 
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Because they had to extend it… for example the one piece wasn’t long enough. The best joint for that is something like a wedge scarf joint:
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There may be more to the story here that may be related. Obvious repair. In addition to calling out the scarf problem, I would note the newer and older materials and send my client back to the seller for more information.
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Thanks for the info Brian buyer’s know about the new and old sheathing
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The rafters and the ridge don’t look 1955. There must have been some recent significant repairs which included replacing structural framing.
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Ridge board had a bad warp/bend and they scarfed it to straighten it out. Once the rafter framing is completed, it no longer matters. Still, a good question for something rarely seen.
The issue here is not the type of joint but the gap at the connection of both ridge boards. That gap indicates movement.
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Just another hack job.
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