A tappet for the actuation of a valve of a reciprocating piston engine is arranged in the housing of the reciprocating piston engine inclined in relation to a perpendicular to the camshaft axis. In addition the cam actuating the tappet acts eccentrically to the tappet centre. In this way the tappet is rotated about its axis at each reciprocating movement. Due to the inclined arrangement in the housing of the reciprocating piston engine it is possible to simply grind the cam cylindrically or parallel to the camshaft axis.
