Basics of Woodworking
Glossary
A
abrasive: material used for smoothing wood, includes glass-paper, wire wool.
animal glue: adhesives made from animal waste, often called scotch glue, sold in flake or powder form, and must be heated to be used.
annual ring: the difference in colour between spring and summer wood growth produces an annual ring; these rings are seen in cross sections of trunks.
architrave: decorative moulding framing a door or window.
auger bit: rotating cutting tool used in brace to drill holes.
awl: a sharp pointed small tool used mainly for making small pilot holes in timber.
B
batten: narrow strip of timber used to cover an edge or support shelves.
beading: small convex moulding shape used to decorate and cover edges.
bench hook: a bench aid made of a hoard and two battens screwed together and used in place of a vice to hold a piece of wood while it is being sawed.
bench stop: steel or wooden device that fits into a hole on workbench and is used to brace boards as they are planed.
bevel: to cut the edge of aboard at an angle.
bit: a rotating cutting tool used in brace, hand-drill or drill-press to bore holes. Types include auger bits, expansion hit and twist drills. blemish: an imperfection which detracts from the appearance of wood but does not affect its strength.
blockboard: sheet material made of series of core strips glued together side by side to form a slab, sandwiched between layers of veneer.
block plane: all-purpose plane with small blade set at a low angle for use in cutting across grain, also used for bevelling edge of timber.
bolt: a type of fitting used to fasten wood tc wood and wood to other materials. Used with a nut which screws onto the threaded shank.
brace: a hand tool for boring holes. A chuck al the bottom holds auger bits. bracket: a piece of metal or wood joined at ar angle, used as a support.
bradawl: a pointed steel tool with wooden handle used to make a hole to start a screw.
butt hinge: most common type of hinge, with either a fixed or a loose pin.
butt joint: simple joint in which two pieces of wood are placed against each other but held with nails, screws, dowels, glue or other fasteners.
C
calipers: instrument for precise measuring inside and outside dimensions of round, oval and irregular objects difficult to measure with a rule.
casein glue: glue made from milk and sold as powder to be mixed with water. Water resistant but not waterproof.
castor: a wheel fixed to the bottom of furniture so that it can be rolled about.
centre punch: a pointed steel tool used with hammer to make starting holes for screws and drill bits.
chamfer: to remove the sharp corner along the edge of a board by planing to an angle.
check: a horizontal crack in a piece of wood as a result of shrinkage during drying.
chipboard: a man-made sheet material with rough texture made of wood-chips bonded together under pressure. Resists warping and shrinkage. Used for construction work, tabletops and as base for veneers.
chisel: rigid wood or plastic handled tool with straight cutting edge used for removing wood with or across the grain. Chisels are worked either by hand pressure or by striking the end of the handle with a wooden mallet.
circular saw: a portable power saw with revolving blade used for ripping or cross-cutting. It is especially useful for cutting large sheet materials.
claw hammer: fairly large head hammer with two prongs on head for pulling nails.
clearance hole: hole drilled in wood to accept the shank of a screw.
combination square: measuring device with a steel handle which slides along the base. Useful not only for marking right angles but also for making longitudinal lines on boards and for finding the depth of holes.
compass saw: a thin-bladed saw, used for cutting small holes or curves in wood, also called a keyhole saw.
contact adhesive: synthetic glue that forms a tight bond without cramping. Used for plastic laminates, chipboard and hardboard.
coping saw: hand saw consisting of U-shaped steel frame fitted with slender blade used for cutting irregular shapes in thin wood and plywood
countersink: to sink the heads, screws or bolts flush with or slightly below the surface of the timber using a countersinking drill hit.
crosscut saw: a hand saw with fine teeth used for cutting across the grain of wood.
cross-pein hammer: lightweight hammer with small head used for nailing panel pins and small nails.
D
defect: a defect in timber is an imperfection which affects the strength or usability of the wood, for example a split or crack.
depth stop: collar or marker fitted over a drill bit to control the depth of drilling.
dovetail joint: attractive joint used for drawers and in fine furniture with interlocking teeth.
dowel: a round piece of wood frequently used in furniture and making wood dowel joints.
dowelling jig: a device to simplify the drilling of holes in pieces of wood to make dowel joints.
drill: a hand tool used for drilling small holes. Types include the hand drill and the breast drill.
drill stand: a steel stand on which a portable electric drill is mounted so that it is worked like a drill press.
E
end grain: grain exposed when a piece of wood is cut across, called cutting across the grain.
escutcheon: small plate used to cover keyhole, fixed with round headed escutcheon pins or with screws.
F
face: the prepared side of the timber chosen as the best side. Traditionally marked with a pencil line in a loop.
fence: guide attached to a plane or power saw to guide the tool a fixed distance from the edge of the work. For example, rip fence for a circular saw.
figure: the grain pattern of the wood as exposed by sawing.
file: hand tool used to shape or smooth wood or metal.
flush: forming a smooth level surface.
G
gimlet: boring tool like small auger, but with wooden handle.
glass paper: abrasive paper used for smoothing and finishing wood by rubbing. Graded according to coarseness. Used by hand or in a power sander.
G-cramp: so named because of its shape. Useful small clamp with adjustable bolt through one end.
gouge: chisel-like cutting tool with rounded or U-shaped cutting edge. Used for digging out wood and making grooves or carving. Used in same way as chisels.
grain: direction in which fibres on piece of wood run, and the resulting pattern.
green wood: wood which is unseasoned and therefore not as strong or stable as dried wood.
grinding angle: angle ground on blade of plane or chisel from which the cutting edge is sharpened.
groove: channel cut along the length of a piece of wood, parallel with the grain.
H
hardboard: hard and strong man-made sheet material made of compressed wood fibres sold in large panels in thickness's of 4mm and 6.5mm. Used mainly for inexpensive cabinet work.
hardwood: misleading term referring to timber of trees with broad leaves. Generally more expensive and harder wearing wood, such as mahogany and oak.
heart shake: split across the centre of a log. heartwood: mature inner wood of a log, usually darker than the surrounding wood.
honing: sharpening plane or chisel blade to the honing angle, slightly greater than the grinding angle.
housing joint: joint consisting of a groove usually cut across the grain into which the end of another member is housed or fitted to form the joint.
I
inlay: to set small pieces of wood or other material into a surface for decorative purposes. invisible hinge: hinges which are completely concealed when installed. Used mainly in cabinet doors.
J
jack plane: all-purpose plane used for trimming and smoothing wood.
jigsaw: portable power saw fitted with straight narrow blade which moves up and down in short strokes. Used for cutting irregular shapes and for making holes.
K
kerf: the narrow width cut through wood by the saw blade.
key: to roughen adjacent surfaces prior to gluing or finishing with paint to improve adhesion.
kiln-dried timber: timber dried in controlled conditions in a large oven called a kiln.
knots: remnants of branches in timber considered to be defects because then can reduce the strength of the wood and detract from its appearance.
L
laminate: to glue together layers or plies of wood, usually under pressure. The process by which plywood is made.
lap joint: joint where the whole of one member is fitted into a matching cut-out in the other member.
log: the portion of a tree trunk which is used for boards.
M
mallet: wooden hammering tool with wide-faced head designed to minimise damage to object being struck.
marking gauge: a rule-like device with a sharp pin at one end of a wooden bar which can slide up and down the bar and he set firmly. Used to mark lines parallel with planed edge of timber.
mitre: to cut at a 45*'angle as in mitre joint.
mitre box: a bench aid to simplify cutting mitres with slots set at exactly 45° into which the saw fits.
mitre cramps: cramps used in sets of four to hold the corners of a mitred frame square.
moulding: a strip of wood cut into decorative shapes used to cover joints, serve as decoration or other practical functions. Types include half round, ogee and quadrant.
mortise and tenon joint: a very strong joint which is formed by a tongue-like piece or tenon. The tenon then fits into a mortise or slot cut into a second piece.
N
nail: a standard fastener in carpentry not much used in woodworking as it is not as strong or permanent as a screw, dowel or glue join. Types include oval nail, panel pin.
nail punch: small rigid steel punch with concave tip used to sink nails below the surface of the wood.
nominal size: the size of a section of timber before it is planed down to its working size. Timber is sold according to the sawn or nominal size, planed timber is a couple of millimetres smaller in width and thickness.
0
oilstone: a stone used for sharpening cutting tools, treated with oil to prevent steel particles from clogging the pores of the stone.
orbital sander: a sophisticated power sanding device which works by vibration and which produces an exceptionally high-quality finish.
P
Phillips head screw/screwdriver: screw with cross slot in simple star shape driven by matching screwdriver.
piano hinge: a long continuous hinge which can be cut off to the length required. Used for piano tops, heavy table leaves and cabinet doors.
pilot hole: hole drilled in timber to receive the threaded shank of a screw or large nail which might otherwise split the wood.
pincers: a tool similar to pliers, with jaws for pulling nails or hooks.
plane: tool for smoothing rough surfaces or making timber level, or for cutting rebates.
plug cutter: small tool used in a power-drill to cut out matching wood plugs to cover screw heads or to fill holes.
plywood: strong, durable and stable man-made sheet material made of three or more layers of veneer laminated together. Sold in standard sheets in thickness's from 4mm to 25mm.
Pozidriv screw/screwdriver: screw with cross slot shaped in double star which must be driven by matching screwdriver.
PVA glue: all-purpose woodworking glue made of an emulsion of polyvinyl acetate in water.
Q
quarter round: simple moulding shaped like quadrant used to cover joints between floor and skirting and in inside corners of furniture
quarter sawn: wood cut from the logs in cuts along the radius like slices from a cake. The result is boards which are less likely to warp than boards cut 'through and through'.
R
rasp: similar to a file but with coarse teeth. Used to shape wood and round corners and edges.
rebate: rectangular groove or recess in the edge of a board, which holds panel or glass in a door e or picture or frame.
rip saw: saw designed to cut along the grain.
router: versatile power tool used to make joints, cut grooves, mortise, rout out areas and shape 1 edges.
rule: measuring tool used in woodworking most commonly as a steel tape rule.
S
sander: portable power tool which vibrates rapidly. Designed to give final finish to timber and sheet materials. Fitted with abrasive paper. Types include belt sander and orbital sander.
sanding block: device made of cork or wood to hold sandpaper for hand finishing.
sap: the life fluid of the tree, which is a gummy pitch in softwoods.
sapwood: young wood just inside the bark of trunk or branch, less dense than heartwood.
sash cramp: cramp used for work, up to about 2m long. It is an adjustable steel bar with a bolt at one end and a fixed jaw at the other, for cramping boards into table tops and joined frameworks.
sawset: tool used by 'sawdoctor' for bending saw teeth to left or right so saw will not stick.
screw: wood screws usually made of threaded steel or brass, used' to join wood to wood or wood to other materials. Available in varying lengths and thicknesses and with different slot patterns in the head.
screwdriver: tool for turning screws, made of steel shank with plastic or wooden handle.
set: the bending of saw teeth alternately to one side and to the other along the blade.
shake: a lengthwise split between growth rings in timber.
sharpening stone: also called an oilstone, a special type of stone used for sharpening tools. shoulder: step cut at end of wood to expose end grain, as in a tenon.
softwood: timber from trees with needle-shaped leaves, such as pine and spruce.
smoothing plane: all-purpose plane used for straightening pieces of timber.
spirit level: metal or wooden bar with glass bubble containing alcohol used to test the level or vertical of a surface.
square: L-shaped device used for checking the squareness of timber and for measuring and marking right angles.
stopping: purpose-made wood filler available in various wood shades including white. For filling small holes in wood before finishing.
T
template: shape used for repeated processes.
tenon: a projection found on the end of a piece of wood which is then inserted in a mortise of the same size, for making very strong joints.
tenon saw: small cross cut saw with the top of the blade stiffened with a piece of brass or steel, used for accurate small work.
tongue and groove: a board with a projecting rib or tongue along one long side and a channel or groove along the other in a corresponding position. The tongue of one board is designed to fit into the groove of the adjoining hoard, thus creating a rigid continuous surface.
try-square: L-shaped measuring tool with blade and handle used for testing wood for squareness and smoothness and for marking lines on boards.
U
utility knife: knife with razor-like blade which protrudes from the handle. Useful for marking, cutting through veneers, etc.
V
veneer: very thin sheet of wood, sometimes exotic hardwood. Usually glued to a base of chipboard or blockboard
vice: metal device for holding good stationary while it is worked on at the workbench.
W
warp: a bend or twist in a piece of wood resulting from the uneven shrinkage of wood cells during seasoning.
