WOODWORKING TERMINOLGY
Meaning of :
A-stage An early stage in the reaction of certain thermosetting resins in which the material is fusible and still soluble in certain liquids.
Abrasion Resistance Resistance to wear resulting from mechanical action on a surface.
Abrasive Planer A planer in which wood is removed by large sandpaper belts
Accelerated Aging A set of laboratory conditions designed to produce in a short time the results of normal aging. Usual factors included are temperature, light, oxygen and water. In recent years, the adhesives industry has come to rely more and more on the "oxygen bomb" test as an indicator of relative life expectancy of a given formulation.
Accelerated Weathering A set of laboratory conditions to simulate in a short time the effects of natural weathering. Most adhesives are generally not subjected to the conditions that are normally considered under weathering tests.
Accelerator An ingredient used in small amounts to speed up the action of the hardener in a two part adhesive. Terms used to describe the materials which initiate the polymerization needed to cure anaerobic, cyanoacrylate and modified acrylic adhesives. Adhesive Substance for bonding, sticking or holding things together. Also known as Activator
Acetate A fast-evaporating solvent found in lacquer thinner and in solvent refinishers used to strip lacquer, shellac, and other old finishes.
Acetone A very volatile and flammable solvent that is particularly useful for cleaning metal substrates.
Acrylic A synthetic resin found in water-based paints.
Activator (See Accelerator)
Acute Sharp, to the point.
Adhere To cause two surfaces to be held together by adhesion.
Adherend A body that is held to another body by an adhesive.
Adhesion The state in which two surfaces are held together by interfacial forces which may consist of valence forces or interlocking action or both.
Adhesion, Mechanical Adhesion between surfaces in which the adhesive holds the parts together by interlocking action. Adhesion between surfaces in which the adhesive holds the parts together by interlocking action.
Adhesion, Specific Adhesion between surfaces that are held together by valence forces of the same type as those that give rise to cohesion.
Adhesive A substance capable of holding materials together by surface attachment. It is a general term and includes cements, mucilage, and paste, as well as glue.
Adhesive Failure Type of failure characterized by pulling the adhesive loose from the substrate.
Adhesive Joint (see Joint, Adhesive)
Adhesive Working Life The period of time during which an adhesive, after mixing with catalyst, solvent, or other compounding ingredients, remains suitable for use. The amount of time after mixing that a glue or paint remains usable. Often used when referring to two-part epoxy and polyester glues. Also called pot life.
Adhesive Working Properties The properties of an adhesive that affect or dictate the manner of application to the adherends to be bonded and the assembly of the joint before pressure application (such as viscosity, pot life, assembly time, setting time)
Adhesive, Anaerobic Adhesives that cure in the absence of oxygen. An adhesive which only cures when air is excluded.
Adhesive, Assembly An adhesive that can be used for bonding parts together, such as in the manufacture of a boat, airplane, furniture, and the like.
Adhesive, Cold-Setting An adhesive that sets at temperatures below 20°C (68°F)
Adhesive, Construction Any adhesive used to assemble primary building materials into components during building construction—most commonly applied to elastomer-based mastic-type adhesives.
Adhesive, Contact An adhesive that is apparently dry to the touch and, which will adhere to itself instantaneously upon contact; also called contact bond adhesive or dry bond adhesive.
Adhesive, Cyanoacrylate Group of adhesives which show "instant" cure properties and bond to a wide variety if substrates. Cure is by contact with alkaline materials. Such weakly alkaline materials, as water, cause the cure to start.
Adhesive, Dispersion A two phase system in which one phase is suspended in a liquid.
Adhesive, Foam An adhesive, the apparent density of which has been decreased substantially by the presence of numerous gaseous cells dispersed throughout its mass. Same as cellular adhesive.
Adhesive, Gap-Filling An adhesive capable of forming and maintaining a bond between surfaces that are not close fitting.
Adhesive, Heat-Activated A dry adhesive film that is rendered tacky or fluid by application of heat or heat and pressure to the assembly.
Adhesive, Hot-Melt An adhesive that is applied in a molten state and forms a bond on cooling to a solid state.
Adhesive, Hot-Setting An adhesive that requires a temperature at or above 100°C (212°F) to set it.
Adhesive, Intermediate Temperature Setting An adhesive that sets in the temperature range of 31°-99°C (87°-211°F).
Adhesive, Multiple Layer A film adhesive with a different adhesive composition on each side; designed to bond dissimilar materials such as the core to face bond of a sandwich composite.
Adhesive, Pressure Sensitive A viscoelastic material which in solvent-free form remains permanently tacky. Such a material will adhere instantaneously to most solid surfaces with the application of very slight pressure.
Adhesive, Room-Temperature-Curing An adhesive that sets in the temperature range of 20°C to 30°C (68°F to 86°F), in accordance with the limits for Standard Room Temperature specified in the Standard Methods of Conditioning Plastics and Electrical Insulating Materials for Testing (ASTM D618)
Adhesive, Separate Application A term used to describe an adhesive consisting of two parts, one part being applied to one substrate and the other part to the other substrate and the two brought together to form a joint.
Adhesive, Solvent An adhesive having a volatile organic liquid as a vehicle (This term excludes water-based adhesives) Structural Adhesive—A bonding agent used for transferring required loads between adherends exposed to service environments typical for the structure involved. An adhesive having a volatile organic liquid as a vehicle.
Adhesive, Solvent Activated A dry adhesive film that is rendered tacky just prior to use by application of a solvent.
Adhesive, Spray-Mount An aerosol glue often used to adhere paper patterns to workpieces. Many types exist; for woodworking, choose the artist's variety, which temporarily bonds well and allows the pattern to peel away. Always spray the adhesive on the pattern, not the wood.
Adhesive, Structural A bonding agent used for transferring required loads between substrates exposed to service environments typical for the structure involved.
Adhesive, Type I water resistance Any glue that passes ANSI Type I water resistance specification. This test is more rigorous than the Type II test. It involves specimens being immersed in boiling water for four hours, then dried in an oven at 150ºF, then boiled again for four hours, and cooled in water just prior to testing. Specimens must meet wood failure requirements to pass this test.
Adhesive, Type II Water Resistance Any glue that passes the ANSI Type II water-resistance specification. This is a rigorous test that involves specimens being soaked in water for four hours, then dried in an oven at 120ºF. If no delamination is seen after three cycles, the glue passes.
Adjuster A tool which measures distances and relative spaces.
Adsorption The action of a body in condensing and holding gases and other materials at its surface.
Aesthetic The theory of taste; science of the beautiful in nature and art
AFMA American Furniture Manufacturers Association
Aging The progressive change in the chemical and physical properties of a sealant or adhesive.
Air-Dried Lumber that was dried, usually outside, to an equilibrium moisture content with the air it was exposed to. (See Seasoning). Dried by exposure to air in a yard or shed, without artificial heat.
Aliphatic Resin Glue (see Glue, Aliphatic Resin)
Alkyd A synthetic resin that is steadily replacing linseed oil in oil-based paints.
Alligator jaws A term used to designate a pair of serrated bars which are held together in a headpiece, and capable of clamping bits between them.
Alligatoring Cracking of a surface into segments so that it resembles the hide of an alligator. Cracks spread over the surface of a finish, often caused by inflexibility of an older finish, too much finish, or a reaction between two coats of finish.
Allowable Property The value of a property normally published for design use. Allowable properties are identified with grade descriptions and standards, reflect the orthotropic structure of wood, and anticipate certain end uses. Same as Allowable Stress.
Allowable Stress (See Allowable Property.)
All-thread A metal rod that has been threaded along its entire length. Available in standard thread sizes in lengths up ot 72”. Useful for creating everything from custom bolts to adjustment mechanisms for jigs.
Alternate top bevel with raker (ATB/R) A design for a circular saw blade where four alternately beveled teeth are followed by a raker too to remove debris from the cut.
Aluminum Oxide An abrasive used on high-quality sandpaper.
Ambient Conditions Temperature, humidity, sunlight, etc. which exist in the area surrounding the bond. Normally room temperature, atmospheric pressure, daylight, etc.
American Lumber Standard The American Softwood Lumber Standard, Voluntary Product Standard PS–20 (National Institute of Standards and Technology), establishes standard sizes and requirements for the development and coordination of lumber grades of various species, the assignment of design values when called for, and the preparation of grading rules applicable to each species. It provides for implementation of the standard through an accreditation and certification program to assure uniform industry-wide marking and inspection. A purchaser must, however, make use of grading association rules because the basic standards are not in themselves commercial rules.
Anaerobic (see Adhesive, Anaerobic)
Anchor Any device for holding an object in a fixed position.
Angle dividers A sort of double bevel tool so arranged that an angle can be made at the same time on both side of a base line.
Angularly disposed Forming an angle with reference to some part or position of a workpiece.
Aniline Dye (see Dye, Aniline)
Anisotropic Exhibiting different properties when measured along different axes. In general, fibrous materials such as wood are anisotropic.
Annual growth rings The layer of growth that a tree puts on in one year. The annual growth rings can be seen in the end grain of lumber.
ANSI American National Standards Institute.
Antikickback Pawls Attached to a table saw's blade-guard system, these spring-loaded metal plates with sawtooth edges work in conjunction with the splitter. In the event of workpiece kickback, the pawls dig into the wood to prevent it from being propelled toward the operator.
Applied Carving Background which is worked separately and then applied, rather than being worked in place.
Apron A horizontal piece that supports the top or seat and connects the legs of a table or chair.
Arbor A shaft, driven by the tool's motor that turns blades or other cutting tools. In a table saw, the threaded shaft on which the saw blade mounts and is held in place with a nut. Riding on bearings, the arbor gets rotated by the drive belts to spin the blade. Most saws with 10" blades have a 5/8"- diameter arbor.
Archivolt The architectural member surrounding the curved opening of an arch. More commonly the molding or other ornaments with which the wall face of an arch is changed.
Artisan One trained in some mechanic's art or trade.
Asphalt Naturally occurring mineral pitch or bitumen.
Assembly A group of materials or parts, including adhesive, which has been placed together for bonding or which has been bonded together.
Assembly Joint (see Joint, Assembly)
Assembly Time (see Time, Assembly)
A-stage An early stage in the reaction of certain thermosetting resins in which the material is fusible and still soluble in certain liquids.
ASTM American Society for Testing and Materials.
Atomization The breaking up of finish particles through the tip of an air gun under pressure. A fine mist is created that lands on the surface and levels out to a smooth finish.
Auto Tune A circuit installed in a RF generator designed to maintain the optimum amount of power during a RF cure cycle.
Automatic Edging Saw (see Saw, Automatic Edging)
Auxiliary Fence A temporary (sometimes sacrificial) fence attached to a table saw rip fence
Awl Pointed instrument that looks like an ice pick, useful for marking positions when laying out a project.
Back Saw (see Saw, Back)
Backer A veneer or synthetic face bonded to the backside of a panel to ensure dimensional stability.
Backer board A sacrificial board placed behind a workpiece during a cutting or shaping process. The backer board supports the wood to prevent chip-out as the blade or cutter exits the workpiece.
Backing The paper or cloth to which abrasive particles are attached to form sandpaper.
Balanced Construction (see Construction, Balanced)
Band Saw A saw with a looped blade running around two or three wheels. Used with narrow blades for cutting freehand shapes, and with wider blades and a guide for resawing material.
Bark The outermost, protective layer, of a tree composed of dead cork and other elements.
Bark Pocket An opening between annual growth rings that contains bark. Bark pockets appear as dark streaks on radial surfaces and as rounded areas on tangential surfaces.
Bastard Sawn Lumber (see Lumber, Bastard Sawn)
Batch The manufactured unit or blend of two or more units of the same formulation and processing.
Bead, Beaded A small rounded, raised profile, routed along the edge of a board. A semicircular piece of moulding. A piece of wood or iron having rounded creases on its surface.
Beam A structural member supporting a load applied transversely to it.
Beam compass A drawing compass in which the points are arranged to slide on a rod, instead of being fixed on dividers.
Bench Dog, Bench Stop A metal or wooden peg that fits into a hole in a workbench and is used to hold a workpiece in place. The peg can be round or square and sometimes fitted with special springs to hold them in place. A peg standing proud of the bench surface.
Bench-Top Table Saw (see Table Saw, Bench-Top type)
Bent Wood (See Steam Bending)
Benzene A highly flammable solvent also used as a cleaning fluid. Also called naphtha.
Bevel Cut An angled cut through a board.
Bevel Square A handle to which is pivotally attached a blade, which may be swung and held at any desired angle.
Binder A component of an adhesive composition that is primarily responsible for the adhesive forces that hold the two bodies together. Finish or resin added to the stain, used to lock the pigment and dyes into the wood. The resins that form the dried surface film of a finish.
Bird Peck A small hole or patch of distorted grain resulting from birds pecking through the growing cells in the tree. The shape of bird peck usually resembles a carpet tack with the point towards the bark; bird peck is usually accompanied by discoloration extending for considerable distance along the grain and to a much lesser extent across the grain.
Birdseye Figure (see Figure, Birdseye)
Biscuit Joint (see Joint, Biscuit)
Bisected To divide, mark, or cut into two portions.
Bit A small tool, either for drilling, or for cutting, as a plane iron.
Blade Guard On a table saw, a plastic or metal shroud that covers the blade to prevent the saw operator from placing his hands in contact with a spinning blade. The device also prevents small cutoffs from being thrown toward the front of the table saw and the operator.
Blade Runout Runout in circular-saw blades is measured by the amount of side-to-side movement in the blade body.
Bleeding A finishing defect occurring when the previous layer of paint or stain seeps through the topcoat.
Blind A term used to describe joinery whose mating surfaces do not protrude through the face or end grain of the pieces being joined. Example - blind mortise and tenon joint
Blister An elevation of the surface of an adherend, somewhat resembling in shape a blister on human skin; its boundaries may be indefinitely outlined, and it may have burst and become flattened (A blister may be caused by insufficient adhesive; inadequate curing time, temperature, or pressure; or trapped air, water, or solvent vapor)
Blistering A paint failure often caused by moisture in the wood breaking the bond between the paint and the wood.
Blocking An undesired adhesion between touching layers of material such as occurs under moderate pressure during storage or use.
Bloom Crystals formed on the surface of treated wood by exudation and evaporation of the solvent in preservative solutions. A temporary or permanent finish failure characterized by a whitish cast; often associated with shellac or lacquer.
Blow In plywood and particleboard especially, the development of steam pockets during hot pressing of the panel, resulting in an internal separation or rupture when pressure is released, sometimes with an audible report.
Blue Stain (see Stain, Blue)
Blush Cloudy haze in finish caused by moisture trapped beneath the surface. High humidity is the most common cause. Can be also caused by the improper application of an oil base stain under a water base finish.
Board (See Lumber.)
Board Lumber that is less than 38 mm standard (2 in. nominal) thickness and greater than 38 mm standard (2 in nominal) width. Boards less than 140 mm standard (6 in. nominal) width are sometimes called strips.
Board Foot A unit of measurement of lumber represented by a board 12 in. long, 12 in. wide, and 1 in. thick or its cubic equivalent. In practice, the board foot calculation for lumber 1 in. or more in thickness is based on its nominal thickness and width and the actual length. Lumber with a nominal thickness of less than 1 in. is calculated as 1 in.
Bodging To bodge is to improvise in the repairing or construction of material objects, often employing workmanship or materials of a less than satisfactory standard.
Bole The main stem of a tree of substantial diameter—roughly, capable of yielding sawtimber, veneer logs, or large poles. Seedlings, saplings, and small-diameter trees have stems, not boles.
Bolster Shoulder.
Bolt A short section of a tree trunk. A fastener with a male thread, larger than ¼” diameter.
Bond The union of materials by adhesives. To unite materials by means of an adhesive. The attachment at an interface of the adhesive and the substrate.
Bond Face The part or surface of a building component which serves as a substrate for an adhesive.
Bond Failure (see Failure, Bond)
Bond Strength (see Strength, Bond)
Bondability Term indicating ease or difficulty in bonding a material with adhesive.
Bondline The layer of adhesive that attaches two adherends.
Bondline Slip Movement within and parallel to the bondline during shear.
Bookmatch A term in veneering, where successive pieces of veneer from a flitch are arranged side by side. A properly done bookmatch will resemble a mirror image of the opposite side.
Bore The hole for the arbor in a circular saw blade.
Bow The distortion of lumber in which there is a deviation, in a direction perpendicular to the flat face, from a straight line from end-to-end of the piece. A defective piece of lumber that has warped along its length. A warp in which the ends of a board or wooden member curve in the same direction away from the desired plane, usually along the length.
Box Beam A built-up beam with solid wood flanges and plywood or wood-based panel product webs.
Box Joint (see Joint, Box)
Boxed Heart The term used when the pith falls entirely within the four faces of a piece of wood anywhere in its length. Also called boxed pith.
Braced Collar A form of roofing truss, in which the upper cross member is supported by a pair of angled braces.
Brad A small finishing nail up to 1" long.
Brashness A condition that causes some pieces of wood to be relatively low in shock resistance for the species and, when broken in bending, to fail abruptly without splintering at comparatively small deflections.
Breakaway Torque (see Torque, Breakaway)
Breaking Radius The limiting radius of curvature to which wood or plywood can be bent without breaking.
Breast Drill A tool for holding boring tools, and designed to have the head held against the breast for forcing in the boring tool.
Bright Free from discoloration.
Bristle Refers to either natural or synthetic filaments on a paintbrush.
Broad-Leaved Trees (See Hardwoods)
Brown Rot (see Rot, Brown)
Brown Stain (see Stain, Brown)
Brush Marks Lines or ridges left by the brush and dried in a finish.
B-stage An intermediate stage in the reaction of certain thermosetting resins in which the material softens when heated and swells when in contact with certain liquids, but may not entirely fuse or dissolve. The resin in an uncured thermosetting adhesive is usually in this stage.
BTU British Thermal Unit. The quantity of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 lb. of water 1°F.
Built-Up Timbers (see Timbers, Built-up)
Burl A hard, woody outgrowth on a tree, more or less rounded in form, usually resulting from the entwined growth of a cluster of adventitious buds. Such burls are the source of the highly figured burl veneers used for purely ornamental purposes. In lumber or veneer, a localized severe distortion of the grain generally rounded in outline, usually resulting from overgrowth of dead branch stubs, varying from one to several centimeters (one-half to several inches) in diameter; frequently includes one or more clusters of several small contiguous conical protuberances, each usually having a core or pith but no appreciable amount of end grain (in tangential view) surrounding it. Bulges and irregular growths that form on the trunks and roots of trees. Burls are highly sought after for the incredible veneer they yield. A knotty growth from a tree with a convoluted, complex grain.
Burl Veneer Thin, brittle sheets of wood, most often walnut or elm, sliced from a warty growth on a tree; characterized by a swirling, highly figured grain.
Burn-in Stick Colored wax, shellac, or lacquer that is melted into a gouge in the wood, allowed to cool, then sanded or trimmed with a sharp blade.
Burr A raised ridge of metal used on a scraper to remove wood.
Bushing A substance of any kind interposed, as, for instance, a wearing surface between a mandrel and its bearing.
Butt Joint (see Joint, Butt)
Buttress A ridge of wood developed in the angle between a lateral root and the butt of a tree, which may extend up the stem to a considerable height.
Butts A term applied to certain hinges, usually of the large type.
Cabinet Table Saw (see Table Saw, Cabinet Type)
Cabriole Leg A leg used on Queen Anne furniture. The cabriole leg is characterized by graceful curves and a shape that resembles an animal leg.
Callipered A measured portion which has its side or thickness fixed by a finely graduated instrument.
Cambered Slightly rising in the middle portion. An upward bend, or projection.
Cambium A thin layer of tissue between the bark and wood that repeatedly subdivides to form new wood and bark cells. The live, actively growing, layer of a tree. The cambium is one cell thick and resides between the sapwood and the phloem. It repeatedly divides itself to form new wood and causes the tree to grow and expand.
Cannel, Channel The concavity of a gouge blade.
Cant A log that has been slabbed on one or more sides. Ordinarily, cants are intended for resawing at right angles to their widest sawn face. The term is loosely used (See Flitch)
Capital A small head or top of a column; the head or uppermost member of a pilaster.
Carcase The body of a piece of furniture with a box like shape. A cabinet carcase is the box-like component which is fitted with drawers, shelves, and/or doors in cabinet construction.
Card Scraper A flat blade with a burred edge used for smoothing.
Cardinal Pre-eminent, chief, main line; Cardinal line is the principal line to make calculations or measurements from.
Carnauba A South American palm tree noted for production of a high-quality wax.
CAS Number Chemical Abstracts Service. An assigned registry number to identify a material.
Case Hardening A condition of stress and set in dry lumber characterized by compressive stress in the outer layers and tensile stress in the center or core. A defect in the lumber caused by improper drying. Case Hardening is caused when a board is dried too fast. The outer layers in a case hardened board are compressed while the inner layers are in tension.
Catalyst A substance that initiates or changes the rate of chemical reaction but is not consumed or changed by the reaction. Substance added in small quantities to promote a reaction, while remaining unchanged itself.
Caustic Soda Commonly known as lye, a very dangerous chemical when mixed with water in strong solutions; formerly used in homemade paint-stripping formulas.
Cell A general term for the anatomical units of plant tissue, including wood fibers, vessel members, and other elements of diverse structure and function. The smallest, microscopic, structure in wood.
Cellular Material A material containing many small cells dispersed throughout it. The cells may be either open or closed.
Cellulose The carbohydrate that is the principal constituent of wood and forms the framework of the wood cells.
Centering Point A place for the reception of the point of an instrument, like a compass or a dividers, or for the dead center of the tail-stock of a lathe.
Centerline A layout line drawn at the center of the thickness, width, or length of a workpiece and sometimes marked with the CL symbol. Typically, the centerline marking is used without an accompanying dimensional measurement.
CFR Code of Federal Regulations (US)
Chalking Chalky white appearance of a layer of glue which has dried too cold. A glue which dries below this critical "chalk point" does not knit together properly and the resulting bond is likely to fail. A gritty, chalklike film of pigments released by some exterior house paints as they weather.
Chamfer A beveled cut along the edge of a piece of furniture. (Usually 45 degrees)
Check A lengthwise separation of the wood that usually extends across the rings of annual growth and commonly results from stresses set up in wood during seasoning. A lumber defect caused by uneven shrinking of the wood during drying. A checked board has splits which develop lengthwise across the growth rings. Splits running along the grain in wood that occur most frequently in end grain.
Checking The formation of slight breaks or cracks in the surface of the adhesive.
Cheekpiece A piece or pieces at right angles to another piece, either fixed or movable, which serves as a rest or a guide.
Chemical Brown Stain (see Stain, Chemical Brown)
Chiffonier A movable and ornamental closet or piece of furniture with shelves and drawers.
China Wood Oil Another name for tung oil, which originated in the Far East where the seeds or nuts of the tung tree were pressed to extract an oil valued for its finishing qualities.
Chip Carving Incised surface decoration, usually geometric.
Chipboard A paperboard used for many purposes that may or may not have specifications for strength, color, or other characteristics. It is normally made from paper stock with a relatively low density in the thickness of 0.1524 mm (0.006 in) and up.
Chip-out Splinters of wood that break away from a workpiece during a cutting or shaping process, shown below. Combat chip-out by using sharp blades and bits, backer boards, and slower feed rates.
Chops A type of vise.
Chute A channel in any material, or made of any substance, for conveying liquids or solids.
Circumference,Circumferentially The distance around an object. Surrounding or encircling.
Clamp Blocks Wedge-shaped blocks temporarily spot-glued to workpieces so that the parts can be clamped together for gluing.
Clamp Carrier A series of cold clamps arranged and used like a Ferris wheel. This permits a large number of panels to be clamped and stored within a small area.
Clamp Time (see Time, Clamp)
Clamping Force The total force exerted by a clamping device on a glue line.
Classical Relating to the first class or rank, especially in literature, art, or furniture making.
Clear A board which is free of defects.
Cleavage In an adhesively bonded joint, a separation in the joint caused by a wedge or other crack-opening-type action.
Climb Cut A routing operation during which the router moves in the same direction as the bit's rotation, rather than against the rotation, as is normal. The result is a cleaner, but harder-to-control, cut. Always make light cuts when climb-cutting.
Close Grained (See Grain)
Closed Assembly Time (see Time, Closed Assembly)
Closed Cell A cell enclosed by its walls and therefore not connected to other cells.
Closed Coat A piece of sandpaper with a surface completely covered with abrasive particles. This type of paper tends to clog easily with sawdust and is generally not used for woodworking. See also - open coat
Coalescing The evaporation of the chemicals that keep the acrylic resin in a liquid form. Once this process is complete, the acrylic forms a hard finish film.
Coarse Grained (See Grain)
Coefficient of Expansion The coefficient of linear expansion is the ratio of the change in length per degree to the length at 0°C.
Cogged Having teeth, either at regular or at irregular intervals.
Cohesion The state in which the constituents of a mass of material are held together by chemical and physical forces. The molecular attraction which holds the body of an adhesive together. The internal strength of an adhesive.
Cohesive Failure (see Failure, Cohesive)
Cohesive Strength (see Strength, Cohesive)
Coil A conductor wound into a helical/configuration of uniform cross-section.
Coincide To occupy the same place in space; to correspond exactly
Cold Press A hydraulic or pneumatic press designed to press and bond face-glued or veneered panels without the addition of heat.
Cold-Press Plywood (See Wood-Based Composite Panel)
Cold-Setting Adhesive (see Adhesive, Cold-Setting)
Collapse The flattening of single cells or rows of cells in heartwood during the drying or pressure treatment of wood. Often characterized by a caved-in or corrugated appearance of the wood surface.
Collet In a router, the sleeve that grips the shank of a bit. A device that positions and secures a bit in a router.
Collet Runout The amount of deviation from center (wobble) in a router collet, measured in thousandths of an inch.
Colors, Japan Tinted pigments that can be diluted with either oil-based or lacquer-compatible products.
Colors, Oil Pigments mixed in a linseed oil base suitable for tinting oil-based products. Open-Coat
Colors, Tinting Pigments or dyes suspended in any of several solvents.
Colors, Universal Tinting Pigmented liquids compatible with oil-based and water-based products.
Combustible Materials that will burn.
Common Grade Lumber (see Lumber, Common Grade)
Compartment Kiln (See Kiln)
Composite Assembly A combination of two or more materials bonded together that perform as a single unit.
Composite Panel, Wood-Based A generic term for a material manufactured from wood veneer, strands, flakes, particles, or fibers or other lignocellulosic material and a synthetic resin or other binder. A veneer-faced panel with a reconstituted wood core. The flakeboard core may be random or have alignment in the direction 90° from the grain direction of the veneer faces.
Compound Curvature Wood bent to a compound curvature, no element of which is a straight line.
Compound Cut An angled cut to both the edge and face of a board.
Compreg Wood in which the cell walls have been impregnated with synthetic resin and compressed to give it reduced swelling and shrinking characteristics and increased density and strength properties.
Compression Failure (see Failure, Compression)
Compression Wood Abnormal wood formed on the lower side of branches and inclined trunks of softwood trees. Compression wood is identified by its relatively wide annual rings (usually eccentric when viewed on cross section of branch or trunk), relatively large amount of latewood (sometimes more than 50% of the width of the annual rings in which it occurs), and its lack of demarcation between earlywood and latewood in the same annual rings. Compression wood shrinks excessively longitudinally, compared with normal wood. Reaction wood that forms on the lower side of a leaning softwood tree.
Concave An inward-curving shape.
Concentrated To bring to a common center; to bring together in one mass.
Condensation A chemical reaction in which two or more molecules combine with the separation (or release) of water or some other simple substance. If a polymer is formed, the process is called polycondensation.
Conditioning (pre and post) The exposure of a material to the influence of a prescribed atmosphere for a stipulated period of time or until a stipulated relation is reached between material and atmosphere.
Conductor Material having low resistance to the movement of an electric current.
Configuration Form, as depending on the relative disposition of the parts of a thing; a shape or a figure.
Conifer (See Softwoods)
Connector, Timber Metal rings, plates, or grids that are embedded in the wood of adjacent members, as at the bolted points of a truss, to increase the strength of the joint.
Consistency That property of a liquid adhesive by virtue of which it tends to resist deformation (Consistency is not a fundamental property but is composed of rheological properties such as viscosity, plasticity, and other phenomena)
Construction Adhesive (see Adhesive, Construction)
Construction, Balanced A construction such that the forces induced by uniformly distributed changes in moisture content will not cause warping. Symmetrical construction of plywood in which the grain direction of each ply is perpendicular to that of adjacent plies is balanced construction.
Construction, Hollow-Core A panel construction with faces of plywood, hardboard, or similar material bonded to a framed-core assembly of wood lattice, paperboard rings, or the like, which support the facing at spaced intervals.
Construction, Stressed-Skin A construction in which panels are separated from one another by a central partition of spaced strips with the whole assembly bonded so that it acts as a unit when loaded.
Construction, Structural Sandwich A layered construction consisting of a combination of relatively high-strength facing materials intimately bonded to and acting integrally with a low-density core material.
Construction, Symmetrical Plywood panels in which the plies on one side of a center ply or core are essentially equal in thickness, grain direction, properties, and arrangement to those on the other side of the core.
Contact Angle The angle between a substrate plane and the free surface of a liquid droplet at the line of contact with the substrate.
Contractor Table Saw (see Table Saw, Contractor Type)
Conventional Something which grows out of or depends upon custom, or is sanctioned by general usage.
Conversion Reduction of a whole log into pieces suitable for working.
Convex An outward-curving shape.
Cooper (profession) A cooper is someone who makes wooden staved vessels of a conical form, of greater length than breadth, bound together with hoops and possessing flat ends or heads. Examples of a cooper's work include but are not limited to casks, barrels, buckets, tubs, butterchurns, hogsheads, firkins, tierces, rundlets, puncheons, pipes, tuns, butts, pins, and breakers. Everything a cooper produces is referred to collectively as cooperage. "Cask" is a generic term used to describe any piece of cooperage containing a bouge, bilge, or bulge in the middle of the container. A barrel is technically a measure of the size of a cask, so the term "barrel-maker" cannot be used synonymously with "cooper."
Cooperage Containers consisting of two round heads and a body composed of staves held together with hoops, such as barrels and kegs. The facility in which casks are made is also referred to as a cooperage.
Cooperage, Slack Cooperage used as containers for dry, semidry, or solid products. The staves are usually not closely fitted and are held together with beaded steel, wire, or wood hoops.
Cooperage, Tight Cooperage used as containers for liquids, semisolids, or heavy solids. Staves are well fitted and held tightly with cooperage-grade steel hoops.
Cope & Stick Joint (see Joint, Cope-and-Stick)
Copolymer Substance obtained when two or more types of monomers polymerize.
Corbel A projection from the face of a wall or column supporting a weight.
Cord A unit of measure often used for firewood stacked 4’ long x 4’ high x 8’ long.
Core Stock A solid or discontinuous center ply used in panel-type glued structures (such as furniture panels and solid or hollowcore doors)
Correlation A reference, as from one thing to another; the putting together of various parts.
Countersink A tool that allows you to drill a hole so that the head of a screw will sit flush with the face of a board.
Coupling Agent A molecule with different or like functional groups that is capable of reacting with surface molecules of two different substances, thereby chemically bridging the substances.
Covalent Bond A chemical bond that results when electrons are shared by two atomic nuclei.
Crackling effect A faux finish that makes the piece look old and antiqued.
Craftsman One skilled in a craft or trade.
Crazing Fine cracks that may extend in a network on or under the surface of or through a layer of adhesive. Tiny cracks in the finish film, usually along the edges of a surface. Caused by the finish drying too fast in high temperatures. Similar to alligatoring, but the tiny cracks in the surface of the finish are not as deep, as distracting, or as threatening to the wood; in antiques, crazing is often indicative of a prized original finish.
Creep The deformation of a body with time under constant load. Also called cold flow. Time dependent deformation of a wood member under sustained wood. In an adhesive, the time-dependent increase in strain resulting from a sustained stress.
Crook The distortion of lumber in which there is a deviation, in a direction perpendicular to the edge, from a straight line from end-to-end of the piece. A lumber defect where there is an edgewise warp effecting the straightness of the board. Longitudinal bending to one side, caused by uneven seasoning or grain.
Cross Break A separation of the wood cells across the grain. Such breaks may be due to internal stress resulting from unequal longitudinal shrinkage or to external forces.
Cross Grained (See Grain)
Crossband A veneer oriented at right angles to a face veneer used to ensure dimensional stability in a plywood panel. To place the grain of layers of wood at right angles in order to minimize shrinking and swelling; also, in plywood of three or more plies, a layer of veneer whose grain direction is at right angles to that of the face plies.
Crosscut (crosscutting) A cut made perpendicular to the grain of a board. See - Ripcut (Ripping)
Crossgrain Working perpendicular to the grain.
Cross-Link An atom or group connecting adjacent molecules in a complex molecular structure.
Crotch In lumber, a piece of wood taken from the fork of a tree. Crotch Veneer is highly valued for its figuring. The section of a tree where a branch divides from the trunk, or the trunk divides in two; typically an area of convoluted grain.
Crown of Thorns A system of self-supporting and interlocking pieces.
CSPC Consumer Products Safety Commission (US)
C-stage The final stage in the reaction of certain thermosetting resins in which the material is relatively insoluble and infusible. Certain thermosetting resins in a fully cured adhesive layer are in this stage.
Cup A distortion of a board in which there is a deviation flatwise from a straight line across the width of the board. A defect in the lumber where the face of the board warps up like the letter U. Transverse bending, convex or concave, usually predictable, considering grain orientation.
Cure To change the properties of an adhesive by chemical reaction (which may be condensation, polymerization, or vulcanization) and thereby develop maximum strength. Generally accomplished by the action of heat or a catalyst, with or without pressure. To set up or harden by means of a chemical reaction.
Cure Cycle The period of time that a glue line is being cured in radio frequency.
Cure, Chemical Curing by chemical reaction. Usually involves the cross-linking of a polymer.
Curing Agent A chemical that is added to effect a cure in a polymer. Same as hardener.
Curing Temperature (See Temperature, Curing)
Curing Time (see Time, Curing)
Curly Grained (See Grain)
Curtain Coating Applying liquid adhesive to an adherend by passing the adherend under a thin curtain of liquid falling by gravity or pressure.
Curvature The act of curving or being bent.
Cut A means of measuring the proportion of shellac flakes dissolved in denatured alcohol. Most premixed cans of liquid shellac are a 3-pound cut (i.e., 3 pounds of shellac dissolved in 1 gallon of solvent).
Cut Stock (See Lumber for Dimension)
Cut, Relief Short straight cuts made at right angles to a curved layout so sharper than normal curves can be cut with a jig saw or band saw.
Cut, Rip To cut lengthwise, parallel to the grain
Cutoff Saw The first machining operation in a typical rough mill. The cutoff saw cuts to rough length, and defect cuts, with a minimum of lumber and labor costs.
Cutting Angle The angle between the face of a cutting edge and a plane perpendicular to its cutting direction.
Cutting Diagram, Cut list An illustrated guide that depicts the quantities and sizes of boards required for a project as well as where each part should be laid out to minimize waste. While extremely handy for defining lumber needs, cutting diagrams can't account for grain variations in solid wood stock or sheet goods, or for defects in solid stock. So, use a cutting diagram as a guideline only.
Cuttings In hardwoods, portions of a board or plank having the quality required by a specific grade or for a particular use. Obtained from a board by crosscutting or ripping.
Cyanoacrylate (see Adhesive, Cyanoacrylate)
Cycle The change of an alternating flow of current from Zero to a positive peak, returning through Zero to a negative peak and back to Zero.
Dado A rectangular channel cut partway into a board. A slot made across the grain. A plain flat surface between a base and a surbase molding. Sometimes a painted or encrusted skirting on interior walls.
Dado Head, Wobbly A single blade dado cutter where the blade is adjusted to wobble the width of the cut.
Danish Oil A penetrating oil finish often produced using boiled linseed oil, driers, resins, and solvents.
Decay The decomposition of wood substance by fungi. (see Rot)
Deciduous Trees that shed their foliage annually. Commonly referred to as hardwood.
Defect An abnormality in a piece of lumber that lowers its strength and commercial value such as a check or knot.
Deflection The amount of sag in a shelf, floor, joist, or counter caused by the weight it's supporting.
Degree Measure of advancement; quality; extent; a division or space.
Delamination The separation of layers in laminated wood or plywood because of failure of the adhesive, either within the adhesive itself or at the interface between the adhesive and the adherend , or because of cohesive failure of the substrate.
Delignification Removal of part or all of the lignin from wood by chemical treatment.
Denatured Alcohol Ethyl alcohol made toxic by the addition of poisonous liquids; used as a solvent for shellac.
Density As usually applied to wood of normal cellular form, density is the mass per unit volume of wood substance enclosed within the boundary surfaces of a wood–plus–voids complex. It is variously expressed as pounds per cubic foot, kilograms per cubic meter, or grams per cubic centimeter at a specified moisture content. Ratio of weight (mass) to volume of a material - ie grams per cubic centimeter or pounds per gallon.
Density Rules A procedure for segregating wood according to density, based on percentage of latewood and number of growth rings per inch of radius.
Depressed A sunken surface or part of a workpiece.
Depth gage A tool by means of which the depths of grooves and recesses are measured.
Deterioration To grow worse; impairing in quality; as pertains to measuring instruments.
Dew Point The temperature at which a vapor begins to deposit as a liquid. Applies especially to water in the atmosphere.
Diagonal A direction which is not parallel with or perpendicular to a line.
Diagrammatical A drawing made to illustrate the working or the scheme, without showing all the parts or giving their relative positions or measurements.
Diametrically A direction toward the center or across the middle of a figure or thing.
Diffuse-Porous Wood Certain hardwoods in which the pores tend to be uniform in size and distribution throughout each annual ring or to decrease in size slightly and gradually toward the outer border of the ring. Hardwood without distinct passages or pores in the annual growth rings (i.e. maple, poplar, and cherry).
Diluent An ingredient usually added to an adhesive to reduce the concentration of bonding materials.
Dimension (See Lumber for Dimension)
Dimension Lumber (see Lumber, Dimension)
Dipole–Dipole Forces Intermolecular attraction forces between polar molecules that result when positive and negative poles of molecules are attracted to one another.
Discarded Cast off; to reject or put away; as in unusable stock.
Distressing Imitating the aging process of wood by imparting marks or colorants to the wood or finish.
Doctor (bar or blade) Device that controls the amount of adhesive applied.
Dominate To govern; controlling; the major feature of a workpiece
Door Trim The hardware which is attached to a door.
Dote “Dote,” “doze,” and “rot” are synonymous with “decay” and are any form of decay that may be evident as either a discoloration or a softening of the wood.
Double-Roofed All form of roof structure where there is an inner frame to support the rafters.
Dovetail Joint (see Joint, Dovetail)
Dowel A cylindrical pin used to reinforce the strength of an assembly joint.
Dowel Center A cylindrical metal pin with a raised point that is inserted into a dowel hole and used to locate the exact center on a mating piece of wood.
Dozuki A type of Japanese woodworking saw that is used for fine joinery work such as dovetails. Its Western equivalent is a back saw.
Drawer Stop A device installed in a cabinet to limit the drawers travel.
Dressed Size The dimensions of lumber after being surfaced with a planing machine. The dressed size is usually 1/2 to ¾ in. less than the nominal or rough size. A 2- by 4-in. stud, for example, actually measures about 1-1/2 by 3-1/2 in. (standard 38 by 89 mm).
Dressing Shaping the cutting edge of a chisel to correct the bevel.
Driers Chemicals that decrease the drying time of a finish. Often called a japan drier.
Drill The process of making holes in a material. The machine tool for drilling holes.
Drop Forged Metal forms which are struck up by means of heavy hammers, in which are the molds or patterns of the article to be formed.
Dry To change the physical state of an adhesive or a substrate by the loss of solvent constituents by evaporation or absorption, or both.
Dry Rot (see Rot, Dry)
Dry Strength (see Strength, Dry)
Dry Wall Interior covering material, such as gypsum board, hardboard, or plywood, which is applied in large sheets or panels.
Dry-Bulb Temperature (see Temperature, Dry-Bulb)
Dry-Fit Temporarily assembling a project without glue or permanent fasteners. Use this technique to check the accuracy and fit of joinery, and to determine the sequence for final assembly.
Drying Oils Penetrating oils that transform into solids when they come in contact with oxygen; tung oil and linseed oil are two common drying oils.
Drying Temperature (see Temperature, Drying)
Drying Time (see Time, Drying)
Durability A general term for permanence or resistance to deterioration. Frequently used to refer to the degree of resistance of a species of wood to attack by wood-destroying fungi under conditions that favor such attack. In this connection, the term “decay resistance” is more specific. As applied to bondlines, the life expectancy of the structural qualities of the adhesive under the anticipated service conditions of the structure.
Dwell Cycle The period of time after a panel has been cured in radio frequency, but before pressure is released to allow additional cure and equalizing.
Dye, Aniline Any of a large number of synthetic dyes derived from aniline, usually obtained from coal tar. A synthetic tinting agent that can be dissolved in denatured alcohol, mineral spirits, or water. More translucent than heavily pigmented stains, it is preferred by many professional woodworkers who have learned how to handle its fast-acting, permanent coloring.
Earlywood The portion of the growth ring that is formed during the early part of the growing season. It is usually less dense and weaker mechanically than latewood. The first part of the tree's rings to form after winter hybernation. Earlywood is often characterized by larger cells and a lower density. Same as springwood.
Ease To slightly relieve, or "soften," a sharp edge on a piece of wood. This is generally accomplished by sanding, planing, or rounding the edge with a 1/8" round-over router bit.
Edge gluing The bonding of the edge grain of wood strips to make a wider board.
Edge Grained (see Grain, Edge.)
Edge Guide A straightedge that is used to guide tools, such as a circular saw or router, along a workpiece.
Edge Joining Smoothing and squaring the edge of a board so that it can be glued up squarely to another piece.
Edge Joint (see Joint, Edge)
Edging A solid wood strip, usually 1/4" thick or greater, applied to a sheet product, such as plywood, to hide the bare edge. Generally, edging is applied oversize, and flush-trimmed to matching thickness
Elaboration Wrought with labor; finished with great care.
Elasticity The ability of a material to return to its original shape after removal of a load.
Elastomer A macromolecular material that, at room temperature, is deformed by application of a relatively low force and is capable of recovering substantially in size and shape after removal of the force. A rubbery material which returns to approximately its original dimensions in a short time after a relatively large amount of deformation.
Electrodes Conductors, usually strips or plates used to carry the radio frequency power to the surfaces of the material to be heated.
Elevation A projection of a workpiece or other object on a plane perpendicular to the horizon.
Elliptical Having the form of an ellipse.
Elongation, Ultimate Elongation at failure.
Embellishment The act of adorning; that which adds beauty or elegance.
Embrittlement A loss in strength or energy absorption without a corresponding loss in stiffness. Clear, straight-grained wood is generally considered a ductile material; chemical treatments and elevated temperatures can alter the original chemical composition of wood, thereby embrittling the wood.
Emery A naturally occurring, extremely hard mineral applied to cloth backing to produce a fine sand paper.
Emulsion A dispersion of fine particles in water.
End Joint (see Joint, End)
Entablature The portion of the workpiece which lies horizontally upon the columns.
Equidistant Being at an equal distance from a point on the workpiece.
Equilibrium Moisture Content The moisture content at which wood neither gains nor loses moisture when surrounded by air at a given relative humidity and temperature. When the level of moisture in a board is equal to the moisture in the surrounding air. The moisture content eventually attained in wood exposed to a given level of relative humidity and temperature.
Escutcheon The small wooden or metal decorative plate applied over the keyhole in a door or drawer. An ornamental plate like that part about a keyhole.
Evaporation Rate The rate at which a material will vaporize compared with a known substance.
Evolve To unfold or unroll; to open and expand.
Excelsior (See Wood Wool)
Exotherm Exothermic materials give off heat when they cure. When large quantities cure all at one time, the amount of heat given off (the exotherm) can be high enough to melt plastic containers.
Extender A substance, generally having some adhesive action, added to an adhesive to reduce the amount of the primary binder required per unit area. Chemical additive used to control the drying and flow of water base finishes. Can be used with stains and finishes to "extend" the open time.
Exterior Plywood (See Wood-Based Composite Panel)
Extractive Substances in wood, not an integral part of the cellular structure, that can be removed by solution in hot or cold water, ether, benzene, or other solvents that do not react chemically with wood components.
Extrusion Spreading A method of adhesive application in which adhesive is forced through small openings in the spreader head.
Facade The front of a workpiece; the principal front having some architectural pretensions.
Face When a board has one side that is wider than the other, the wider side is referred to as the face (as opposed to the edge). May also refer to the face that is to be visible in the finished item.
Face Frame In cabinetmaking a face frame is a flat frame attached to the front of a carcase. The face frame is used to conceal the exposed edges of the plywood panels used to build the carcase.
Face Gluing Gluing of heavy wood stock on the wide face to attain a thicker panel.
Face Veneer High quality veneer that is used for the exposed surfaces on plywood.
Facing Boards The finishing of the face of a wall of different material than the main part of the wall; the wide board below the cornice or beneath the windows.
Factor One of the elements, circumstances or influences which contribute to produce a result.
Factory and Shop Lumber (See Lumber)
Failure, Adherend Rupture of an adhesive joint, such that the separation appears to be within the adherend.
Failure, Adhesive Rupture of an adhesive joint, such that the plane of separation appears to be at the adhesive–adherend interface.
Failure, Bond Rupture of adhesive bond.
Failure, Cohesive Rupture of an adhesive joint, such that the separation appears to be within the adhesive. Condition of bond failure in which the adhesive falls apart.
Failure, Compression Deformation of the wood fibers resulting from excessive compression along the grain either in direct end compression or in bending. It may develop in standing trees due to bending by wind or snow or to internal longitudinal stresses developed in growth, or it may result from stresses imposed after the tree is cut. In surfaced lumber, compression failures may appear as fine wrinkles across the face of the piece.
Failure, Fatigue Failure of a material due to rapid cyclic deformation.
Failure, Ring A separation of the wood during seasoning, occurring along the grain and parallel to the growth rings (See Shake)
Failure, Substrate Condition of bond failure in which the substrate falls apart. The cohesive strength of the adhesive and the adhesive forces between the adhesive and substrate exceed the internal strength of the material being bonded.
False Front A non-structural face applied to a drawer assembly to provide the drawer's finished visible surface. A false front often is larger than the drawer-box front. Because it is separate from the drawer box, you can adjust the false front, upon assembly, to get the best fit in the drawer opening without repositioning the slides or other drawer hardware.
FAS An abbreviation used in hardwood-lumber grading for Firsts-and-Seconds: the best boards cut from a log. An FAS board measures at least 6" wide by 8' long, and yields a minimum of 83% clear cuttings (areas free of knots and defects), shown above. These areas must be at least 4"x5' or 3"x7'.
Featherboard A piece of wood with thin "fingers" that hold a board against a fence or down against the table of a power tool, usually a table saw or router. A device made up of a series of narrow fingers that hold a workpiece firmly in position against a machine's table surface or fence, shown below. A feather board helps increase accuracy and improves safety. You can make your own or purchase plastic versions.
Feed Rate The distance that the stock being processed moves during a given interval of time or operational cycle.
Fence A straight guide used to keep a board a set distance from a blade or other cutters. A flat and straight length of some material, usually wood, steel or aluminium, which provides a reference for tools to work against, or which prevents the work from sliding. A term used to designate a metal barrier or guard on a part of a tool.
Ferrule The metal band used to hold the bristles to the handle of a brush.
Fiber Saturation Point The stage in the drying or wetting of wood at which the cell walls are saturated and the cell cavities free from water. It applies to an individual cell or group of cells, not to whole boards. It is usually taken as approximately 30% moisture content, based on ovendry weight.
Fiber, Fibre The fine tube-like structure of wood which is hollow and determines the grain direction.
Fiber, Wood A wood cell comparatively long (~40 to 300 mm, ~1.5 to 12 in), narrow, tapering, and closed at both ends. Fiberboard (See Wood-Based Composite Panel)
Fiberboard A broad generic term inclusive of sheet materials of widely varying densities manufactured of refined or partially refined wood (or other vegetable) fibers. Bonding agents and other materials may be added to increase strength, resistance to moisture, fire, or decay, or to improve some other property (See Medium-Density Fiberboard)
Fiberboard, Medium Density A panel product manufactured from lignocellulosic fibers combined with a synthetic resin or other suitable binder. The panels are manufactured to a density of 496 kg/m3 (31 lb/ft3) (0.50 specific gravity) to 880 kg/m3 (55 lb/ft3) (0.88 specific gravity) by the application of heat and pressure by a process in which the interfiber bond is substantially created by the added binder. Other materials may have been added during manufacturing to improve certain properties. A special type of tempered hardboard characterized by a very fine, smooth finish. MDF is used in cabinet making.
Fibril A threadlike component of cell walls, invisible under a light microscope.
Fiddleback A decorative wood figure caused by wavy grain. Fiddleback veneer is prized for it's character and often used for musical instruments.
Figure The pattern produced in a wood surface by annual growth rings, rays, knots, deviations from regular grain such as interlocked and wavy grain, and irregular coloration. Naturally occurring decorative patterns in wood, usually due to medullary rays. The decorative elements in the grain pattern of a board produced by rays, pores, knots, and colors; a board such as quartersawn oak is said to be "highly figured".
Figure, Birdseye Small localized areas in wood with the fibers indented and otherwise contorted to form few to many small circular or elliptical figures remotely resembling birds' eyes on the tangential surface. Sometimes found in sugar maple and used for decorative purposes; rare in other hardwood species. A figure on wood, usually maple and a few other species. The figure is composed of many small BB size rounded areas resembling a birds eye. The figuring is most common on plain and rotary sawn lumber.
Filament A slender synthetic fiber or natural hair utilized as the bristle in a brush.
Fill, Gap Ability of an adhesive to fill the space between substrates and hold the substrates in place.
Filler In woodworking, any substance used to fill the holes and irregularities in planed or sanded surfaces to decrease the porosity of the surface before applying finish coatings. As applied to adhesives, a relatively nonadhesive substance added to an adhesive to improve its working properties, strength, or other qualities. Finely ground material added to an adhesive to change or improve certain properties.
Filler Stick Generally a colored, wax-based stick used to fill nail holes or small cracks in a finished board.
Fillet That portion of an adhesive which fills the corner or angle formed where two substrates are joined.
Filling The technique employed to force, with a rag or brush, a semi-liquid material into the open pores of a board to help produce a smooth surface. Also called a paste filling.
Fine Grained (See Grain)
Finger Joint (see Joint, Finger)
Finish (Finishing) Wood products such as doors, stairs, and other fine work required to complete a building, especially the interior. Coatings of paint, varnish, lacquer, wax, or other similar materials applied wood surfaces to protect and enhance their durability or appearance.
Finished Dimension The dimension of a furniture part after it has been machined to its final size either by a molder or a trim operation in the rough end.
Fire Diamond A hazard rating system of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). Four Classes of entries: Health, Flammability, Reactivity, and Specific Hazard. Frequently seen on drums.
Fire Endurance A measure of the time during which a material or assembly continues to exhibit fire resistance under specified conditions of test and performance.
Fire Point Lowest temperature that a liquid will produce sufficient vapor to ignite and continue to burn
Fire Resistance The property of a material or assembly to withstand fire or give protection from it. As applied to elements of buildings, it is characterized by the ability to confine a fire or to continue to perform a given structural function, or both.
Fire Retardant (See Flame Retardant)
Fire-Retardant-Treated Wood As specified in building codes, a wood product that has been treated with chemicals by a pressure process or treated during the manufacturing process for the purpose of reducing its flame spread performance in an ASTM E84 test conducted for 30 min to performance levels specified in the codes.
Firmer A chisel bevelled on both sides instead of only one.
Fish Eyes Small craters in a finish, generally produced by a contaminant on the surface to which the finish will not adhere, such as silicone, oil, or wax. Defects in the finish film caused by surface contamination.
Fish Plate A pair of plates, usually placed on opposite sides of the pieces to be secured together, and held by cross bolts.
Fishtail Chisel or Gouge A chisel or gouge with a splayed end.
Fixture Time (see Time, Fixture)
Flagging Tips of bristles that have been intentionally split to carry more liquid from the can to the wood.
Flake A small flat wood particle of predetermined dimensions, uniform thickness, with fiber direction essentially in the plane of the flake; in overall character resembling a small piece of veneer. Produced by special equipment for use in the manufacture of flakeboard.
Flakeboard A particle panel product composed of flakes.
Flaking A finish failure, wherein the top layer of finish loses its bond with the previous layer or the wood.
Flame Retardant A treatment, coating, or chemicals that when applied to wood products delays ignition and reduces the flame spread of the product.
Flame Spread The propagation of a flame away from the source of ignition across the surface of a liquid or a solid, or through the volume of a gaseous mixture.
Flammable Describes any material that will ignite easily and burn rapidly.
Flare A pitch; an angle; an inclination.
Flash point The lowest temperature at which the vapors being given off by a substance can be ignited.
Flat A low-gloss finish.
Flat Gouge A gouge with minimal curvature, used for finishing and smoothing.
Flat Grained (See Grain)
Flat Saw A type of saw that uses alternating flat teeth, usually 36, for ripping on the straight-line rip saw.
Flat Sawn Grain orientation in wood in which annual rings are approximately parallel to the wide surface. Also called Tangential or Plain Sawn. (See Grain)
Flat Stock (solid and laminated) For furniture, cabinet, and specialty manufactures. This term has largely superceded the terms “hardwood dimension” and “dimension parts.” (See also Lumber)
Flat-Sawn Lumber (see Lumber, Flat-Sawn)
Flattening Agent A finish additive that reduces the gloss; if over-used, it can weaken the finish.
Flecks (See Rays, Wood)
Flint A natural mineral abrasive used in the manufacture of low- to medium-quality sandpaper.
Flitch A portion of a log sawn on two or more faces—commonly on opposite faces leaving two waney edges. When intended for resawing into lumber, it is resawn parallel to its original wide faces. Or, it may be sliced or sawn into veneer, in which case the resulting sheets of veneer laid together in the sequence of cutting are called a flitch. A stack of boards or sheets of veneer sawn from the same log and remaining in the order in which they were cut. A board in which the round of the trunk is still visible, a rough-cut board. The term is loosely used (See Cant)
Flow Movement of an adhesive during the bonding process before the adhesive is set.
Flush Unbroken, or even in surface; on a level with the adjacent surface.
Flush-Trim Router Bit A straight bit with a bearing mounted at the tip. Typical use includes trimming workpieces--wood or plastic laminate, for instance--to conform to a template or substrate.
Flute, Fluting A deep channel cut in wood. Occasionally denotes the cannel of a gouge. The channel or channels in a body; as the grooves in a column.
Foam Adhesive (see Adhesive, Foam)
Foam Brush An inexpensive, disposable brush in which a tapered piece of foam replaces the bristles.
Forstner Bit A patented drill bit for sinking holes that does not penetrate all the way through the material. Used for holes requiring a flat bottom.
Foxing A yellow-brown discoloration of wood due to fungal infection.
Framing Lumber used for the structural member of a building, such as studs and joists.
Free Water (Free Moisture) Moisture found in the cell cavities of wood.
Freeze/thaw stability The ability of a product to remain usable after it has been frozen and thawed.
French Polishing A highly technical, labor-intensive, slow-building process of applying thinned shellac with a special pad; most often associated with fine European antiques.
Fret Saw (see Saw, Fret)
Frog Clamping Screw A screw which is designed to hold or adjust two angled pieces.
Frosting Regular indented patterns created with a special-purpose punch called a froster.
Fulcrum That by which a lever is sustained, or on which a lever rests in turning or moving a body.
Full-Cell Process Any process for impregnating wood with preservatives or chemicals in which a vacuum is drawn to remove air from the wood before admitting the preservative. This favors heavy adsorption and retention of preservative in the treated portions.
Fuming A method by which the color of woods containing tannin, such as oak and chestnut, can be altered by exposing them to the fumes of 26 percent ammonia.
Furnish Wood material that has been reduced for incorporation into wood-based fiber or particle panel products.
Gain A square or beveled notch or groove cut out of a girder, beam, post or other material, at a corner.
Gambrel A roof having two different pitches, the upper much greater than the lower.
Gang Saw (see Saw, Gang)
Gap-Filling Adhesive (see Adhesive, Gap-Filling)
Garnet A natural mineral abrasive used in the manufacture of high-quality sand paper.
Gel A semisolid system consisting of a network of solid aggregates in which liquid is held.
Gelatinous Fibers Modified fibers that are associated with tension wood in hardwoods.
Geometry Pertaining to that branch of mathematics which investigates the relations, properties and measurements of solids, surfaces, lines and angles.
Girder A large or principal beam used to support concentrated loads at isolated points along its length. A main beam; a straight horizontal beam to span an opening or carry a weight, such as the ends of floor beams.
Girth The distance around a tree; the circumference.
Glaze A transparent to translucent finish designed more for decorative effects rather than durability.
Glides Metal, nylon, plastic, or carpeted discs attached by means of a built-in tack or nail to the bottoms of chairs, tables and other furniture.
Gloss The sheen of a finish, either flat, satin, semi-gloss, or high gloss. The amount of light reflected off the finish surface. High gloss is rated 80-90° . Semi gloss is rated 50-75° . Satin is rated 30-45° . Rubbed effect is rated 20-25° . Flat sheen is rated 5-15° .
Gluability (See Bondability)
Glue Originally, a hard gelatin obtained from hides, tendons, cartilage, bones, etc., of animals. Also, an adhesive prepared from this substance by heating with water. Through general use the term is now synonymous with the term “adhesive.”
Glue Joint (see Joint, Glue)
Glue Laminating Production of structural or nonstructural wood members by bonding two or more layers of wood together with adhesive.
Glue Line The layer of adhesive that attaches two substrates. Same as bond line.
Glue Reel A series cold clamps arranged and used like a Ferris wheel. This permits a large number of panels to be clamped and stored within a small area.
Glue, Aliphatic Resin Yellow glues which provide more grab for shorter clamp times, and offer better water resistance and heat resistance than traditional white glues
Gouge A chisel like tool with a curved cutting edge.
Gouge, Roughing The tool used in woodturning to 'rough' the wood from square to round. These tools are u-shaped, and are ground at 40-45 degrees so that they can remove a lot of stock quickly.
Grade The designation of the quality of a manufactured piece of wood or of logs.
Graduated Cut up into steps; divided into equal parts; as in divisions of a measuring cup
Grain The direction, size, arrangement, appearance, or quality of the fibers in wood or lumber. To have a specific meaning the term must be qualified. The longitudinal fibers in wood. The longitudinal pattern created by the arrangement of the pores and wood fibers; most wood-finishing techniques follow the direction of the grain to avoid unsightly cross-grain marks.
Grain Direction The direction in which the dominating, elongated fibers or cells lie in the structure of wood.
Grain Raising Tiny fibers in the wood grain that lift when exposed to water. Easily controlled with proper sanding. When wood fibers absorb liquids, those on the surface of the wood swell, leaving the wood feeling rough to the touch; water is the most common grain-raising liquid. Woodworkers will intentionally dampen a board prior to final sanding to remove loose fibers, which otherwise would have swollen when the finish was applied.
Grain, Close (Fine-Grained) Wood with narrow, inconspicuous annual rings. The term is sometimes used to designate wood having small and closely spaced pores, but in this sense the term “fine textured” is more often used. Wood, such as maple, pine, and poplar, without a distinct pattern of pores; unlike open-grain woods, such as oak and mahogany, closed-grain woods do not require filling to achieve a smooth finish. Also called closed-pore. Woods with very fine fibers of cells that are not visibly porous.
Grain, Coarse Wood with wide conspicuous annual rings in which there is considerable difference between earlywood and latewood. The term is sometimes used to designate wood with large pores, such as oak, keruing, meranti, and walnut, but in this sense, the term “open-grained” is more often used.
Grain, Cross Wood in which the fibers deviate from a line parallel to the sides of the piece. Cross grain may be either diagonal or spiral grain or a combination of the two.
Grain, Curly Wood in which the fibers are distorted so that they have a curled appearance, as in “birdseye” wood. The areas showing curly grain may vary up to several inches in diameter.
Grain, Diagonal Wood in which the annual rings are at an angle with the axis of a piece as a result of sawing at an angle with the bark of the tree or log. A form of cross-grain.
Grain, End The grain as seen on a cut made at a right angle to the direction of the fibers (such as on a cross section of a tree). The grain at the end of a piece of wood which is perpendicular to the surface. The wood surface exposed when a board is cut across the grain, opening the elongated pores so that they absorb more liquid than the other parts of the board.
Grain, Face The pattern made by growth rings in wood on the greatest surface of a board.
Grain, Fiddleback Figure produced by a type of fine wavy grain found, for example, in species of maple; such wood being traditionally used for the backs of violins.
Grain, Flat The long, wavy grain pattern found on boards produced by simply slicing the log from one end to the other; this is the most common method of producing lumber. Also called plain-sawn.
Grain, Interlocked Grain in which the fibers put on for several years may slope in a right-handed direction, and then for a number of years the slope reverses to a left-handed direction, and later changes back to a right-handed pitch, and so on. Such wood is exceedingly difficult to split radially, though tangentially it may split fairly easily. Grain which has multiple longitudinal directions in alternating layers, typical of many tropical hardwoods, and very difficult to work and to produce smooth surfaces.
Grain, Longitudinal Grain orientation in which wood fibers are parallel to the length of the tree.
Grain, Open Woods, such as oak and mahogany, characterized by prominent, open pores that must be filled in order to achieve a smooth finish. Common classification for woods with large pores such as oak, keruing, meranti, and walnut. Also known as “coarse textured.”
Grain, Radial Grain orientation in wood in which annual rings are approximately perpendicular to the wide surface. Also called Quarter Sawn.
Grain, Raised A roughened condition of the surface of dressed lumber in which the hard latewood is raised above the softer earlywood but not torn loose from it. A condition of the wood caused when a liquid such as water forces the loose surface fibers to swell.
Grain, Side Another term for flat-grained lumber.
Grain, Slash Another term for flat-grained lumber.
Grain, Spiral Wood in which the fibers take a spiral course about the trunk of a tree instead of the normal vertical course. The spiral may extend in a right-handed or left-handed direction around the tree trunk. Spiral grain is a form of cross grain.
Grain, Straight Wood in which the fibers run parallel to the axis of a piece.
Grain, Tangential Grain orientation in wood in which annual rings are approximately parallel to the wide surface. Also called Flat or Plain Sawn.
Grain, Vertical Another term for edge-grained lumber.
Grain, Wavy Wood in which the fibers collectively take the form of waves or undulations.
Graining A technique that uses paint to imitate the grain of various woods.
Green Lumber (see Lumber, Green)
Green Strength This refers to the relative cohesive strength an adhesive, glue, or mastic has in the wet state. Same as green grab or initial tack. See also tack.
Green Wood or Stock Freshly sawed or undried wood. Wood that has become completely wet after immersion in water would not be considered green but may be said to be in the “green condition.” Usually in rough-cut lumber or log form, that has been cut but not dried, and retains a high moisture content. Wood turners often use green stock because of its workability. Unseasoned wood.
Grit A measure of the size of abrasive particles used in the manufacturing of sandpaper. Grit can also be measured as the number of particles in a square inch of sandpaper surface. The grade of particles in sandpaper or sharpening stones which determines the aggressiveness of the cut. The numbering system that reflects the relative coarseness of the abrasive particles on sandpaper. Lower grit numbers indicate coarse abrasives; higher grit numbers, finer abrasives.
Groove A square-cornered channel similar to a dado, but cut parallel to the wood grain.
Ground Coat The initial or base coat of two-part decorative painting and graining techniques.
Growth Ring The layer of wood growth put on a tree during a single growing season. In the temperate zone, the annual growth rings of many species (for example, oaks and pines) are readily distinguished because of differences in the cells formed during the early and late parts of the season. In some temperate zone species (black gum and sweetgum) and many tropical species, annual growth rings are not easily recognized.
Guide Stock A member which is the main portion of the tool, and from which all measurements are taken.
Gum A comprehensive term for nonvolatile viscous plant exudates, which either dissolve or swell up in contact with water. Many substances referred to as gums such as pine and spruce gum are actually oleoresins. Any of a class of colloidal substances, exuded by or prepared from plants, sticky when moist, composed of complex carbohydrates and organic acids, which are soluble or swell in water.
Hammer Beam A member in a truss roof structure, at the base of the roof proper, which consists of an inwardly projecting part, on which the roof rests, and from which it is braced.
Hammer-Pole The peon, or round end of a hammer which is used for driving nails.
Handscrew A traditional clamp with two long wooden jaws joined by two threaded rods. The rods adjust independently by turning the handles, which allows you to position the jaws parallel or at angles to one another. Hand screws come in a variety of sizes, based on the length of the jaws (4" to 12"). Throat depth equals half of jaw length.
Hardboard A generic term for a panel manufactured primarily from interfelted lignocellulosic fibers (usually wood), consolidated under heat and pressure in a hot press to a density of 496 kg/m3 (31 lb/ft3) or greater and to which other materials may have been added during manufacture to improve certain properties. A type of manufactured board similar to particle board but with a much smoother surface. A common brand of hardboard is Masonite.
Hardener A substance or mixture of substances that is part of an adhesive and is used to promote curing by taking part in the reaction. The term is also used to designate a substance added to control the degree of hardness of the cured fill. Same as curing agent. See also catalyst.
Hardness A property of wood that enables it to resist indentation.
Hardwood Generally one of the botanical groups of trees that have vessels or pores and broad leaves, in contrast to the conifers or softwoods. The term has no reference to the actual hardness of the wood. Wood from deciduous trees (i.e. oak, maple, cherry, etc.) Wood from an angiosperm tree, i.e. a tree in the division Magnoliophyta. Despite the name, not necessarily very hard or dense wood (e.g. balsa is a hardwood), although generally harder than softwoods. Generally speaking, wood harvested from broad-leafed trees.
Headsaw In a sawmill, the large band saw or circular saw used to size the log into lumber.
Heart Rot (see Rot, Heart)
Heart Shake A shake radiating out from the heartwood.
Heartwood The wood extending from the pith to the sapwood, the cells of which no longer participate in the life processes of the tree. Heartwood may contain phenolic compounds, gums, resins, and other materials that usually make it darker and more decay resistant than sapwood. The oldest, hardest most decay-resistant portion of a log. Namely, the center. The darker mature wood at the center of a tree. The dead inner core of a tree. Usually much harder and darker than the newer wood. Also see sapwood.
Heat Aging Strength measured at room temperature after some period of aging at elevated temperature.
Heat-Activated Adhesive (see Adhesive, Heat-Activated)
Heel The corner of a chisel, knife, or gouge bevel which meets the back of the blade and polishes the cut.
Heeling A mistake that occurs when the saw blade is poorly aligned. The saw is cutting at an angle as it travels through the wood, causing the back to come in contact with the material on one side.
Hemicellulose A celluloselike material (in wood) that is easily decomposable as by dilute acid, yielding several different simple sugars.
Hemispherical Pertaining to a half globe or sphere.
Hertz A unit of frequency equal to one cycle per second.
High Frequency Curing (See Radiofrequency Curing)
HMIS Hazardous Materials Information System. A hazard rating system of the National Paint and Coating Association (NPCA).
Hold Down or Hold Fast A hold-down iron, fitting into a hole in a bench, tightened or loosened by hammer taps.
Holidays A professional painter's term for bare spots devoid of any paint or finish; also called skips.
Hollow Grinding A concave bevel on a chisel, gouge, or knife.
Hollow Joints A machine problem caused by poor alignment of the feed rollers in the head of the straight-line rip. The joint is unable to fit intimately, even when sufficient pressure is applied to the glue joint.
Hollow-Core Construction (see Construction, Hollow-Core)
Hone To polish and refine a cutting edge by rubbing it against a hard, smooth stone or other surface.
Honeycomb Core A sandwich core material constructed of thin sheet materials or ribbons formed to honeycomb-like configurations.
Honeycombing Checks, often not visible at the surface, that occur in the interior of a piece of wood, usually along the wood rays.
Horizontal On the level; at right angles to a line which points to the center of the earth.
Horizontally Laminated Timber (See Laminated Timbers)
Hot Electrode The electrically "alive" electrode as distinguished from the "ground" electrode.
Hot Press A press designed for laminating or veneering in which the panel is placed between heated platens.
Hot Strength (see Strength, Hot)
Hot-Melt Adhesive (see Adhesive, Hot-Melt)
Hot-Setting Adhesive (see Adhesive, Hot-Setting)
HPVA Hardwood Plywood and Veneer Association.
Hue Another name for tint or color
HVLP (High Volume Low Pressure) An HVLP spray unit consists of a turbine motor that produces warm, low-pressure air. Its high transfer efficiency increases the square foot coverage.
Hybrid Table Saw (see Table Saw, Hybrid Type)
Hydrogen Bond An intermolecular attraction force that results when the hydrogen of one molecule and a pair of unshared electrons on an electronegative atom of another molecule are attracted to one another.
Hydrophilic Having a strong tendency to bind or absorb water.
Hydrophobic Having a strong tendency to repel water.
Hygroscopic Readily adsorbing moisture from the air. The tendency of wood to absorb and excel moisture as humidity levels change.
Impact Strength (see Strength, Impact)
Impreg Wood in which the cell walls have been impregnated with synthetic resin so as to reduce materially its swelling and shrinking. Impreg is not compressed.
Incannel The concave surface of a gouge; a gouge sharpened on the concave surface.
Incipient Rot (see Rot, Incipient)
Incising A pretreatment process in which incisions, slits, or perforations are made in the wood surface to increase penetration of preservative treatments. Incising is often required to enhance durability of some difficult-to-treat species, but incising reduces strength.
Incorporated United in one body.
Increment Borer An augerlike instrument with a hollow bit and an extractor, used to extract thin radial cylinders of wood from trees to determine age and growth rate. Also used in wood preservation to determine the depth of penetration of a preservative.
Index Pin A small movable member which is designed to limit the movement of the operative part of a machine.
Infeed The direction a workpiece is fed into a blade or cutter.
Inflammable Capable of being easily set on fire and burning violently.
Inhibitor A substance that slows down chemical reaction. Inhibitors are sometimes used in certain types of adhesives to prolong storage or working life. Same as retarder.
Initial To make a beginning with; the first of a series of acts or things.
Insulate To place in a detached position; to separate from.
Insulating Board (See Wood-Based Composite Panel)
Interchangeable One for the other.
Interface The common boundary surface between two substances.
Intergrown Knot (See Knot)
Interlocked Grained (See Grain)
Interlocking Action (See Mechanical Adhesion)
Interlocking Jaw Two or more parts of a piece of mechanism in which the said parts pass each other in their motions.
Intermediate Temperature Setting Adhesive (see Adhesive, Intermediate Temperature Setting)
Internal Stresses Stresses that exist within an adhesive joint even in the absence of applied external forces.
Interphase In wood bonding, a region of finite thickness as a gradient between the bulk adherend and bulk adhesive in which the adhesive penetrates and alters the adherend’s properties and in which the presence of the adherend influences the chemical and/or physical properties of the adhesive.
Intersection The point or line in which one line or surface cuts another.
Interval A space between things; a void space; between two objects.
Intervening The portion between.
Intumesce To expand with heat to provide a low-density film; used in reference to certain fire-retardant coatings. Isotropic. Exhibiting the same properties in all directions.
Inverted Turned over; to put upside down.
IR Pyrometer A device designed to measure surface temperature by Infrared emissions
Isotropic Exhibiting the same properties in all directions.
J Roller A hand roller used to apply pressure on a bonded surface such as a plastic laminate.
Japan Drier A blend of driers and solvents designed to increase the drying time of oil-based finishes.
Jig A device used to make special cuts, guide a tool, or aid in woodworking operations. A device that holds a workpiece or tool so that a woodworking task can be performed efficiently and accurately.
Jig Saw A power tool that cuts by moving a blade up and down as it is guided through the cut.
Joinery The art or trade of joining wood.
Joing, Cope & Stick A method of construction raised panel doors where the tongues of the rails (horizontal) connect to the grooves of the stiles (vertical).
Joint The junction of two pieces of wood or veneer. The location at which two substrates are held together with a layer of adhesive.
Joint Conditioning Time (see Time, Joint Conditioning)
Joint Efficiency or Factor The strength of a joint expressed as a percentage of the strength of clear straight-grained material.
Joint, Adhesive The location at which two adherends are held together with a layer of adhesive.
Joint, Adhesive The location at which two adherends are held together with a layer of adhesive.
Joint, Assembly Joints between variously shaped parts or subassemblies such as in wood furniture (as opposed to joints in plywood and laminates that are all quite similar) Butt Joint—An end joint formed by abutting the squared ends of two pieces.
Joint, Biscuit A butt joint that is reinforced with a football shaped "biscuit". The biscuits are usually made from compressed pieces of wood, usually birch. When a biscuit comes into contact with glue in the joint it swells creating a tighter joint. Also called a Plate Joint.
Joint, Box A corner joint made up of interlocking "fingers".
Joint, Bridle A form for securing elements together which provides a shallow depression in one member, and a chamfered member at its end to fit therein.
Joint, Butt An easy but often weak technique for joining two boards together by gluing and pressing the flat surfaces together. A woodworking joint where the edges of two boards are placed against each other. An end joint formed by abutting the squared ends of two pieces.
Joint, Dovetail A method of joining wood at corners by the use of interlocking pins and tails. A widely used and respected technique for joining two boards, in which alternating slots and protrusions (resembling a bird's tail) are snugly fitted together, increasing the gluing surface and producing a joint that, even without glue, can be difficult to pull apart.
Joint, Edge A joint made by bonding two pieces of wood together edge to edge, commonly by gluing. The joints may be made by gluing two squared edges as in a plain edge joint or by using machined joints of various kinds, such as tongued-and-grooved joints.
Joint, End A joint made by bonding two pieces of wood together end to end, commonly by finger or scarf joint.
Joint, Finger An end joint made up of several meshing wedges or fingers of wood bonded together with an adhesive. Fingers are sloped and may be cut parallel to either the wide or narrow face of the piece.
Joint, Glue A special interlocking grooved pattern that is used to join two pieces, edge to edge, securely.
Joint, Half-Blind Dovetail A dovetail joint where the cut does not go all of the way through the board. The ends of a half-blind dovetail are concealed.
Joint, Joggle A form of connection which has struts attached to a pendant post.
Joint, Lap A joint made by placing one substrate partly over another and bonding together the overlapped portions.
Joint, Miter & Spline A joint with two mitered surfaces connected by a spline. (see spline)
Joint, Mortise & Tenon A joinery technique where the tenon from one board fits into the mortise of another.
Joint, Pegged A mortise-and-tendon joint that is strengthened by drilling a hole and inserting a length of dowel through both boards; also called a pinned joint.
Joint, Rule A joinery method used in drop leaf tables where the tabletop has a convex profile and the leaf has a concave cut. The two pieces are joined by a hinge.
Joint, Saddle A form of connection in which one part has a portion cut away, resembling a saddle, and in which the part to be attached has its end cut so as to fit the saddle thus formed.
Joint, Scarf An end joint formed by joining with adhesive the ends of two pieces that have been tapered or beveled to form sloping plane surfaces, usually to a featheredge, and with the same slope of the plane with respect to the length in both pieces. In some cases, a step or hook may be machined into the scarf to facilitate alignment of the two ends, in which case the plane is discontinuous and the joint is known as a stepped or hooked scarf joint. A joint made by cutting away similar angular segments of two substrates and bonding the substrates with the cut areas fitted together. A woodworking joint that is made by cutting or notching two boards at an angle and then strapping, gluing, or bolting them together.
Joint, Sliding Dovetail A sliding dovetail joint is similar to a tongue and groove joint except the tongue and grove are matching dovetails.
Joint, Starved A glue joint that is poorly bonded because an insufficient quantity of adhesive remained in the joint. A joint that has an insufficient amount of adhesive to produce a satisfactory bond.
Joint, Step A small change in height of adjacent staves in a panel caused by changes in moisture content. Also known as planking.
Joint, Sunken Depression in wood surface at a joint (usually an edge joint) caused by surfacing material too soon after bonding (Inadequate time was allowed for moisture added with the adhesive to diffuse away from the joint)
Joint, Through Dovetail A method of joining wood where the interlocking pins and tails of the dovetail joint go through the side of its mating piece.
Joint, Universal A joint wherein one member is made to turn with another, although the two turning members are not in a line with each other.
Joint, V Tongue and groove boards with their top corners beveled so when the two boards come together a V is formed.
Joist One of a series of parallel beams used to support floor and ceiling loads and supported in turn by larger beams, girders, or bearing walls.
Kerf The gap left when material is removed by a saw. The width of the kerf is equal to the set of the saw. The slot or opening produced in a workpiece by a saw blade as it cuts through the material. A standard table saw blade cuts a 1/8"-wide kerf. A notch, channel or slit made in any material by cutting or sawing.
Kickback When a workpiece is thrown back, in the opposite direction the cutter is turning. The dangerous mishap that occurs if a spinning blade or bit catches a workpiece and throws it toward the machine operator.
Kiln A room or chamber having controlled air-flow, temperature, and relative humidity for drying lumber. The temperature is increased as drying progresses, and the relative humidity is decreased. A heated chamber for drying lumber. Temperature, humidity, and air circulation are all controlled within the drying area.
Kiln Dried Dried in a kiln with the use of artificial heat.
Kit A working outfit; a collection of tools or implements.
Knife Planer A planer in which wood is removed by rotating knives.
Knockdown A design feature that allows a piece of furniture to be easily disassembled by the use of special hardware or joinery.
Knot That portion of a branch or limb that has been surrounded by subsequent growth of the stem. The shape of the knot as it appears on a cut surface depends on the angle of the cut relative to the long axis of he knot. A part of the tree where a branch has been overgrown by the tree and incorporated into its trunk. A round or oval imperfection in a board created by the growth of a limb at that point. If not properly sealed, can cause problems in the staining and finishing stages. Caused by a dead branch that was not fully integrated into the tree before it was cut down. A looses knot that cannot be relied upon to remain in place in the piece. A tight knot fixed by growth or position in the wood structure so that it firmly retains its place in the surrounding wood.
Knot, Encased A knot whose rings of annual growth are not intergrown with those of the surrounding wood.
Knot, Intergrown A knot whose rings of annual growth are completely intergrown with those of the surrounding wood.
Knot, Loose A knot that is not held firmly in place by growth or position and that cannot be relied upon to remain in place.
Knot, Pin A knot that is not more than 12 mm (1/2 in) in diameter.
Knot, Sound A knot that is solid across its face, at least as hard as the surrounding wood, and shows no indication of decay.
Knot, Spike A knot cut approximately parallel to its long axis so that the exposed section is definitely elongated.
Kraft Paper An inexpensive, brownish paper used for grocery bags, containers, drop cloths, and paint masking.
Lac A natural resin deposited on branches by the lac insect, it is harvested and refined into shellac.
Lacquer A durable, fast-drying finish developed during World War II and favored by the commercial furniture industry; generally is sprayed, although brushing lacquers are available.
Laminate A product made by bonding together two or more layers (laminations) of material or materials. To unite layers of material with adhesive. A thin plastic materiel used to cover a board. The most common use of laminate is for counter and table tops. It is often referred to by the brand name Formica.
Laminate, Paper-Based A multilayered panel made by compressing sheets of resin-impregnated paper together into a coherent solid mass.
Laminate, Parallel A laminate in which all of the layers of material are oriented approximately parallel with respect to the grain or strongest direction in tension.
Laminated Build-up laminated An assembly made by joining layers of lumber with mechanical fastenings so that the grain of all laminations is essentially parallel.
Laminated Timbers An assembly made by bonding layers of veneer or lumber with an adhesive so that the grain of all laminations is essentially parallel
Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL) A structural lumber manufactured from veneers laminated into a panel with the grain of all veneer running parallel to each other. The resulting panel is normally manufactured in 19- to 38-mm (3/4- to 1-1/2-in) thicknesses and ripped to common lumber widths of 38 to 290 mm (1-1/2 to 11-1/2 in) or wider.
Laminated, Cross A laminate in which some of the layers of material are oriented at right angles to the remaining layers with respect to the grain or strongest direction in tension.
Lap Joint (see Joint, Lap)
Lap Shear (see Shear, Lap)
Latewood The portion of the growth ring that is formed after the earlywood formation has ceased. It is usually denser and stronger mechanically than earlywood.
Latex Paint A paint containing pigments and a stable water suspension of synthetic resins (produced by emulsion polymerization) that forms an opaque film through coalescence of the resin during water evaporation and subsequent curing.
Latex Stain (see Stain, Latex)
LathArt A type of Folk Art that uses Lath from old Plaster and lath walls
Lathe Checks In rotary-cut and sliced veneer, the fractures or checks that develop along the grain of the veneer as the knife peels veneer from the log. The knife side of the veneer where checks occur is called the loose side. The opposite and log side of the veneer where checking usually does not occur is called the tight side.
Layup The process of loosely assembling the adhesive-coated components of a unit, particularly a panel, to be pressed or clamped.
Lbs/MSGL Abbreviation for rate of adhesive application in pounds of adhesive per 1,000 ft2 of single glueline (bondline) (See Spread) When both faces of an adherend are spread as in some plywood manufacturing processes, the total weight of adhesive applied may be expressed as Lbs/MDGL (pounds per 1,000 ft2 double glueline)
Lead The tendency for wood that is being cut to direct the saw parallel to its grain.
Legging The drawing of filaments or strings when adhesive-bonded substrates are separated.
Length Stop A block of wood fixed in place to serve as a reference point when a number of pieces need to be crosscut to the same length on a radial arm or tablesaw. Also called a stop block.
Level A tool designed to indicate horizontal or vertical surfaces.
Leveling The "flowing out" of a freshly applied finish, during which brush marks disappear.
Liberal Not narrow or contracted.
Lignin The second most abundant constituent of wood, located principally in the secondary wall and the middle lamella, which is the thin cementing layer between wood cells. Chemically, it is an irregular polymer of substituted propylphenol groups, and thus, no simple chemical formula can be written for it.
Linear Foot A measurement of the length of a board.
Linseed Oil A natural oil extracted from flaxseed; boiled linseed oil has had driers and solvents added to decrease the drying time.
Load The material being heated.
Lobe Any projection, especially of a rounded form; the projecting part of a cam-wheel.
Locking Torque (see Torque, Locking)
London Dispersion Forces Intermolecular attraction forces between nonpolar molecules that result when instantaneous (nonpermanent) dipoles induce matching dipoles in neighboring molecules. London forces also exist between polar molecules.
Longitudinal Generally, parallel to the direction of the wood fibers; running lengthwise.
Loose Knot (See Knot)
Lubrication The system of affording oiling means to a machine or tool.
Lumber The product of the saw and planing mill for which manufacturing is limited to sawing, resawing, passing lengthwise through a standard planing machine, crosscutting to length, and matching. Lumber may be made from either softwood or hardwood (See also Lumber for Dimension). Raw material obtained from the dry kiln - random width, rough boards.
Lumber for Dimension The National Dimension Manufacturers Association defines both hardwood and softwood dimension components as being cut to a specific size from kiln-dried rough lumber, bolts, cants, or logs. Dimension components include Flat Stock (solid and laminated) for furniture, cabinet, and specialty manufactures. This term has largely superceded the terms “hardwood dimension” and “dimension parts.” (See also Lumber).
Lumber Ruler A tool resembling a ruler with a handle at one end and a hood at the other which is used to calculate the board footage of a piece of lumber.
Lumber Yield The percent of usable, defect-free lumber that can be cut from a rough cutting, board, or bundle of lumber.
Lumber, Bastard Sawn Lumber (primarily hardwoods) in which the annual rings make angles of 30° to 60° with the surface of the piece.
Lumber, Common Grade Lumber with obvious defects.
Lumber, Dimension Lumber with a thickness from 38 mm standard (2 in. nominal) up to but not including 114 mm standard (5 in. nominal) and a width of greater than 38 mm standard (2 in. nominal)
Lumber, Dressed Size The dimensions of lumber after being surfaced with a planing machine. The dressed size is usually 1/2 to 3/4 in. less than the nominal or rough size. A 2- by 4-in. stud, for example, actually measures about 1-1/2 by 3-1/2 in (standard 38 by 89 mm)
Lumber, Edge-Grained Lumber that has been sawed so that the wide surfaces extend approximately at right angles to the annual growth rings. Lumber is considered edge grained when the rings form an angle of 45° to 90° with the wide surface of the piece. Wood characterized by the growth rings being 45 or more degrees, preferably perpendicular, to the surface of a board.
Lumber, Factory and Shop Lumber intended to be cut up for use in further manufacture. It is graded on the percentage of the area that will produce a limited number of cuttings of a specified minimum size and quality.
Lumber, Flat-Grained (Flat-Sawn) Lumber that has been sawn parallel to the pith and approximately tangent to the growth rings. Lumber is considered flat grained when the annual growth rings make an angle of less than 45° with the surface of the piece.
Lumber, Flat-sawn In softwoods, a method of sawing lumber where the log is cut tangential to the growth rings. Also called plain-sawn.
Lumber, Green Freshly cut lumber that has not had time to dry.
Lumber, Matched Lumber that is edge dressed and shaped to make a close tongued-and-grooved joint at the edges or ends when laid edge to edge or end to end.
Lumber, Nominal Size As applied to timber or lumber, the size by which it is known and sold in the market (often differs from the actual size)
Lumber, Nominal Size As applied to timber or lumber, the size by which it is known and sold in the market (often differs from the actual size).
Lumber, Parallel Strand A structural composite lumber made from wood strand elements with the wood fiber oriented primarily along the length of the member.
Lumber, Patterned Lumber that is shaped to a pattern or to a molded form in addition to being dressed, matched, or shiplapped, or any combination of these workings.
Lumber, Plainsawn Another term for flat-grained lumber. The long, wavy grain pattern found on boards produced by simply slicing the log from one end to the other; the most common method of producing lumber. Also called flat-grain wood.
Lumber, Quartersawn Another term for edge-grained lumber. Describes a plank with growth rings perpendicular to the wider wider face. Boards produced by first cutting the log into quarters and then slicing each quarter to reveal the medullary rays; noted for its strength and resistance to cupping in addition to its beauty. Another term for edge-grained
Lumber, Rough Lumber that has not been dressed (surfaced) but has been sawed, edged, and trimmed.
Lumber, Round-Edge Boards having attached bark on both edges.
Lumber, Shiplapped Lumber that is edge dressed to make a lapped joint.
Lumber, Shipping-Dry Lumber that is partially dried to prevent stain and mold in transit.
Lumber, Side A board from the outer portion of the log, ordinarily one produced when squaring off a log for a tie or timber.
Lumber, Structural Lumber that is intended for use where allowable properties are required. The grading of structural lumber is based on the strength or stiffness of the piece as related to anticipated uses.
Lumber, Surfaced Lumber that is dressed by running it through a planer. A piece of wood that has been planed smooth on one or more surfaces.
Lumber, Yard A little-used term for lumber of all sizes and patterns that is intended for general building purposes having no design property requirements.
Lumber-Core Plywood (see Plywood, Lumber-Core)
Lumen In wood anatomy, the cell cavity.
Luthier A luthier s someone who makes or repairs stringed instruments. The word luthier comes from the French (its word for lute is "luth"). The makers that originally built lutes eventually built violins and other string instruments as well, but the apellation remained.
LVL Laminated Veneer Lumber. Construction consisting of parallel veneer laminations.
Lye (see Caustic Soda)
Magnetic Starter A type of power switch, often used on table saws and other large stationary machines. Typically, it contains contact points that are held closed--when the switch operates in the "on" position--by electromagnetic attraction. In the event of a power interruption, the attraction stops, allowing a spring to pull the contacts apart, turning the switch off. This prevents on accidental restart when electrical power returns.
Mandrel The live spindle of a lathe; the revolving arbor of a circular saw.
Mansard A type of roof structure with two pitches, one, the lower, being very steep, and the other very flat pitch.
Manual Of or pertaining to the hand; done or made by hand.
Manufacturing Defects Includes all defects or blemishes that are produced in manufacturing, such as chipped grain, loosened grain, raised grain, torn grain, skips in dressing, hit and miss (series of surfaced areas with skips between them), variation in sawing, miscut lumber, machine burn, machine gouge, mismatching, and insufficient tongue or groove.
Marginal The border or edge of an object.
Marine Plywood (see Plywood, Marine)
Marking Gage A bar on which is placed a series of points, usually equidistant from each other.
Marquetry The craft of covering a structural carcass with veneer forming decorative patterns, designs or pictures. The result may be furniture, decorated small objects or free-standing pictures. Marquetry differs from the more ancient craft of inlay, in which a solid body of one material is cut out to receive sections of another.
Mastic A material with adhesive properties, usually used in relatively thick sections, that can be readily applied by extrusion, trowel, or spatula (See Adhesive)
Matched Lumber (see Lumber, Matched)
Matching Placing tongue in one member and a corresponding groove in another member, so that they will join each other perfectly.
Materials List A chart accompanying a woodworking project that details every part by letter, name, dimensions, material, and quantity. The list may include notes that indicate special cutting instructions.
Matrix The part of an adhesive which surrounds or engulfs embedded filler or reinforcing particles and filaments.
Maturing Temperature (see Temperature, Maturing)
MDF Medium Density Fiberboard (see Fiberboard, Medium Density)
Mechanical Adhesion (see Adhesion, Mechanical)
Medullary Rays The channels within certain trees that transport water between the heartwood and the bark; when these trees, most notably oak, are cut by the quartersawn method, the medullary rays are revealed as diagonal flakes highly regarded for their decorative effect.
Membrane Press A hot press design which permits laminates or veneer to be glued to a surface that is not flat, by using a rubber membrane that is inflated with a hot fluid.
Methylene Chloride A chemical that attacks and dissolves most finishes; utilized in many paint and varnish remover formulas.
Mill Marks Irregular, crushed, and sliced wood fibers caused by the machines that cut and smooth lumber.
Millwork Planed and patterned lumber for finish work in buildings, including items such as sash, doors, cornices, panelwork, and other items of interior or exterior trim. Does not include flooring, ceiling, or siding. A large classification for any woodwork that is manufactured in lumber mills; includes moldings, picture rails, door trim, baseboard, and stairway parts.
Mineral Oil A lightweight, natural oil used in many dusting products.
Mineral Spirits A solvent refined from petroleum and used in oil-based formulas; is similar to paint thinner.
Mineral Streak An olive to greenish-black or brown discoloration of undetermined cause in hardwoods.
Miter The woodworking joint created when two boards are cut at an angle to one another; the most common miter joint is the 45-degree miter used for picture frames.
Miter & Spline Joint (see Joint, Miter & Spline)
Miter Box A tool for the purpose of holding a saw true at any desired adjustable angle.
Miter gauge A tool that slides in a slot on a power tool such as a table saw, router table, bandsaw, etc. A miter gauge can be adjusted to different angles and is used to slide the stock past the blade.
Miter Square A tool which provides adjustment at any desired angle.
Modified Wood Wood processed by chemical treatment, compression, or other means (with or without heat) to impart properties quite different from those of the original wood.
Modifier Any chemically inert ingredient added to an adhesive formulation that changes its properties.
Moisture Content The measure of the amount of water contained in the wood, usually expressed as a percentage of the weight of the ovendry wood. Percent moisture content is equal to the weight of water divided by the weight of bone-dry wood x 100. The total amount of water in a piece of wood, expressed as a percentage of the wood's over-dry weight. The content can be determined using a moisture meter, shown below. For kiln-dried stock, moisture content generally runs from 4 to 10 percent.
Moisture Meter A small electronic device designed to determine the moisture content of wood stock.
Molecular Weight The sum of the atomic weights of the atoms in a molecule.
Monomer A relatively simple molecular compound that can react at more than one site to form a polymer. Chemical which can be caused to join and form polymers.
Mortise & Tenon Joint (see Joint, Mortise & Tenon)
Mortise or Mortice A rectangular hole cut into a piece of wood, meant to accept a tenon. A slot cut into a board, plank, or timber, usually edgewise, to receive the tenon of another board, plank, or timber to form a joint. An opening, drilled or chiseled into a board, such as a chair leg, to receive the end (called the tenon) of an intersecting board, such as a chair rung. Together they form a mortise-and-tenon joint. (see tenon)
Moulded Plywood (See Wood-Based Composite Panel)
Moulding A wood strip having a curved or projecting surface, used for decorative purposes.
MSDS Material Safety Data Sheet.
MSGL Pounds per 1000 square feet glue line.
Mucilage An adhesive prepared from a gum and water. Also in a more general sense, a liquid adhesive which has a low order of bonding strength.
Mullion A vertical member of a cabinet or door frame that forms a division between two units, such as panels, shown below. A slender bar or pier which forms the vertical division between the lights of windows, screens, etc.; also, indoors, the main uprights are stiles, and the intermediate uprights are mullions.
Multiple Layer Adhesive (see Adhesive, Multiple Layer)
Naval Stores A term applied to the oils, resins, tars, and pitches derived from oleoresin contained in, exuded by, or extracted from trees, chiefly species of pines (genus Pinus) Historically, these were important items in the stores of wood sailing vessels.
Neoprene An artificial rubber highly resistant to most solvents found in wood-finishing products.
NFPA National Fire Prevention Association.
NIOSH National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health.
Nip Roll A pressure system designed to apply a large amount of pressure for an instant. This system is frequently used for hot melt, fast-set adhesives, or contact cements.
Nitrocellulose A complex formulation of acids and cotton cellulose that forms the basis for modern lacquer.
Nominal-Size Lumber (See Lumber for Dimension)
Nonflammable Incapable of being easily ignited or burned.
Nonpolar (See Polar)
Non-Porous Substrate A substrate that is not permeable by air, water, etc.
Non-Pressure Process Any process of treating wood with a preservative or fire retardant where pressure is not applied. Some examples are surface applications by brushing or brief dipping, soaking in preservative oils, or steeping in solutions of waterborne preservatives; diffusion processes with waterborne preservatives; and vacuum treatments.
NPCA National Paint and Coating Association
NWWDA National Wood Window and Door Association.
Obliterated Erased or blotted out.
Obtuse Not pointed; bent; an angle greater than 90 degrees.
Oil Colors (see Colors, Oil)
Oil Paint A paint containing a suspension of pigments in an organic solvent and a drying oil, modified drying oil, or synthetic polymer that forms an opaque film through a combination of solvent evaporation and curing of the oil or polymer.
Old Growth Timber in or from a mature, naturally established forest. When the trees have grown during most if not all of their individual lives in active competition with their companions for sunlight and moisture, this timber is usually straight and relatively free of knots.
Oleoresin A solution of resin in an essential oil that occurs in or exudes from many plants, especially softwoods. The oleoresin from pine is a solution of pine resin (rosin) in turpentine.
Opaque Stain (see Stain, Opaque)
Open Assembly Time (see Time, Open Assembly)
Open Grain (See Grain, Open)
Open Time (see Time, Open)
Orange Peel Defect in finish film usually caused by cool drying temperatures or improper fluid tip size. The finish looks like the surface of an orange. A term used by professional finishers to describe a textured surface that occurs if the spraying equipment or mixture for lacquer is not correct.
Orange Shellac Unbleached shellac that retains its natural amber hue.
Orbit The path made by an oscillating tool.
Ordinate The distance of any point in a curve or a straight line, measured on a line called the axis of ordinates, or on a line parallel to it from another line, at right angles thereto, called the axis of abscissas.
Ornamentation To embellish; to improve in appearance.
Orthotropic Having unique and independent properties in three mutually orthogonal (perpendicular) planes of symmetry. A special case of anisotropy.
Oscillate To swing like a pendulum.
OSHA Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Outcannel The convex surface of a gouge; a gouge sharpened on the convex surface.
Ovendry Wood Wood dried to a relatively constant weight in a ventilated oven at 102°C to 105°C (215°F to 220°F)
Overhang In a general sense that which projects out.
Overlay A thin layer of paper, plastic, film, metal foil, or other material bonded to one or both faces of panel products or to lumber to provide a protective or decorative face or a base for painting.
Overspray Finish, propelled by spray equipment that lands and dries on surfaces other than the target.
Oxidize To react to oxygen.
Oxygen Bomb Test A special aging test given to adhesives. Five hundred hours exposure to the condition in this test generally indicates whether a product will provide a good deal of service over a long range period of time
Paint Any pigmented liquid, liquifiable, or mastic composition designed for application to a substrate in a thin layer that converts to an opaque solid film after application.
Pallet A low wood or metal platform on which material can be stacked to facilitate mechanical handling, moving, and storage.
Paneling A sunken compartment or portion with raised margins, molded or otherwise, as indoors, ceilings wainscoting, etc.
Paperboard The distinction between paper and paperboard is not sharp, but broadly speaking, the thicker (greater than 0.3 mm (0.012 in)), heavier, and more rigid grades of paper are called paperboard.
Papreg Any of various paper products made by impregnating sheets of specially manufactured high-strength paper with synthetic resin and laminating the sheets to form a dense, moisture- resistant product.
Paraffin Oil A lightweight mineral oil often used as a lubricant when rubbing out a finish.
Parallel Extended in the same direction, and in all parts equally distant.
Parallel Heating Radio Frequency Press configuration in which RF current is conducted along the glue lines in edge-gluing presses. The flow of the RF current is parallel with the glue lines.
Parallel Strand Lumber (see Lumber, Parallel Strand)
Parallelogram A right-lined quadrilateral figure, whose opposite sides are parallel and, consequently, equal.
Parenchyma Short cells having simple pits and functioning primarily in the metabolism and storage of plant food materials. They remain alive longer than the tracheids, fibers, and vessel elements, sometimes for many years. Two kinds of parenchyma cells are recognized—those in vertical strands, known more specifically as axial parenchyma, and those in horizontal series in the rays, known as ray parenchyma.
Parquetry A mosaic of wood used for ornamental flooring. (French parqueterie, from parquet.) The large diagonal squares known as parquet de Versailles were introduced there in 1684, as parquet de menuiserie ("woodwork parquet"), to replace the marble flooring that required constant washing, which tended to rot the joists beneath the floors.
Particleboard A manufactured core material consisting of wood particles and a binder bonded under heat and pressure. Lumber manufactured from wood chips that have been glued and pressed together under heat.
Particleboard, Extruded A particleboard made by ramming bindercoated particles into a heated die, which subsequently cures the binder and forms a rigid mass as the material is moved through the die.
Particleboard, Mat-Formed A particleboard in which the particles (being previously coated with the binding agent) are formed into a mat having substantially the same length and width as the finished panel. This mat is then duly pressed in a heated flat-platen press to cure the binding agent.
Particleboard, Mat-Formed A particleboard in which the particles (being previously coated with the binding agent) are formed into a mat having substantially the same length and width as the finished panel. This mat is then duly pressed in a heated flat-platen press to cure the binding agent.
Particleboard, Mende-Process A particleboard made in a continuous ribbon from wood particles with thermosetting resins used to bond the particles. Thickness ranges from 0.8 to 6.3 mm (1/32 to 1/4 in)
Particleboard, Multilayer A type of construction in which the wood particles are made or classified into different sizes and placed into the preprocessed panel configuration to produce a panel with specific properties. Panels that are destined for primarily nonstructural uses requiring smooth faces are configured with small particles on the outside and coarser particles on the interior (core) Panels designed for structural application may have flakes aligned in orthogonal directions in various layers that mimic the structure of plywood. Three- and five-layer constructions are most common.
Particles The aggregate component of particleboard manufactured by mechanical means from wood. These include all small subdivisions of wood such as chips, curls, flakes, sawdust, shavings, slivers, strands, wafers, wood flour, and wood wool.
Paste An adhesive composition having a characteristic plastic-type consistency, that is, a high order or yield value, such as that of a paste prepared by heating a mixture of starch and water and subsequently cooling the hydrolyzed product.
Paste Filler A thick, puttylike material intended to be thinned before spreading across the open pores of a board; after the excess is wiped off, the remaining filler dries in the pores before being sanded and finished.
Patina The mellow glow that wood, metal, and wood finishes acquire after prolonged exposure to handling, dusting, and polishing.
Peck Pockets or areas of disintegrated wood caused by advanced stages of localized decay in the living tree. It is usually associated with cypress and incense-cedar. There is no further development of peck once the lumber is seasoned.
Peel To convert a log into veneer by rotary cutting. In an adhesively bonded joint, the progressive separation of a flexible member from either a rigid member or another flexible member.
Peel test A test of an adhesive using one rigid and one flexible substrate. The flexible material is folded back (usually 180°) and the substrates are peeled apart. Strength is measured in pounds per inch of width.
PEL Permissible Exposure Limit.
Penetrating Finish A finish, usually wiped on, that soaks into wood pores so that it resides in the wood itself. Tung oil, linseed oil, and Danish oil are examples of penetrating finishes.
Percent moisture content Percent moisture content is equal to the weight of water divided by the weight of bone dry wood x 100.
Percent Solids The percentage of non-volatile material contained in a liquid.
Percent Volatile Percentage of a liquid or solid by volume that will evaporate at ambient temperature.
Perforated Hardboard The generic name for a 1/4"-thick hardboard sheet with rows of holes spaced at regular intervals. Frequently, this material gets hung vertically and used for tool storage. Often, this material is referred to as Peg-Board - the brand name of one such product.
Permanent set The amount of deformation which remains in an adhesive after removal of a load.
Perpendicular Heating Radio Frequency Press configuration in which RF current is conducted through a plywood panel resulting in mass heating. The flow of current is perpendicular to the glue lines.
Perspective A view of a workpiece; the effect of distance upon the appearance of objects, by means of which the eye recognizes them as being at a more or less measurable distance.
pH Value that represents the acidity or alkalinity of an aqueous solution. A pH of 1 would be very acidic. A pH of 7 is neutral. A pH of 10 is very alkaline. pH
Phenolic Resin A thermosetting resin. Usually formed by the reaction of a phenol with formaldehyde.
Phloem The tissues of the inner bark, characterized by the presence of sieve tubes and serving for the transport of elaborate foodstuffs.
Pick-up Roll A spreading device where the roll for picking up the adhesive runs in a reservoir of adhesive.
Pigments Naturally colored minerals that are finely ground and suspended in a liquid.
Pile A long, heavy timber, round or square, that is driven deep into the ground to provide a secure foundation for structures built on soft, wet, or submerged sites (for example, landing stages, bridge abutments)
Pilot Hole A hole drilled in a workpiece to receive the threaded portion of a screw. The pilot hole is just slightly smaller than the screw's thread diameter.
Pin Knot (see Knot, Pin)
Pinholes Small defects in finish film caused by surface contamination. Resembles tiny holes in the finish.
Pitch The residue which remains after the distillation of oil and so forth from raw petroleum. Slope; descent; declivity, like the slope of a roof.
Pitch Pocket An opening extending parallel to the annual growth rings and containing, or that has contained, pitch, either solid or liquid.
Pitch Streaks A well-defined accumulation of pitch in a more or less regular streak in the wood of certain conifers.
Pith The small, soft core occurring near the center of a tree trunk, branch, twig, or log.
Pith Fleck A narrow streak, resembling pith on the surface of a piece; usually brownish, up to several centimeters long; results from burrowing of larvae in the growing tissues of the tree.
Pivot A fixed pin, or short axis, on the end of which a wheel or other body turns.
Placement The act of placing; in the state of being placed.
Plainsawn (see Lumber, Plainsawn)
Plainsawn Grain orientation in wood in which annual rings are approximately parallel to the wide surface. Also called Tangential or Flat Sawn. (See Grain)
Plane The process of removing material in thin shavings in order to make it flat, or (noun) a tool for planing.
Plane Iron Cutting part of a hand plane.
Planer, Thickness A machine used to prepare lumber for the cut-to-length operation by dressing the face and backside of the board. The purpose of the rough planer is to give the stock a uniform thickness so that production and quality in subsequent operations will be improved. Often it features a horizontal rotating cutterhead equipped with knives that shave wood away from the face as the stock passes beneath, driven by infeed and outfeed rollers. The cutterhead and rollers adjust up and down to accommodate different board thicknesses and cutting depths. Stationary thickness planers usually have 15"-20”wide capacity. Portable benchtop planers handle boards up to 13" wide.
Planing Mill Products Products worked to pattern, such as flooring, ceiling, and siding.
Plank A broad, thick board laid with its wide dimension horizontal and used as a bearing surface.
Planking A small change in height of adjacent staves in a panel caused by changes in moisture content. Sometimes referred as step joints.
Plasticity A property of adhesives that allows the material to be deformed continuously and permanently without rupture upon the application of a force that exceeds the yield value of the material.
Plasticizer A material incorporated in an adhesive to increase its flexibility, workability, or distensibility. The addition of the plasticizer may cause a reduction in melt viscosity, lower the temperature of the second-order transition, or lower the elastic modulus of the solidified adhesive.
Plasticizing Wood Softening wood by hot water, steam, or chemical treatment to increase its moldability.
Plate Current Meter An electrical meter placed in the grid circuit of a RF generator to measure electrical current.
Plywood A construction involving multiple (usually an odd number) layers of wood veneer into a panel. The grain direction of alternate plies is frequently alternated to enhance dimensional stability.
Plywood A glued wood panel made up of relatively thin layersof veneer with the grain of adjacent layers at right angles or of veneer in combination with a core of lumber or of reconstituted wood. The usual constructions have an odd number of layers.
Plywood, Cold-Pressed Refers to interior-type plywood manufactured in a press without external applications of heat.
Plywood, Exterior A general term for plywood bonded with a type of adhesive that by systematic tests and service records has proved highly resistant to weather; micro-organisms; cold, hot, and boiling water; steam; and dry heat.
Plywood, Interior A general term for plywood manufactured for indoor use or in construction subjected to only temporary moisture. The adhesive used may be interior, intermediate, or exterior.
Plywood, Lumber-Core Plywood where thin sheets of veneer are glued to a core of narrow boards. Lumber-core plywood differs from regular plywood in that regular plywood is made up of successive layers of alternating grain veneer.
Plywood, Marine Plywood panels manufactured with the same glueline durability requirements as other exterior-type panels but with more restrictive veneer quality requirements.
Plywood, Marine Plywood panels manufactured with the same glueline durability requirements as other exterior-type panels but with more restrictive veneer quality requirements.
Plywood, Moulded Plywood that is glued to the desired shape either between curved forms or more commonly by fluid pressure applied with flexible bags or blankets (bag moulding) or other means.
Plywood, Postformed The product formed when flat plywood is reshaped into a curved configuration by steaming or plasticizing agents. A treatment (normally involving heat) applied to an adhesive assembly following the initial cure, to complete cure, or to modify specific properties. To expose an adhesive assembly to an additional cure, following the initial cure; to complete cure; or to modify specific properties.
Plywood, Symmetrical Construction Plywood in which the grain direction of each ply is perpendicular to that of adjacent plies is balanced construction. A plywood construction in which construction on one side of the panel is similar or identical to the other side.
Plywood, Veneer-Core Plywood made from three or more pieces of veneer glued up in alternating grain patterns.
Pocket Rot (see Rot, Pocket)
Polar Characteristic of a molecule in which the positive and negative electrical charges are permanently separated, as opposed to nonpolar molecules in which the charges coincide. Water, alcohol, and wood are polar in nature; most hydrocarbon liquids are not.
Polymer A compound formed by the reaction of simple molecules having functional groups that permit their combination to proceed to high molecular weights under suitable conditions. Polymers may be formed by polymerization (addition polymer) or polycondensation (condensation polymer). When two or more different monomers are involved, the product is called a copolymer. Substance made up of many units such as polyethylene, polystyrene, etc.
Polymerization A chemical reaction in which the molecules of a monomer are linked together to form large molecules whose molecular weight is a multiple of that of the original substance. When two or more different monomers are involved, the process is called copolymerization. Chemical reaction in which one or more small molecules combine to form larger molecules.
Polyurethane A popular synthetic resin used to formulate tough varnishes.
Pores Cell-like cavities that characterize the grain of the wood.
Porous substrateA substrate that is permeable by air, water, etc.
Post Cure A treatment (normally involving heat) applied to an adhesive assembly following the initial cure, to complete cure, or to modify specific properties. To expose an adhesive assembly to an additional cure, following the initial cure; to complete cure; or to modify specific properties.
Postformed Plywood (See Plywood, Postformed)
Pot Life The period of time during which an adhesive, after mixing with catalyst, solvent, or other compounding ingredients, remains suitable for use. (See Working Life)
PPE Personal Protective Equipment.
PPM Parts per million.
Precure Condition of too much cure, set, or solvent loss of the adhesive before pressure is applied, resulting in inadequate flow, transfer, and bonding.
Predominate A feature on a workpiece which is superior in number, strength, influence or authority to other workpiece features.
Preservative Any substance that, for a reasonable length of time, is effective in preventing the development and action of wood-rotting fungi, borers of various kinds, and harmful insects that deteriorate wood.
Press Time (see Time, Press)
Pressure Process Any process of treating wood in a closed container whereby the preservative or fire retardant is forced into the wood under pressures greater than one atmosphere. Pressure is generally preceded or followed by vacuum, as in the vacuum- pressure and empty-cell processes respectively; or they may alternate, as in the full-cell and alternating-pressure processes.
Pressure Sensitive Adhesive (see Adhesive, Pressure Sensitive)
Prevailing Torque (see Torque, Prevailing)
Primer A coating applied to a surface, prior to the application of an adhesive, to improve the performance of the bond. A surface primer is a coating that changes the character of a surface so that an adhesive or coating will adhere to it more effectively. Paint designed more for its ability to bond with wood and other finishes than for its resistance to weather.
Produced To lengthen out; to extend.
Progressive Kiln (See Kiln)
Prototype The original; that from which later production models are based upon.
PSA Pressure Sensitive Adhesive (see Adhesive, Pressure Sensitive)
PSI (See PSIG)
PSIA Pounds per square inch absolute. Pressure reading of a gauge plus ambient pressure.
PSIG Pounds per square inch, gauge. Pressure reading of a gauge only.
Psychrometer An instrument for measuring the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere. It has both a dry-bulb and wet-bulb thermometer. The bulb of the wet-bulb thermometer is kept moistened and is, therefore, cooled by evaporation to a temperature lower than that shown by the dry-bulb thermometer. Because evaporation is greater in dry air, the difference between the two thermometer readings will be greater when the air is dry than when it is moist.
Purlin A longitudinal piece of timber, under a roof, mid-way between the eaves and comb, to hold the rafters.
Pushstick A safety device used to push a workpiece past a blade or bit during a machining operation while keeping your hands out of harm's way.
PVA Polyvinyl acetate glue. Any glue consisting chiefly of polyvinyl acetate polymer. This category includes both traditional white glues and yellow aliphatic resin glues. Although PVA glues can vary in strength, flexibility, water resistance, heat resistance and sandability, they are generally non-toxic. All PVA glues are prone to "creep" or slowly stretch under long term loads, and are not recommended for structural applications.
Pyrometer One of several devices designed to measure surface temperature.
Quartersawn Grain orientation in wood in which annual rings are approximately perpendicular to the wide surface. Also called Radial Sawn. (see Lumber, Quartersawn)
Rabbet An L-shaped channel cut along the edge or end of a workpiece, typically using a rabbeting bit or dado set. See also Dado and Groove. Rabbets are often paired with a dado or groove, or may be used for making a lap-joint. A cut partway through the edge of a board that is used as a part of a joint.
Rabbeting The manner of cutting grooves or recesses.
Radial Coincident with a radius from the axis of the tree or log to the circumference. A radial section is a lengthwise section in a plane that passes through the centerline of the tree trunk.
Radial Grain (see Grain, Radial)
Radial Shrinkage Shrinkage in a piece of lumber that occurs across the growth rings as it begins to dry.
Radio Frequency Frequencies from 10 Kilohertz to 3,000 Gigahertz.
Radio Frequency (RF) Curing A process in which high radio frequency waves are used to heat substrates, causing the adhesive between them to dry. Curing of bondlines by the application of radiofrequency energy (Sometimes called high-frequency curing)
Rafter One of a series of structural members of a roof designed to support roof loads. The rafters of a flat roof are sometimes called roof joists.
Rail A horizontal board that runs along the underside of a table. The horizontal part of a raised panel door, window, or panel. Typically in a cabinet's face frame or door, and running between two vertical pieces.
Raised Grain (see Grain, Raised)
Raised Panel A piece of wood that is the center of a frame and panel assembly.
Random Width Lumber ripped to no specific width. Used as edge glued stock. Defecting is done here as well as in specific width ripping.
Rasp A long and flat steel tool with raised teeth for shaping wood.
Ratchet A wheel, bar, or other form of member, having teeth or recesses.
Rays, Wood Strips of cells extending radially within a tree and varying in height from a few cells in some species to 4 or more inches in oak. The rays serve primarily to store food and transport it horizontally in the tree. On quartersawn oak, the rays form a conspicuous figure, sometimes referred to as flecks. A ribbon like figure caused by the strands of cells which extend across the grain in quarter sawn lumber.
Reaction Wood Wood with more or less distinctive anatomical characters, formed typically in parts of leaning or crooked stems and in branches. In hardwoods, this consists of tension wood, and in softwoods, compression wood. Abnormal wood formed in a leaning tree, often characterized by a dense hard brittle grain and propensity to react irregularly to seasonal moisture changes. In hardwood trees, it forms on the upper side of the lean and is called tension wood. In softwood trees it forms on the lower side of the lean and is called compression wood.
Reactive Material A chemical substance or material that will vigorously polymerize or decompose.
Reactivity Tendency of a substance to undergo a chemical reaction with itself or another material with the release of energy.
Rebate A rectangular, longitudinal recess or groove, cut in the corner or edge of a body.
Rectangular Right-angled; having one or more angles of ninety degrees; a four-sided figure having only right angles.
Reed A series of beads in a row.
Rejuvenator A number of solvents and combinations of solvents designed to partially or slowly dissolve and aid in the redistribution of an old shellac or lacquer finish.
REL Recommended Exposure Limit set by NIOSH.
Relative Humidity Ratio of the amount of water vapor present in the air to that which the air would hold at saturation at the same temperature. It is usually considered on the basis of the weight of the vapor but, for accuracy, should be considered on the basis of vapor pressures.
Release paper A sheet, serving as a protectant and/or carrier for an adhesive film or mass, which is easily removed from the film or mass prior to use.
Relief Cut (see Cut, Relief)
Resaw Slicing a length of wood with the blade running parallel to the workpiece faces to create thinner pieces. Usually done on a table saw or band saw
Resilience The property whereby a strained body gives up its stored energy on the removal of the deforming force.
Resin An artificial or natural substance that forms a thin, hard, transparent shell on wood. The material that forms a hard film on the surface after the chemicals have evaporated. Acrylics and urethanes are the common resins used in water base finishes. Solid, semisolid, or pseudosolid resin—An organic material that has an indefinite and often high molecular weight, exhibits a tendency to flow when subjected to stress, usually has a softening or melting range, and usually fractures conchoidally. (2) Liquid resin—an organic polymeric liquid that, when converted to its final state for use, becomes a resin.
Resin Ducts Intercellular passages that contain and transmit resinous materials. On a cut surface, they are usually inconspicuous. They may extend vertically parallel to the axis of the tree or at right angles to the axis and parallel to the rays.
Resin, Liquid An organic polymeric liquid that, when converted to its final state for use, becomes a resin.
Resin - solid, semisolid, or pseudosolid An organic material that has an indefinite and often high molecular weight, exhibits a tendency to flow when subjected to stress, usually has a softening or melting range, and usually fractures conchoidally.
Retarders Solvents noted for their increased drying time; occasionally added to paints or lacquers to lengthen drying time.
Retention by Assay The determination of preservative retention in a specific zone of treated wood by extraction or analysis of specified samples.
Rheology The study of the deformation and flow of matter. Special consideration of viscosity. Considers the effect of such things as stickiness and sensitivity to shear on viscosity.
Rib & Collar A form of roof truss in which the collar between rafters is used as the thrust bearing for the ribs which project up from the hammer beam.
Riffler A paddle-shaped rasp.
Riftsawn Similar to quarter-sawn.
Ring Failure (see Failure, Ring)
Ring Shake A shake occurring between annual rings (See Shake)
Ring-Porous Woods A group of hardwoods in which the pores are comparatively large at the beginning of each annual ring and decrease in size more or less abruptly toward the outer portion of the ring, thus forming a distinct inner zone of pores, known as the earlywood, and an outer zone with smaller pores, known as the latewood. Hardwood with distinct passages or pores in the annual growth rings such as oak.
Rip, Ripcut, Ripping To cut lengthwise, parallel to the grain.
Ripping, Straight-line A process for truing one edge of a board that has no straight edge to work from. A piece of straight-edged lumber is attached along the length of the workpiece and run against the saw's rip fence.
Roll Spreading Application of a film of a liq id material to a surface by means of rollers.
Room-Temperature-Curing Adhesive (see Adhesive, Room Temperature Curing)
Rosin A resin obtained as a residue in the distillation of crude turpentine from the sap of the pine tree (gum rosin) or from an extract of the stumps and other parts of the tree (wood rosin).
Rot (See Decay)
Rot, Advanced The older stage of decay in which the destruction is readily recognized because the wood has become punky, soft and spongy, stringy, ringshaked, pitted, or crumbly. Decided discoloration or bleaching of the rotted wood is often apparent.
Rot, Brown In wood, any decay in which the attack concentrates on the cellulose and associated carbohydrates rather than on the lignin, producing a light to dark brown friable residue—hence loosely termed “dry rot.” An advanced stage where the wood splits along rectangular planes, in shrinking, is termed “cubical rot.”
Rot, Dry A term loosely applied to any dry, crumbly rot but especially to that which, when in an advanced stage, permits the wood to be crushed easily to a dry powder. The term is actually a misnomer for any decay, since all fungi require considerable moisture for growth.
Rot, Heart Any rot characteristically confined to the heartwood. It generally originates in the living tree.
Rot, Incipient The early stage of decay that has not proceeded far enough to soften or otherwise perceptibly impair the hardness of the wood. It is usually accompanied by a slight discoloration or bleaching of the wood.
Rot, Pocket Advanced decay that appears in the form of a hole or pocket, usually surrounded by apparently sound wood.
Rot, Soft A special type of decay developing under very wet conditions (as in cooling towers and boat timbers) in the outer wood layers, caused by cellulose-destroying microfungi that attack the secondary cell walls and not the intercellular layer.
Rot, White In wood, any decay or rot attacking both the cellulose and the lignin, producing a generally whitish residue that may be spongy or stringy rot, or occur as pocket rot.
Rotary-Cut Veneer (See Veneer)
Rottenstone A natural abrasive ground from powdered limestone. It is finer than pumice and is often used in a second step when rubbing out a finish.
Rough Dimension The dimension of the part after specific ripping. The part will be larger than its finished length and width to allow for finish machining.
Rough Lumber (See Lumber)
Rough Lumber (see Lumber, Rough)
Round-Edge Lumber (see Lumber, Round-Edge)
Router A tool for cutting grooves, edge treatments, or recesses.
Rub Bearing A ball bearing rub collar near the top or bottom of a spindle shaper that is used to keep the workpiece a fixed distance away from the cutters.
Rubbing Compound A commercially prepared mixture of abrasive powder and lubricant that is used for a final rubbing of a finished surface; often sold in automotive supply stores.
Rule Joint (see Joint, Rule)
Runout The amount of wobble in a shaper or router.
Runs A finish defect resulting from too much finish on a vertical or tilted surface.
S2S (surfaced 2 sides) Boards are planed on both faces to final thickness after milling and drying. Typical S2S Thicknesses: 4/4 (1") nominal is 13/16" actual. 5/4 (1-1/4") nominal is 1-1/16” actual. 6/4 (1-1/2") nominal is 1-5/16" actual. 8/4 (2") nominal is 1-3/4" actual.
S3S (surfaced 3 sides) Boards get planed on both faces, and then straight-line ripped on one edge, shown below. Most hardwood sells as S3S or S2S.
S4S (surfaced 4 sides) Boards get planed on both faces, and then ripped on both edges to make them parallel, shown above. Most often, this process produces "dimensional" lumber in standard sizes. Often found in softwood construction lumber and home center hardwoods.
Sandability Sandability is a relative term used to explain the performance of dried glue when sanded. Good sandability is achieved when glue that has been sanded does not gum up the sanding belt.
Sandpaper Sandpaper designed with spaces between the abrasive particles; does not remove wood as quickly as closed-coat sandpaper; but does last longer.
Sandpaper, Closed-Coat Sandpaper designed with virtually no spaces between the cutting particles; the larger number of abrasive particles cut very quickly but clog easily.
Sandpaper, Wet/Dry Silicon carbide particles attached to a waterproof backing; used for extremely fine sanding.
Sandwich Construction (See Structural Sandwich Construction)
Sap The water in a tree which is rich in minerals and nutrients.
Sap Stain (see Stain, Sap)
Sapwood The wood of pale color near the outside of the log. Under most conditions, the sapwood is more susceptible to decay than heartwood. The outside of a tree where active growth takes place; produces immature, lighter-colored wood when milled. The new wood in a tree that lies between the bark and the Heartwood. Sapwood is usually lighter in color and becomes heartwood as the tree ages. Also see heartwood.
Sash A frame structure, normally glazed (such as a window), that is hung or fixed in a frame set in an opening.
Satin Finish that has had the gloss reduced to provide a softer sheen. A flattening agent made from fumed silica reduces the amount of light reflected by the surface. A sheen considered more reflective than flat, but less so than semi-gloss.
Saw Kerf Grooves or notches made in cutting with a saw. That portion of a log, timber, or other piece of wood removed by the saw in parting the material into two pieces. Saw kerfs are usually 1/8, 3/16, 1/4, and 5/16.
Saw Rasp A rasp with saw teeth.
Saw, Automatic Edging A straight line rip saw used to edge one side of the blank before it is ripped on the rip saw. This is accomplished by using canted, automatic rollers to feed the stock through the saw after it has been planed.
Saw, Back A short rectangular saw with fine teeth and a rigid "spine" along the top of the blade. A backsaw is used for fine joinery work such as cutting dovetail joints. Also see Dozuki.
Saw, Fret A saw with a very fine toothed blade used for delicate cuts in thin material.
Saw, Gang A type of machine that uses a series of saws on the same arbor to rip lumber. This is accomplished by using spacers for each of the saw blades to give the ripped blank the desired width for each cut on the arbor.
Saw, Straight Line Rip The machine used to rip boards to specified and random widths. Its purpose is to cut to width, rip out defects, and machine straight edges for gluing, with a minimum of waste and labor costs.
Saw, Triple-Chip A saw using three chips and a raker to let each chip do a third of the cutting. This saw is used for trimming because of the smooth cut ft produces.
Saw, Veneer (see Veneer Saw)
Sawn Veneer (See Veneer)
Scarf Joint (See Joint)
Scarf Joint (see Joint, Scarf)
Scarfing The cutting away of the ends of timbers to be joined, so the two parts on lapping will unite evenly.
Schedule, Kiln Drying A prescribed series of dry- and wet-bulb temperatures and air velocities used in drying a kiln charge of lumber or other wood products.
Scissors Beam A form of truss, in which there is a pair of interior braces formed like shears, and secured to the main rafters themselves.
Score, Scored Shear; cut; divide; also notching or marking.
Scorp A drawknife with a curved, sometimes completely circular blade, often used for hollowing out objects such as bowls.
Scratch Awl A sharp-pointed hand tool used to mark wood for cutting, usually used in joinery or when a more percise mark is need beyond that provided by a pencil or other method of marking out the cut. A sharp-pointed tool, with a handle.
Screw Pocket A hole drilled at an angle into a board or piece of sheet goods to allow it to be screwed to another piece of material.
Scribe To cut, indent or mark with a tool, such as a knife, awl or compass, so as to form a cutting line for the workman.
Scroll saw A motorized fretsaw.
Sealer A finish designed to seal the pores of the wood, to dry quickly, and to sand easily in preparation for the final coats.
Seasoning The process of removing the moisture from green wood to improve its workability, stability, and serviceability. Reducing the moisture content of wood before working to prevent cracking, splitting, and other damage due to drying.
Seasoning, Air Dried Dried by exposure to air in a yard or shed, without artificial heat.
Seasoning, Kiln Dried Dried in a kiln with the use of artificial heat..
Second Growth Timber that has grown after the removal, whether by cutting, fire, wind, or other agency, of all or a large part of the previous stand
Selects In softwood, lumber which has been graded strictly for its appearance. In hardwood, lumber which is one grade below first and second.
Self-centering Bit A specialized drill bit designed to bore perfectly centered pilot holes for hinge-mounting screws, shown below. The bit uses a standard twist drill inside a retractable spring-loaded sleeve. A tapered end on the sleeve fits into the countersink on a hinge screw hole to automatically center the bit when you press the sleeve against the hinge. Commonly referred to as "Vix" bits (the brand name of the original version), self-centering bits come in various sizes to accommodate different screw gauges.
Self-Supporting Held by itself; not depending upon outside aid.
Self-Vulcanizing Pertaining to an adhesive that undergoes vulcanization without the application of heat.
Semitransparent Stain (see Stain, Semitransparent)
Sensitization A state of immune response in which further exposure elicits an immune or allergic response.
Separate Application Adhesive (see Adhesive, Separate Application)
Set A permanent or semipermanent deformation. In reference to adhesives, to convert an adhesive into a fixed or hardened state by chemical or physical action, such as condensation, polymerization, oxidation, vulcanization, gelation, hydration, or evaporation of volatile constituents.
Setting Temperature (see Temperature, Setting)
Setting Time (see Time, Setting)
Shake A separation along the grain, the greater part of which occurs between the rings of annual growth. Usually considered to have occurred in the standing tree or during felling. A crack or split in wood, caused by damage or drying. Can also mean a split (as opposed to sawn) shingle.
Shakes In construction, shakes are a type of shingle usually hand cleft from a bolt and used for roofing or weatherboarding.
Shank Usually the handle, or portion to which the handle is attached.
Shank Hole A hole drilled in a workpiece to receive the unthreaded portion of a wood screw's shank. The hole is just slightly larger than the shank diameter.
Shaving A small wood particle of indefinite dimensions developed incidental to certain woodworking operations involving rotary cutterheads usually turning in the direction of the grain. This cutting action produces a thin chip of varying thickness, usually feathered along at least one edge and thick at another and generally curled.
Shear In an adhesively bonded joint, stress, strain, or failure resulting from applied forces that tends to cause adjacent planes of a body to slide parallel in opposite directions.
Shear, Lap Test to measure resistance to shear stress by bonding the ends of flat bars in an overlapping position.
Shear, Static Test to measure resistance to shear stress by bonding a pin within a collar or ring.
Sheathing The structural covering, usually of boards, building fiberboards, or plywood, placed over exterior studding or rafters of a structure.
Shelf Life The period of time, usually beginning with the date of manufacture, during which a stored adhesive will remain effective or useful. Same as storage life.
Shellac, White Shellac that has been bleached to remove its amber hue.
Shim A thin, wooden wedge.
Shiplapped Lumber (See Lumber)
Shipping-Dry Lumber (See Lumber)
Shoot A planing an edge straight or square.
Shop Lumber (See Factory and Shop Lumber)
Shrinkage Percentage weight loss under specified conditions.
Side Clearance The amount of clearance needed for the saw to cut through without causing friction between the saw tooth and the stock. This is accomplished by tapering the carbide tooth from the top of the carbide, and to the back, where it is brazed to the saw body.
Side Grained (See Grain)
Side Lumber (See Lumber)
Siding The finish covering of the outside wall of a frame building, whether made of horizontal weatherboards, vertical boards with battens, shingles, or other material.
Silicon Carbide A hard, synthetic abrasive produced in an electric furnace and attached to waterproof backing for use as wet/dry sandpaper
Single Spread Refers to application of adhesive to only one adherend of a joint.
Sizing The process of applying a material on a surface in order to fill pores and thus reduce the absorption of the subsequently applied adhesive or coating or to otherwise modify the surface properties of the substrate to improve the adhesion. Also, the material used for this purpose.
Slab A broad flat piece of wood cut directly from the log, often with bark on both edges.
Slab-Cut Describes a plank with growth rings roughly parallel to the wider face.
Slash Grained (See Grain)
Sliced Veneer (See Veneer, Sliced)
Slicing A means of producing veneer by driving a half-log or flitch against a pressure bar and knife while holding it against a metal bedplate. The shearing action produces very smooth surfaces, but the width of the veneer is determined by the width of the log.
Slider Table Saw (see Table Saw, Slider Type)
Slip A shaped stone used for sharpening non-flat blades such as gouges.
Slippage The movement of substrates with respect to each other during the bonding process.
Slitting Gage A tool which is designed to cut along a certain line guided by an adjustable fence.
Slotting Cutter A router bit designed to groove the edges of boards for spline-joint assembly.
Snib A wooden toggle used to hold the work on a table.
Soffit The under side of an arch.
Soft Rot (See Rot, Soft)
Softwoods Generally, one of the botanical groups of trees that have no vessels and in most cases, have needlelike or scalelike leaves, the conifers, also the wood produced by such trees. The term has no reference to the actual hardness or density of the wood. Wood from evergreen trees (i.e. pine, fir, cedar, hemlock, and spruce). There are some hardwoods, such as Balsa, which are softer than some softwoods, like Southern Yellow Pine. Wood from a gymnosperm tree, i.e. trees in the divisions Pinophyta and Ginkgophyta. Despite the name, not necessarily very soft or light wood (e.g. douglas-fir is a softwood).
Solid Not hollow; full of matter; having a fixed form; hard; opposed to liquid or fluid.
Solid Color Stains (Opaque Stains) A suspension of pigments in either a drying oil–organic solvent mixture or a water– polymer emulsion designed to color and protect a wood surface by forming a film. Solid color stains are similar to paints in application techniques and in performance.
Solids Content The percentage of weight of the nonvolatile matter in an adhesive.
Solvent Any liquid that can be used to dissolve other substances. The most common solvents in wood finishing are water, mineral spirits, denatured alcohol, acetone, turpentine, and toluene
Solvent Activated Adhesive (see Adhesive, Solvent Activated)
Solvent Adhesive (see Adhesive, Solvent)
Sound A term referring to a board which has no or very few defects which will effect its strength.
Sound Knot (See Knot, Sound)
Spalting A change in the texture, strength and color of wood caused by colonies of fungus growing within the dead wood. Where colonies of fungus meet, fine black lines - often considered a desirable feature, can be seen.
Spar Varnish (see Varnish, Spar)
Specific Adhesion (see Adhesion, Specific)
Specific Gravity As applied to wood, the ratio of the ovendry weight of a sample to the weight of a volume of water equal to the volume of the sample at a specified moisture content (green, air dry, or ovendry). A dimensionless unit of density in which the weight of a known volume of a material is divided by the weight of an equal volume of water. The higher the specific gravity, the heavier the wood.
Specific Heat The quantity of heat needed to raise the temperature of a mass of material as compared with the same amount of water.
Specific Width Stock that is ripped to a rough width specified on the route sheet. Used as a dimension part in the furniture being manufactured.
Speed of Set A series of tests run to determine how fast a given glue can build strength under ideal conditions. The rate at which an adhesive attains handling strength
Speed of Set Test A series of tests run to determine how fast a given glue can build strength under ideal conditions.
Spermatophyte Plants that reproduce by seeds. This includes almost all plant species.
Sphere A body or space continued under a single surface which, in every part, is equally distant from a point within called its center.
Spike Knot (See Knot, Spike)
Spindle The threaded arbor on a shaper that holds the cutters. A small mandrel; an arbor; a turning shaft.
Spiral Grained (See Grain)
Spirit Stain (see Stain, Spirit)
Spline A thin piece of wood that fits in the mating grooves cut into two pieces of wood.
Split To longitudinally separate wood along grain layers.
Splitter A thin vertical plate positioned directly behind a table saw blade to prevent the kerf from closing up and pinching the blade during a cutting operation. The splitter can be part of the saw's guard assembly or a separate device.
Spontaneous Combustion- Self-ignition resulting from unvented heat generated in a chemical reaction. Occurs most often with rags containing linseed oil, Danish oil, and tung oil.
Spray-Mount Adhesive (see Adhesive, Spray-Mount)
Spread The quantity of adhesive per unit joint area applied to an adherend (See Lbs/MSGL)
Spread, Double Refers to application of adhesive to both adherends or substrates of a joint.
Spread, Single Refers to application of adhesive to only one adherend or substrate of a joint.
Springer The post or point at which an arch rests upon its support, and from which it seems to spring.
Springwood (See Earlywood)
Spur A small part jutting from another.
Square A face glued construction that is approximately squared in cross section that will be turned on a lathe.
Squeeze Out Bead or drops of adhesive squeezed out of a joint when pressure is applied. Adhesive pressed out at the bond line due to pressure applied on the substrates. The small bead of glue that gets pushed out of a joint under clamping pressure. Remove this glue by wiping it away, being careful not to spread it, before the glue dries. Or, scrape it off using a chisel or other blade after the glue skins over.
Stability The ability of a material to remain unchanged.
Stain A discoloration in wood that may be caused by such diverse agencies as micro-organisms, fungus, metal, or chemicals. The term also applies to materials used to impart color to wood, such as a dye or pigment. Any of several solvents containing dyes, pigments, or chemicals used to add color to wood. A liquid mixture to color wood. Made of 4 parts: Vehicle (water or solvent), Colorant (pigments and dyes), Binder (resin), Additives (solvents to control drying).
Stain, Blue A bluish or grayish discoloration of the sapwood caused by the growth of certain dark-colored fungi on the surface and in the interior of the wood; made possible by the same conditions that favor the growth of other fungi.
Stain, Brown A rich brown to deep chocolate-brown discoloration of the sapwood of some pines caused by a fungus that acts much like the blue-stain fungi.
Stain, Chemical A means of coloring wood using the semi-predictable reaction between certain woods and various chemicals; fuming, in which oak is exposed to ammonia fumes or liquid, is a well-known example.
Stain, Chemical Brown A chemical discoloration of wood, which sometimes occurs during the air drying or kiln drying of several species, apparently caused by the concentration and modification of extractives.
Stain, Latex A water-based stain
Stain, Opaque A suspension of pigments in either a drying oil–organic solvent mixture or a water–polymer emulsion designed to color and protect a wood surface by forming a film. Solid color stains are similar to paints in application techniques and in performance.
Stain, Pigmented Oil A linseed oil-based stain that relies on pigments for its color; since the excess is often removed with a cloth, it is referred to as a wiping stain.
Stain, Sap A discoloration of the sapwood caused by the growth of certain fungi on the surface and in the interior of the wood; made possible by the same conditions that favor the growth of other fungi.
Stain, Semitransparent A suspension of pigments in either a drying oil–organic solvent mixture or a water–polymer emulsion, designed to color and protect wood surfaces by penetration without forming a surface film and without hiding wood grain.
Stain, Shading Most often a lacquer finish to which dyes or pigments have been added; used extensively on mass-produced furniture.
Stain, Spirit A wood stain dissolved in alcohol.
Stain, Sticker A brown or blue stain that develops in seasoning lumber where it has been in contact with the stickers.
Stain, Varnish (see Varnish Stain)
Stain, Water Aniline dyes dissolved in water
Starved Joint (see Joint, Starved)
Static Bending Bending under a constant or slowly applied load; flexure.
Static Shear (see Shear, Static)
Static Shear Test to measure resistance to shear stress by bonding a pin within a collar or ring.
Staypak Wood that is compressed in its natural state (that is, without resin or other chemical treatment) under controlled conditions of moisture, temperature, and pressure that practically eliminate springback or recovery from compression. The product has increased density and strength characteristics.
Steam Bending The process of forming curved wood members by steaming or boiling the wood and bending it to a form.
Steam Blows An internal delamination in a hot- or radio frequency-cured panel caused by an internal buildup of steam.
STEL Short Term Exposure Limit.
Step Joint (see Joint, Step)
Step-Wedge A wedge having one straight edge, and the other edge provided with a succession of steps, by means of which the piece gradually grows wider.
Sticker Stain (see Stain, Sticker)
Stickers A thin wood strip or board used to separate the layers of green lumber in a pile and thus improve air circulation.
Sticking A moulding that is part of a larger piece of wood such as a frame (as opposed to being applied).
Stile The vertical part of a raised panel door of a cabinet or door frame.
Stopblock A block, usually small, which is clamped or temporarily-affixed to a fence or machine surface. It either holds a workpiece firmly in position, or limits the distance it can travel during machining operations. Stopblocks also can be attached to a workpiece to limit the movement of a tool, such as a router.
Storage Life The period of time during which a packaged adhesive can be stored under specific temperature conditions and remain suitable for use. Sometimes called shelf life.
Straight Line Rip Saw (see Saw, Straight Line Rip)
Strain, Stresses To act upon in any way so as to cause change of form or volume; as forces on a beam to bend it.
Strandboard, Oriented A type of particle panel product composed of strand-type flakes that are purposefully aligned in directions that make a panel stronger, stiffer, and with improved dimensional properties in the alignment directions than a panel with random flake orientation.
Stray-field Heating A heating method where the effect is not directly between the ground and "hot" electrode. Radio Frequency curing system in which both electrodes are on the same side of the glue joint. Stray field heating is commonly used in the "hand held" units.
Strength The ability of a member to sustain stress without failure. In a specific mode of test, the maximum stress sustained by a member loaded to failure.
Strength Ratio The hypothetical ratio of the strength of a structural member to that which it would have if it contained no strength-reducing characteristics (such as knots, slope-of-grain, shake)
Strength, Bond The unit load applied in tension, compression, flexure, peel impact, cleavage, or shear required to break an adhesive assembly, with failure occurring in or near the plane of the bond.
Strength, Cohesive The ability of the adhesive to stick within itself during the wet stage. The term cohesive strength also applies to the internal strength of dried adhesive.
Strength, Dry The strength of an adhesive joint determined immediately after drying under specified conditions or after a period of conditioning in a standard laboratory atmosphere.
Strength, Dry The strength of an adhesive joint determined immediately after drying under specified conditions or after a period of conditioning in the standard laboratory atmosphere.
Strength, Hot Strength measured at elevated temperature.
Strength, Impact Resistance to sharp, intense blows or force.
Strength, Tear The load required to tear apart a sealant specimen.
Strength, Tensile Resistance of a material to a tensile force (a stretch). The cohesive strength of a material expressed in psi.
Strength, Wet The strength of an adhesive joint determined immediately after removal from a liquid in which it has been immersed under specified conditions of time, temperature, and pressure.
Stress Force per unit area, usually expressed in pounds per square inch (psi).
Stress Relaxation Reduction in stress in a material that is held at a constant deformation for an extended time.
Stressed-Skin Construction (see Construction, Stressed-Skin)
Stress-Wave Timing A method of measuring the apparent stiffness of a material by measuring the speed of an induced compression stress as it propagates through the material.
Stretcher A horizontal piece that connects the lower portions of the legs on a table or chair.
Strike Plate A plate serving as a keeper for a beveled latch bolt and against which the latter strikes in closing.
Stringer A timber or other support for cross members in floors or ceilings. In stairs, a timber (usually 2"x12") that supports the treads and rises in a staircase.
Stringiness The property of an adhesive that results in the formation of filaments or threads when adhesive transfer surfaces are separated.
Structural Adhesive (see Adhesive, Structural)
Structural Insulating Board A generic term for a homogeneous panel made from lignocellulosic fibers (usually wood or cane) characterized by an integral bond produced by interfelting of the fibers, to which other materials may have been added during manufacture to improve certain properties, but which has not been consolidated under heat and pressure as a separate stage in manufacture; has a density of less than 496 kg/m3 (31 lb/ft3) (specific gravity 0.50) but more than 160 kg/m3 (10 lb/ft3) (specific gravity 0.16)
Structural Sandwich Construction (see Construction, Structural Sandwich)
Structural Timbers (see Timbers, Structural)
Strut Any piece of timber which runs from one timber to another, and is used to support a part.
Stub A projecting part, usually of some defined form, and usually designed to enter or engage with a corresponding recess in another member.
Stud One of a series of slender wood structural members used as supporting elements in walls and partitions.
Submerged To be buried or covered, as with a fluid; to put under.
Substrate A material upon the surface of which an adhesive- containing substance is spread for any purpose, such as bonding or coating. Material which is being joined or bonded. A broader term than adherend (See Adherend)
Substrate Failure (see Failure, Substrate)
Summerwood (See Latewood)
Sunken Joint (see Joint, Sunken)
Surface Inactivation In adhesive bonding to wood, physical and chemical modifications of the wood surface that result in reduced ability of an adhesive to properly wet, flow, penetrate, and cure.
Surface Preparation A physical and /or chemical preparation of a substrate to render it suitable for adhesive joining. Same as substrate preparation or pre-bond preparation.
Surface Tension The force per unit length acting in the surface of a liquid that opposes the increase in area of the liquid (spreading)
Surfacing The way a piece of lumber has been prepared at the lumber mill.
Sweep The curvature of a gouge, ranging from nearly flat to deep or quick.
Swivel A pivoted member, used in many forms of tools, in which one part turns on the other.
Symmetrical Construction (see Construction, Symmetrical)
Table Saw The table saw is one of the basic woodworking tools in any shop environment. It can easily make rip and crosscut cuts in wood by sliding the wood past the blade. The wood is supported be either the fence for rip cuts or a miter gauge for crosscuts. There are 5 basic types of table saws: bench-top, cabinet, contractor, hybrid, and slider.
Table Saw, Bench-Top Type These usually have a universal motor, the blade is mounted directly on motor shaft (direct drive), it is not for continuous use. These are the least expensive and can be portable. They usually come with weak fence and miter gauge. They may be underpowered with a 1/8” blade
Table Saw, Cabinet Type These are continuous production heavy-duty machines. The induction motor is usually 3+ hp ,220V and mounted within the cabinet. Multiple or wide belts transfer power to the blade arbor. Blade alignment is done by top adjustment trunions mounted to cabinet. Dust control is good. Highly accurate
Table Saw, Contractor Type These use a 1-1/2 hp or less motor, which is mounted behind the saw. Usually a single belt transfers power to the saw blade arbor. Blade alignment by adjusting the trunions, which is more difficult. They are less expensive than a cabinet saw, and less accurate. The open base makes it harder to provide good dust control.
Table Saw, Hybrid Type These are a combination of the best features between Cabinet and Contractor saws. They use an induction motor mounted in saw. Blade alignment by adjusting trunions. Dust control is good.
Table Saw, Slider Type This is a cabinet style saw with a sliding mechanism to hold wood that rides next to the blade. The sliding attachments mount next to table, with 6-10” space to blade. This is a production machine. The sliding table provides the most accurate and safe crosscuts, usually comes with a riving knife and scoring blade. These are the most expensive type of table saw.”
Tack The property of an adhesive that enables it to form a bond of measurable strength immediately after adhesive and substrate are brought into contact under low pressure. Same as aggressive tack.
Tack Cloth A cloth saturated with a diluted finish to enable it to pick up dust.
Tack Dry The property of certain adhesives, particularly non-vulcanizing rubber adhesives, to adhere on contact to themselves at a stage in the evaporation of volatile constituents, even though they seem to dry to the touch. Pertaining to the condition of an adhesive when the volatile constituents have evaporated or been absorbed sufficiently to leave it in a desired sticky state.
Tack Range The period of time in which an adhesive will remain in the tacky-dry condition after application to a substrate, under specified conditions of temperature and humidity.
Tack Time (see Time, Tack)
Tackiness The stickiness of the surface of a sealant or adhesive.
Tail-stock The sliding support or block in a lathe, which carries the dead spindle, or adjustable center.
Tangential Strictly coincident with a tangent at the circumference of a tree or log, or parallel to such a tangent. In practice, however, it often means roughly coincident with a growth ring. A tangential section is a longitudinal section through a tree or limb perpendicular to a radius. Flat-grained lumber is sawed tangentially.
Tannic Acid A compound that is most commonly found in oak, cherry, cypress and redwood trees.
Tannin A natural acid found in certain woods, namely, oak and chestnut, that reacts to ammonia to change the color of wood in the fuming process.
Taper A piece of wood that has been cut so that it is wider on one edge than the other.
Tear Strength (see Strength, Tear)
Tearout The tendency for a blade to splinter the last part of a piece of wood during crosscutting. Broken or torn fibres resulting from damage as the blade of a tool exits the cut.
Technical Of or pertaining to the useful in mechanical arts, or to any science, business, or the like.
Teeth The resultant surface irregularities or projections formed by the breaking of filaments or strings which may form when adhesive-bonded substrates are separated.
Telegraphing A condition in a laminate or other type of composite construction in which irregularities, imperfections, or patterns of an inner layer are visibly transmitted to the surface.
Temperature, Curing The temperature to which an adhesive or an assembly is subjected to cure the adhesive. The temperature attained by the adhesive in the process of curing (adhesive curing temperature) may differ from the temperature of the atmosphere surrounding the assembly (assembly curing temperature)
Temperature, Dry-Bulb The temperature of air as indicated by a standard thermometer (See Psychrometer)
Temperature, Drying The temperature to which an adhesive on a substrate or in an assembly, or the assembly itself is subjected to dry the adhesive.
Temperature, Maturing The temperature, as a function of time and bonding condition, that produces desired characteristics in bonded components.
Temperature, Setting The temperature to which an adhesive or an assembly is subjected to set the adhesive.
Temperature, Wet-Bulb The temperature indicated by the wet-bulb thermometer of a psychrometer.
Tempered Hardboard Dense fiberboard that has been specially treated to increase its durability, strength, density, and moisture resistance.
Template A pattern. Often a template is made of hardboard and used with a pilot bit to route a shape in a board.
Template Guide A jig mounted to the bottom of a router that is used to keep the router on the profile of a template when routing with a non-pilot beating bit.
Tenon A projecting member left by cutting away the wood around it for insertion into a mortise to make a joint. A protrusion from a board that fits into a matching mortise to form a joint. A projection on the end of a piece of wood for insertion into a mortise. The end of a board that is inserted into a mortise or opening in a second board; an exposed tenon passes entirely through the second board. (See also mortise.)
Tensile strength (see Strength, Tensile)
Tension In an adhesively bonded joint, a uniaxial force tending to cause extension of the assembly, or the counteracting force within the assembly that resists extension.
Tension Wood Abnormal wood found in leaning trees of some hardwood species and characterized by the presence of gelatinous fibers and excessive longitudinal shrinkage. Tension wood fibers hold together tenaciously, so that sawed surfaces usually have projecting fibers and planed surfaces often are torn or have raised grain. Tension wood may cause warping. Reaction wood that forms on the upper side of a leaning hardwood tree.
Texture A term often used interchangeably with grain. Sometimes used to combine the concepts of density and degree of contrast between earlywood and latewood. In this handbook, texture refers to the finer structure of the wood (See Grain) rather than the annual rings. The disposition of the several parts of any body in connection with each other; or the manner in which the parts are united.
Thermoplastic A material that will repeatedly soften when exposed to high temperature and harden when cooled. Usually, removing the heat restores the original strength.
Thermoset A cross-linked polymeric material. A material that will undergo or has undergone a chemical reaction by the action of heat, catalysts, ultraviolet light, etc., leading to a relatively infusible state. Products that will only cure when exposed to heat are described as thermoset resins. After they are cured, subsequent heat exposure will have little or no effect on the properties of the cured resin.
Thermosetting Having the property of undergoing a chemical reaction by the action of heat, catalyst, ultraviolet light, and hardener, leading to a relatively infusible state.
Thinner A volatile liquid added to an adhesive to modify the consistency or other properties.
Thixotropic Non-sagging. A material which maintains its shape unless agitated. A thixotropic sealant can be placed in a joint in a vertical wall and will maintain its shape without sagging during the curing process. Term which describes the flow character of a liquid or paste. Liquids that are thixotropic flow under shear but flow less when the shear is removed. Best example is ketchup.
Throat Most often, the opening in a table saw, bandsaw, or router table where the bit or blade protrudes. The throat is usually covered by a removable piece called a throat plate or table insert.
Timber, Old Growth The growth of mature trees in the original forests.
Timber, Old Growth Timber in or from a mature, naturally established forest. When the trees have grown during most if not all of their individual lives in active competition with their companions for sunlight and moisture, this timber is usually straight and relatively free of knots.
Timber, Standing Timber still on the stump.
Timbers Lumber that is standard 114 mm (nominal 5 in) or more in least dimension. Timbers may be used as beams, stringers, posts, caps, sills, girders, or purlins.
Timbers, Built-up An assembly made by joining layers of lumber together with mechanical fastenings so that the grain of all laminations is essentially parallel.
Timbers, Horizontally Laminated Laminated timbers designed to resist bending loads applied perpendicular to the wide faces of the laminations.
Timbers, Round Timbers used in the original round form, such as poles, piling, posts, and mine timbers.
Timbers, Structural Pieces of wood of relatively large size, the strength or stiffness of which is the controlling element in their selection and use. Examples of structural timbers are trestle timbers (stringers, caps, posts, sills, bracing, bridge ties, guardrails); car timbers (car framing, including upper framing, car sills); framing for building (posts, sills, girders); ship timber (ship timbers, ship decking); and crossarms for poles.
Timbers, Vertically Laminated Laminated timbers designed to resist bending loads applied parallel to the wide faces of the laminations.
Time, Assembly The time interval between the spreading of the adhesive on the adherend and the application of pressure or heat, or both, to the assembly. The time period from the application of adhesive until the final application of pressure. This term includes both Closed and Open Assembly Times. (For assemblies involving multiple layers or parts, the assembly time begins with the spreading of the adhesive on the first adherend)
Time, Clamp The period of time required for a joint to gain enough strength to permit it to be removed from pressure with no decrease in long-term strength. The time that the substrates being glued together need to remain clamped.
Time, Closed Assembly The time interval between completion of assembly of the parts for bonding and the application of pressure or heat, or both, to the assembly. Period of assembly time when the adhesive film is not exposed to the air, but prior to the time that pressure has been applied.
Time, Curing The period during which an assembly is subjected to heat or pressure, or both, to cure the adhesive. Time needed for an adhesive to reach full strength. The time needed to cure or "set" an adhesive. The period of time required to attain a full cure at a given temperature.
Time, Drying The period of time during which an adhesive on a substrate or an assembly is allowed to dry with or without the application of heat or pressure, or both.
Time, Fixture Time needed for adhesive to reach sufficient strength to allow pieces to be handled and moved.
Time, Joint Conditioning The time interval between the removal of the joint from conditions of heat or pressure, or both, used to accomplish bonding and the attainment of approximately maximum bond strength. Sometimes called joint aging time.
Time, Open The time that the glue may be left open to the air after application. The time period from the application of the adhesive until the final application of pressure. Same as Working Time. Same as Open Assembly Time.
Time, Open Assembly The time interval between the spreading of the adhesive on the adherend and the completion of assembly of the parts for bonding. Time during which the adhesive remains active without curing after being applied to the substrate. Period of assembly time when the adhesive film is exposed to the air. Often taken to be the same as Assembly Time
Time, Press The period required for a joint to be held under pressure.
Time, Setting The period of time during which an assembly is subjected to heat or pressure, or both to set the adhesive. The period of time required to attain handling strength.
Time, Tack The amount of time it takes for an adhesive to set-up before it can form a bond.
Tinting Colors (see Colors, Tinting)
TLV (Threshold Limit Value) Toxicity value set by the American Conference of Governmental Hygienists
Toe Kick An indentation designed into the bottom of a cabinet to provide room to allow the user to stand closer to the countertop.
Tongue and Groove A joinery method where one board is cut with a protruding "groove" and a matching piece is cut with a matching groove along its edge.
Tool Rest That part of a lathe, or other mechanism, which supports a tool, or holds the tool support.
Torque The amount of force that is needed to turn an object such as a screw or bolt.
Torque, Breakaway Measure of force needed to initiate movement of an unseated fastener in a loosening direction.
Torque, Locking Test designed to measure breakaway, and prevailing torque of a threaded piece coated with thread locking adhesive.
Torque, Prevailing Measurement of average force needed to provide continuing movement, after unseating, through first full turn.
Toughness A quality of wood that permits the material to absorb a relatively large amount of energy, to withstand repeated shocks, and to undergo considerable deformation before breaking.
Toxic Poisonous or dangerous to humans by swallowing, inhalation, or contact resulting in eye or skin irritation.
Tracheid The elongated cells that constitute the greater part of the structure of the softwoods (frequently referred to as fibers) Also present in some hardwoods.
Trade Name Name given to a product by manufacturer or supplier.
Trade Secret Confidential information that gives the owner an advantage over competitors.
Transfer In wood bonding, the sharing of adhesive between a spread and an unspread surface when the two adherends are brought into contact.
Transverse Directions in wood at right angles to the wood fibers. Includes radial and tangential directions. A transverse section is a section through a tree or timber at right angles to the pith. In a crosswise direction; lying across; at right angles to the longitudinal.
Tread In stairs, the part that is stepped on.
Treenail A wooden pin, peg, or spike used chiefly for fastening planking and ceiling to a framework.
Trim The finish materials in a building, such as moldings, applied around openings (window trim, door trim) or at the floor and ceiling of rooms (baseboard, cornice, and other moldings)
Trimmer A beam, into which are framed the ends of headers in floor framing, as when a hole is left for stairs, chimneys, and the like.
Triple-Chip Saw (see Saw, Triple-Chip)
Trunnions In a table saw, the assembly (usually cast-iron) that supports the drive mechanism and controls the blade tilt and elevation. On a cabinet-style saw, shown below, the trunnions usually mount to the trunnion saddle which, in turn, mounts to the saw's cabinet. On a contractor's saw, they mount to the underside of the table.
Truss An assembly of members, such as beams, bars, rods, and the like, so combined as to form a rigid framework. All members are interconnected to form triangles. An assemblage of members of wood or iron, supported at two points, and arranged to transmit pressure vertically to those points with the least possible strain, across the length of any member.
TSCA (Toxic Substance Control Act) Part of the EPA.
Tung Oil A natural oil extracted from the seeds of the Chinese tung tree.
Turning The skill of using a lathe; the object made on a lathe.
Turpentine A natural solvent distilled from the gum of pine trees, and used in oil-based stains and finishes.
Tusk In mechanism, a long projecting part, longer than a tenon, and usually applied to the long or projecting part of a tenon.
Twist A distortion caused by the turning or winding of the edges of a board so that the four comers of any face are no longer in the same plane. Longitudinal twisting of wood due to uneven seasoning or grain. Warping in lumber where the ends twist in opposite directions. (Like twisting a towel)
Tyloses Masses of parenchyma cells appearing somewhat like froth in the pores of some hardwoods, notably the white oaks and black locust. Tyloses are formed by the extension of the cell wall of the living cells surrounding vessels of hardwood. A waterproof foam like substance that forms in the pores of some species of wood. The tyloses helps to make the wood less permeable to liquids. It is common in White Oak and makes the wood excellent for wine barrels.
Type I water resistance (see Adhesive, Type I Water Resistance)
Type II water resistance (see Adhesive, Type II Water Resistance)
Ultimate Elongation (see Elongation, Ultimate)
Undercutting Cutting away from an edge to increase the sense of relief or thinness.
Underlayment A layer of plywood or other manufactured board used as a base material under finished flooring. Underlayment is often used as a substrate to increase the strength and/or smoothness of the flooring.
Universal Joint (see Joint, Universal)
Universal Tinting Colors (see Colors, Universal Tinting)
Urethane A family of polymers ranging from rubbery to brittle. Usually formed by the reaction of a diisocyanate with a hydroxyl.
UV (Ultraviolet light) Part of the light spectrum. Ultraviolet rays can cause chemical changes in rubbery materials.
Vacuum Press A press designed for laminating or veneering in which the panel is placed inside of a flexible bag connected to a vacuum pump.
van der Waal Forces Physical forces of attraction between molecules, which include permanent dipole, induced dipole, hydrogen bond, and London dispersion forces.
Vapor Density The weight of a vapor or gas compared to the weight of an equal volume of air.
Vapor Pressure The pressure exerted by a saturated vapor above its own liquid in a closed container.
Vapor Retarder A material with a high resistance to vapor movement, such as foil, plastic film, or specially coated paper, that is used in combination with insulation to control condensation.
Varnish A liquid preparation that dries to a hard lustrous coating.
Varnish Stain Varnish to which stain has been added; while the product reduces staining and finishing to one step, the stain lies on top of the wood rather than being absorbed by the wood.
Varnish, Spar A durable varnish formulated for exterior use; it remains slightly softer and more flexible than interior varnish.
Varnish, Water Emulsion Another name for latex varnish, wherein the resins are suspended in water.
Vehicle The liquid component of a material (adhesive, paint, finish, etc).
Veiner A small deep gouge.
Veneer A thin layer or sheet of wood cut from a log, usually less that 1/8" thick. Very thin slices of wood used for inlay or to cover surfaces.
Veneer Bolt A short log of a length suitable for peeling in a lathe.
Veneer Saw Specialty tool for trimming veneer.
Veneer, Herringbone Pattern In veneering, a hearing bone pattern is formed when successive layers of veneers are glued up so they form a mirror image. Usually this pattern slants upwards and outwards, like a herringbone.
Veneer, Rotary-Cut Veneer cut in a lathe that rotates a log or bolt, chucked in the center, against a knife. Veneer which was cut from a log in one long sheet. Rotary cut veneer is cut from a log like a roll of paper towels. Veneer cut by spinning a log against a stationary blade to produce a continuous sheet; generally used for plywood.
Veneer, Sawn Veneer produced by sawing.
Veneer, Sliced Veneer that is sliced off a log, bolt, or flitch with a knife.
Veneer-Core Plywood (see Plywood, Veneer-Core)
Vertical Grained (See Grain)
Vertically Laminated Timbers (See Laminated Timbers)
Vessel Elements Wood cells in hardwoods of comparatively large diameter that have open ends and are set one above the other to form continuous tubes called vessels. The openings of the vessels on the surface of a piece of wood are usually referred to as pores.
Virgin Growth Timber (see Timber, Old Growth)
Viscoelasticity The ability of a material to simultaneously exhibit viscous and elastic responses to deformation.
Viscosity The ratio of the shear stress existing between laminae of moving fluid and the rate of shear between these laminae. A measurement of the thickness of a liquid or resistance to flow expressed in poise or centipoise. Water is one centipoise. Thicker fluids have higher numbers. 30 weight oil has a viscosity of 400 centipoise (cps). Viscosity is used to determine flow rates for spray application. Usually measured with a #2 Zahn cup or #4 Ford cup. Viscosity can be decreased by using the appropriate thinner.
V-joint A glue joint in which one side is thicker than the other as a result of poor machining or uneven application of pressure.
VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) Any compound of carbon, excluding carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, carbonic acid, metallic carbides or carbonates, ammonium carbonate, and excluding any "exempt compound" which participates in atmospheric photochemical reactions. The VOC is a measured or calculated number which reflects the amount of volatile organic material that is released from a product as it dries.
Voissoir One of the wedgelike stones of which an arch is composed.
Volatility Measure of a liquid's tendency to evaporated at room conditions.
Vulcanization A chemical reaction in which the physical properties of a rubber are changed in the direction of decreased plastic flow, less surface tackiness, and increased tensile strength by reacting it with sulfur or other suitable agents.
Waferboard A particle panel product made of wafer-type flakes. Usually manufactured to possess equal properties in all directions parallel to the plane of the panel.
Wane Bark or lack of wood from any cause on edge or corner of a piece except for eased edges. An edge of a sawn board where the bark or surface of the trunk remains.
Warp Any variation from a true or plane surface. Warp includes bow, crook, cup, and twist, or any combination thereof. A defect in lumber characterized by a bending in one or more directions. Distorted lumber, such as a twist, cup or a bow.
Wash Coat Typically uses as the first coat of a finish. The wash coat is used to change the appearance or porosity of a surface.
Waste Wood that will be removed in the finished work, often retained during working as a handle.
Wasting Quickly removing wood during carving, usually with an adze, knife, or rasp.
Water Repellent A liquid that penetrates wood that materially retards changes in moisture content and dimensions of the dried wood without adversely altering its desirable properties.
Water White A term used to describe a perfectly clear, non-yellowing finish.
Water-Repellent Preservative A water repellent that contains a preservative that, after application to wood and drying, accomplishes the dual purpose of imparting resistance to attack by fungi or insects and also retards changes in moisture content.
Water-Stain (see Stain, Water)
Weathering he mechanical or chemical disintegration and discoloration of the surface of wood caused by exposure to light, the action of dust and sand carried by winds, and the alternate shrinking and swelling of the surface fibers with the continual variation in moisture content brought by changes in the weather. Weathering does not include decay.
Webbing Filaments or threads that may form when adhesive transfer surfaces are separated.
Wet Strength (see Strength, Wet)
Wet-Bulb Temperature (see Temperature, Wet-Bulb)
Wettability A condition of a surface that determines how fast a liquid will wet and spread on the surface or if it will be repelled and not spread on the surface.
Wetting The process in which a liquid spontaneously adheres to and spreads on a solid surface.
Wheelwright A person who builds or repairs wheels.
White Rot (see Rot, White)
Winding Sticks Two narrow, thin, pieces of material whose edges are perfectly parallel which are placed on each end of a workpiece. The worker then sights across the top of them to determine if the piece is flat.
Witness Marks These are marks put on boards or pieces to keep them in order during gluing, joining and assembly.
Wood Dough A soft patching material that comes in a number of colors; unlike wood putty, it hardens and can be sanded smooth afterward, making it suitable for small- to medium-sized repairs on raw wood.
Wood Failure The rupturing of wood fibers in strength tests of bonded joints usually expressed as the percentage of the total area involved that shows such failure (See Failure, Adherend)
Wood Flour Wood reduced to finely divided particles, approximately the same as those of cereal flours in size, appearance, and texture, and passing a 40 to 100 mesh screen.
Wood Putty A doughy product used to fill nail holes and small defects
Wood Substance The solid material of which wood is composed. It usually refers to the extractive-free solid substance of which the cell walls are composed, but this is not always true. There is not a wide variation in chemical composition or specific gravity between the wood substance of various species. (The characteristic differences of species are largely due to differences in extractives and variations in relative amounts of cell walls and cell cavities.)
Wood Welder Small hand-held radio frequency unit generally used for assembly gluing.
Wood Wool Long, curly, slender strands of wood used as an aggregate component for some particleboards.
Workability The degree of ease and smoothness of cut obtainable with hand or machine tools.
Working Life The period of time during which an adhesive, after mixing with catalyst, solvent, or other compounding ingredients, remains suitable for use. Also called pot life.
Working Properties The properties of an adhesive that affect or dictate the manner of application to the adherends to be bonded and the assembly of the joint before pressure application (such as viscosity, pot life, assembly time, setting time).
Wormholes Holes and channels cut in wood by insects.
X The drafting symbol for a cross section of an object.
X-Acto Knife This is a razor like blade in a handle, the blades come in various shapes, very handy for fine work.
Xylem The portion of the tree trunk, branches, and roots that lies between the pith and the cambium (that is the wood). The cellular tissue inside a tree's bark
Yard Lumber (see Lumber, Yard)
Yardstick A wooden rule 36" long.
Yield The percent of usable, defect-free lumber that can be cut from a rough cutting, board, or bundle of lumber.
Yield value The stress (either normal or shear) at which a marked increase in deformation occurs without an increase in load.
Zero-clearance insert In a table saw, the throat plate with the opening cut by raising a spinning blade or dado set through it. Because the opening matches the cutting width of the blade, it reduces chip-out by providing maximum workpiece support. It also prevents small pieces from dropping into the throat opening. A blank insert for a table saw, the blade is raised up through it to create a kerf close to the sides of the blade.
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