Welcome to WoodZone.com's Glossary of Woodworking Terms.
Select the first letter of the word from the list above to jump to appropriate section of
the glossary.
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- Air Cleaner (Air Polisher)
- A machine designed to filter fine dust from the air in a workshop.
A blower moves air past a series of filters to capture the airborne
dust.
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- Air-dried lumber
- Lumber that was dried, usually outside, to an equilibrium moisture content with the air
it was exposed to.
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- Alternate top
bevel with raker (ATB/R)
- A design for a circular saw blade where four alternately beveled teeth
are followed by a raker tooth to remove debris from the cut.
- 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.
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- Arbor
- A shaft, driven by the tool's motor that turns blades or other cutting tools.
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- Back saw
- 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.
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- Bark
- The outermost, protective layer, of a tree composed of dead cork and other elements.
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- Bead
- A small rounded, raised profile, routed along the edge of a board.
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- Bench Dog
- 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.
- Bevel cut
- An angled cut through a board.
- Birds-eye figure
- 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.
- Biscuit Joint
- 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.
- Blast Gate
- A special fitting designed to control the flow of air in a whole
shop dust collection system. By opening the blast gate on a machine
suction is allow to occur. Blast gates are available from WoodZone
in aluminum
and plastic.
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- Board Foot - Related tip and Formula
- A form of wood measurement, where one board foot equals the volume of a board 1 inch
thick, 12 inches wide, and 12 inches long.
- 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.
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- Bore
- The hole for the arbor in a circular saw blade.
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- Bow - Related Article
- A defective piece of lumber that has warped along its length.
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- Box joint
- A corner joint made up of interlocking "fingers".
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- Brad
- A small finishing nail up to 1" long.
- Burl
- Bulges and irregular growths that form on the trunks and roots of trees. Burls are
highly sought after for the incredible veneer they yield.
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- Burr
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Related Article
- A raised ridge of metal used on a scraper to remove wood.
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- Butt Joint
- A woodworking joint where the edges of two boards are placed against each
other.
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- Cabriole Leg - Related Article
- A leg used on Queen Anne furniture. The cabriole leg is
characterized by graceful curves and a shape that resembles an animal leg.
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- Cambium
- 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.
- Chamfer
- A beveled cut along the edge of a piece of furniture. (Usually 45 degrees)
- Carcase
- The body of a piece of furniture with a box like shape. (i.e. a kitchen cabinet)
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- Case Hardening
- 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.
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- Cell
- The smallest, microscopic, structure in wood.
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- Check - Related Article
- A lumber defect caused by uneven shrinking of the wood during drying. A checked board
has splits which develop lengthwise across the growth rings.
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- Clear
- A board which is free of defects.
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- Closed Coat - related article
- 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
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- Collet
- In a router, the sleeve that grips the shank of a bit.
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- Common Grade Lumber
- Lumber with obvious defects.
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- Compound Cut
- An angled cut to both the edge and face of a board.
- Compression Wood - Related Article
- Reaction
wood that forms on the lower side of a leaning softwood tree.
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- Concave
- An inward-curving shape. (i.e. a spoon)
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- Convex
- An outward-curving shape. (i.e. my belly :-)
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- Cope-and-stick joint
- A method of construction raised panel doors where the tongues of the rails (horizontal)
connect to the grooves of the stiles (vertical).
- Cord
- A unit of measure often used for firewood stacked 4’ long x 4’
high x 8’ long.
- 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.
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- Crook - Related Article
- A lumber defect where there is an edgewise warp effecting the straightness of the board.
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- Crosscut (crosscutting)
- A cut made perpendicular to the grain of a board. See - Ripcut
(Ripping)
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- Crotch
- In lumber, a piece of wood taken from the fork of a tree. Crotch Veneer is highly valued
for its figuring.
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- Cup - Related Article
- A defect in the lumber where the face of the board warps up like the letter U.
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