HANDOUT 13 Glossary of Woodworking Terms

B Batten board: A variation of lamin-board Block board: A variation of lamin-board allows the head of a screw to lie flush with with the core formed of strips. with a core formed of square wood strips a surface. glued together. Cup: To bend as a result of shrinkage, specifically across the width of a piece of wood.

D 3” Max 1” Max Dado: The lower part of an interior wall usually defined with a moulded rail. Baluster: One of a set of posts supporting Densification: A chemical or physical a stair handrail. C treatment - layers are bonded together with treatment in excess of that needed Balustrade: The protective barrier Casing: The timber lining of a door to ensure a good bond - to increase alongside a staircase or landing. opening. hardness and improve mechanical strength Banister: See Balustrade. Cellular wood panel: Similar to block or resistance to chemical or electrical board and batten board panels but the agencies. Batten: A narrow strip of wood. battens and laths form the core and are spaced either parallel or in lattice form. Density: The mass per unit volume of a Beaded wood: A simple round moulding. Panels are relatively light but have some substance, usually expressed in kilograms Also see Moulded wood. strength. per cubic metre. Chamfered: The edges have been Distortion: The change in the shape of a removed lengthwise at an angle. piece of timber or timber-based material brought about by shrinkage as the timber Bevel dries. It includes bowing, twisting and cupping. Bead Dovetail: A type of joint. One piece has a splayed shape - like a dove’s tail - and fits into the socket or eye of the second piece. Bevel: An angle but not a right angle. A Chamfer sloping or canted surface. Double Dovetail Bevel Composites: ‘Structural timber composites’ is the collective name for engineered wood-based materials or components. Dovetail Chamfer Those currently available include:

• glued laminated timber (glulam) Doweling: Cylindrical piece or length of • laminated veneer lumber (LVL) wood. Also known as Rounded wood.

Bole: The tree trunk is sometimes also • parallel strand lumber (PSL) Dowel called the bole. After felling, the branches • laminated strand lumber (LSL) are removed, leaving the trunk - at this stage it’s known as a log. Conversion: The process of cutting logs by sawing them into usable sections of Broad-leaved trees: Broad-leaved trees timber, such as beams and planks. produce hardwood timber. Their seeds are Dowel Joint in an enclosed case or ovary, such as an Counterbore: To cut a hole that allows acorn or walnut. In temperate climates the head of a bolt or screw to sit flush with, they’re usually deciduous - they lose their or lie below, the level of a surface. Drip groove: A groove cut or moulded in leaves in winter. the underside of a door or window sill to Countersink: To cut a tapered recess that prevent rainwater running back to the wall.

WOW I MADE THAT! is an education programme by the BWF. HANDOUT 13 - Glossary of Woodworking Terms page 2

Dry board: See Wet processing. Floor board - Continued: Horns: Extended door or window stiles designed to protect the corners from E damage while in storage. Earlywood: The less dense wood formed Square Edge Tongued & Grooved during the early stage of a growth season. I Impregnation or injection: The injection Eaves: The edges of a roof that project and impregnation of wood are treatments beyond the walls. Rebate & Fillet Loose Tongue to preserve the wood and give it durability, Edge and end spacing: Spacing’s to make it fire resistant and protect against between fasteners and the edges and ends shrinkage. The treatment ensures the long- of the components that are being joined. Square Edge Secret Nailing term preservation of poles of coniferous Rebated T & G wood. The treatment involves soaking the End grain: The exposed face of timber timber for a long period in open vats of produced when it’s cut through a plane Foliage: Leaves. hot liquid in which the poles are left until that’s perpendicular to the grain. Furring battens: Parallel strips of wood the liquid cools down. Alternatively, they End-jointed: See Finger-jointed. fixed to a wall or ceiling to provide a can be treated in an autoclave through a framework for attaching panels. vacuum or under pressure or the wood Engineered wood: Layers of hardwood can be deeply impregnated - usually with compressed together. thermosetting plastics or molten metal. G Impregnation with thermosetting plastics - Extruded particle board: Particle board for example amino-resins or phenolic resins made using extrusion. This may have holes Glulam: Glulam or glued laminated - is often applied to very thin veneers that running internally from end to end. timber is one of a range of structural timber composites. Glulam is made by are built up into laminated wood but not to gluing together strength graded laminates solid wood. to produce large section structural Interlocking joint: Interlocking is a components that can be straight or curved. way of jointing timber. Each piece is cut Beams are manufactured in stock or to fit against or into another, to prevent bespoke sizes. displacement and to transfer forces. The Going: The horizontal measurement joint must either be in compression or F between the top and bottom risers of a pinned or keyed after assembly. stair or the depth of one stair tread. Face edge: In woodworking, the surface J planed square to the face side. Grain: The general direction of wood fibres or the pattern produced on the surface of Jamb: The vertical side member of a door Face side: In woodworking, the flat planed timber by cutting through the fibres. or window frame. surface from which other dimensions and Also see End grain and Short grain. angles are measured. Groove: A long narrow channel. K Fascia board: A strip of wood that covers Also see Tongued and grooved. Kerf: The groove cut by a saw. the ends of rafters and to which external guttering is fixed. Knot: The remains of a branch in timber. A branch sawn off close to the trunk Fibreboard: Wood chips bonded together or shed naturally forms a sound or live by their own adhesive properties - lignin. knot. A broken branch stub that becomes Known as hardboard, medium board and surrounded by new growth produces a soft board. loose or dead knot in the timber. Finger-jointed: Also called End-jointed. Grooves Shorter pieces of wood are joined to create L a longer piece of wood. The joint looks like H Laminated veneer lumber (LVL): LVL interlaced fingers. Hardboard: See Fibreboard. is a layered composite of wood veneers and adhesive and can be considered as Hardwood: Timber produced from broad- a veneer-based product. It’s made up of leaved trees. parallel laminations of veneer, glued and Head: The top horizontal member of a processed together to form a material wooden frame. that’s similar to sawn timber. Debarked spruce logs are soaked in hot water. Blocks Finger Joint Head plate: The top horizontal member of are cut into a thick veneer and then cut a stud partition. into sheets and lengths. Veneers are dried Floor board: Material for forming the to a moisture content below 5 per cent. Heartwood: The inner area of a tree trunk surface of floors. The veneers are ultrasonically graded, with or log that - when the tree was growing the higher grade placed on the outer faces - had stopped containing living cells and of the plank. reserve materials, such as starch. The A scarf saw makes long chamfers in heartwood may be darker in colour than both ends of the veneers. Thermosetting the outer sapwood though not all species phenolic resin glue is spread on the upper show a clear difference between the two. side of each sheet - except on the upper The heartwood is often more durable than faces - and laid up so the grain direction is sapwood. Hollow Backed T & G Flooring all the same.

WOW I MADE THAT! is an education programme by the BWF. HANDOUT 13 - Glossary of Woodworking Terms page 3

LVL: - Continued: The veneers are Nosing: The front edge of a stair tread. Pointside: The piece of timber in a pressed to spread the glue evenly before joint that receives the point of a nail or entering a hot-press. LVL is very similar to screw. The other section is known as the parallel strand lumber. O headside. Laminated wood: Several thin layers of Oriented strand board (OSB): To Preservative treatment: The treatment wood and adhesives that are built up to make OSB, logs are fed into a lathe-like of timber with chemicals to improve make a single board. machine where the bark is removed, and its resistance to attack by biological the machine chews up the logs completely organisms, such as fungi, insects and Laminboard: Thick compound board to produce flakes of wood. These flakes are marine borers. The chemicals can be with a core that’s usually made up of small sifted to eliminate the very tiny particles, brushed or sprayed onto the surface of strips, glued together at right angles and then mixed thoroughly with a dust of waxes the timber, but treatment is more effective with a surface of other woods. and heat-triggered resin glues. Layers if the chemicals are impregnated into the Ligneous: Of wood or resembling wood, of the fibres are placed in alternating timber under vacuum and/or pressure in woody. Examples of ligneous materials directions - alternately at right angles - special treatment vessels. other than wood are bagasse, bamboo, until the desired thickness is achieved. This Purlin: A horizontal beam that provides cereal straw, and flax or hemp shives. is placed in a thermal press that activates and compresses the loose materials at intermediate support for rafters or sheet Lignin: The natural adhesive and bonding the same time, causing the wax covered roofing. properties found in the cellular structure resin to activate and bond. The panels are of wood and used for bonding together trimmed, and grade stamped. fibreboard and similar products. R Rafter: One of a set of parallel sloping M P beams that form the main structural Parallel strand lumber: This is a element of a roof. Marquetry: A pattern of inlaid veneers structural wood product made from Ray: A narrow ribbon of cells that conducts that usually consists of thin pieces of softwood veneer that has been sized into and stores food in a tree. Rays run across wood or other material - such as base long and narrow strips that are then glued the grain of timber. metal, shell or ivory - glued to a wooden into parallel laminations. It’s very similar to backboard for decoration. laminated veneer lumber. Rebated: The edge has been cut to form a step, usually as part of a joint. Microporous: Used to describe a type of Particle board: Woodchips, sawdust, finish that allows timber to dry out while wood residues and so on that are bound or Reveal: The vertical side of an opening in protecting it from rainwater. glued together to form a flat board. a wall. Mitre: Two pieces forming an angle, or a Peeling: See Rotary cut. Riser: The vertical part of a step. joint formed between two pieces of wood Rotary cut: The log is mounted in a large by cutting bevels of equal angles at the Permeability: The ease with which lathe and turned against the blade which ends of each piece. liquids - such as preservatives or flame retardants - can be impregnated into peels the veneers in long sheets. Also Mediumboard: See Fibreboard. timber. Permeability varies with species, called peeling or slicing. Mortise: A recess or hole formed in one although the sapwood of all species is Rounded wood: See Dowelling. piece to receive a projection or tenon on more permeable than the heartwood. Sanded: Smooth surfaced - smoother than the end of another piece. Permeability ratings relate to the heartwood of the species. a planed surface. Moulded wood: Strips of wood - known as mouldings or beadings - shaped with Planed: Smooth surfaced. contours for decoration or ornament. Planking: Planking is available in various S Movement: The swelling and shrinkage widths and is available with tongue and Sandwich construction: A warm roof of wood as a result of changing moisture groove in lengths or as plain square edged construction where the insulation is content. Movement in length is always planks that simply butt up against one located above the roof deck but below the negligible. Movement parallel with the another. weatherproof membrane. May also refer growth rings is greater than at right angles Plywood: To create plywood, the bark to composite panel products - known as to them. The degree of movement varies is removed from a log and the bare log sandwich panels - where panels are built between species. is placed on a lathe-type machine that up from layers of different materials. Mullion: A vertical dividing member of a peels off thin layers of wood, usually after Sap: Liquid - mostly water - contained window frame. the wood has been steamed or soaked in within cells in a tree or timber. Sap is the hot water. The sheets of wood are sorted means by which dissolved food and salts Muntin: A central vertical member of a according to the number of knot holes, are moved around the tree. panel door. grain imperfections and so on. The best sheets become the outside - face sheet or Sapwood: The outer area of a tree trunk veneer sheet - of the plywood. These layers or log, which in the growing tree contains N are laid down edge to edge with their living cells and reserve materials such as grain running perpendicular to the panel’s starch. Sapwood is generally lighter in Newel: The post at the top or bottom of a grain, then spliced, taped, stitched or glued colour than the inner heartwood, although staircase that supports the handrail. together. The rough-edged panel then goes not all species show a clear difference Nogging: A short horizontal wooden to the trimming area where it’s cut to the between the two. member between studs. appropriate size and grade stamped.

WOW I MADE THAT! is an education programme by the BWF. HANDOUT 13 - Glossary of Woodworking Terms page 4

Sapwood: - Continued: The sapwood String: A board that runs from one floor Waney edge: A natural wavy edge on is more vulnerable to attack by biological level to another, into which staircase treads a plank. It might still be covered by tree organisms but is also usually more and risers are jointed. The one on the open bark. permeable than the heartwood - this makes side of a staircase is the outer string, the Warp: To bend or twist as a result of damp it easier to treat with preservatives. one against the wall is the wall string. or heat. Sash: A type of window or the opening Structural timber composites: See Wet processing: Hardboard is produced part of a window. Composites. by reducing wood to fibres, which gives Shake: Wood that’s split to reveal its Stud partition: An interior timber-framed the name fibreboard. With wet processing, natural texture. dividing wall. the fibres are suspended in water, then laid out on a mat to dry. This releases Shingle: Wood sawn lengthwise that’s Stud: A vertical member of a timber- the natural resins which bond the fibres thicker at one end - the butt - and thinner framed wall. together, instead of an artificial bonding at the other end - the tip. agent - although some wet processed Short grain: When the general direction boards have additional bonding agents of wood fibres lies across a narrow section T added to give them certain properties. It’s of timber. Tenon: The end of a piece of wood that’s generally possible to tell the difference been reduced in section to fit in a recess between dry and wet processed hardboard Sill: The lowest horizontal member of or cavity of the same size or a projecting as dry board is typically smooth on both a stud partition or the lowest horizontal tongue on the end of a piece of wood sides. Wet board has one smooth side and member of a door or window frame. which fits into a corresponding mortise. one “mesh” side. The mesh finish is a result Skirting or skirting board: A moulded of water draining out of the mesh side after Tongue: A reduction of the thickness of pressing. One exception is hardboard for base board or plinth to an inside wall. Also the edge of a board. Also see Tongued and called a washboard. furniture which has usually been sanded. grooved. This doesn’t have a mesh finished side but Slicing: See Rotary cut. Tongued and grooved: Boards with one there’s still a noticeable difference as one side is polished, and the other side has a Soffit: The underside of a part of a edge that’s grooved and the other that’s matt finish. building such as the eaves or archway. flanged with a tongue or extended edge. When assembled side by side the tongue Wood-based board: Wood-based board Softboard: See Fibreboard. fits into the groove. materials are manufactured from layers, Softwood: This is usually obtained from Touch-sanding: Used on the outer ply particles or fibres of wood that’s glued pine, fir, spruce or larch. Most structural merely to deal with irregularities due to or compressed together to produce a flat timber used in the UK is softwood. patching, plugging or filling. board. The most common examples include plywood, chipboard and various types of Spandrel: The triangular infill below the Transom: A horizontal dividing member of fibre building board, including hardboard outer string of a staircase. a window frame. and MDF. Species: The botanical classification of Tread: The horizontal part of a step. Wood block: Wood block is flooring made trees and timber. The Latin species name up from small strips or blocks of wood, defines a timber more accurately than its Trunk: The trunk of a tree sometimes also around three inches wide and nine inches common name as these are sometimes called the bole. After felling, the branches long, arranged in herringbone, basket- used for more than one species of timber. are removed, leaving the trunk - at this weave and other geometric patterns. They may also vary between countries. stage known as a log. Wood planks: Planks in long lengths with Staff bead: The innermost strip of timber widths of four inches or more. holding a sliding sash in a window frame. V Wood strip: Boards that are narrower and Stave: A planed plank - bent to some V- jointed: Usually tongued and grooved shorter than planks and have up to three degree - pared or chamfered at one end wood with a V-shaped channel in the strips of wood per board. at least, with a groove called a “croze” centre of the board. to assist with putting together casks and barrels. Veneer: A thin or fine sheet of wood produced by rotary-cutting, peeling or Stile: A vertical side member of a door or slicing. window sash. Stopper: A wood filler which matches the colour of the timber. W Strength grade: The strength of timber Waferboard: Thin wafers of wood that varies with the species and is also affected look like small pieces of veneer that are by characteristics like knots, slope of grain bonded together under heat and pressure and splits. Each piece of timber used with glue, resulting in a solid uniform panel structurally has to be strength graded, that gives strength and water resistance. either by visual inspection or by machine. Wall plate: A horizontal timber member The timber is marked with its grade and placed along the top of a wall to support other information such as its species, joists and to spread their load. whether the timber was graded wet or dry, the company responsible for the grading Wane: The original rounded surface of a and the certification body responsible for log - with or without bark - on any face or overseeing the grading operation. edge of sawn timber.

WOW I MADE THAT! is an education programme by the BWF.