Glossary
- Page ID
- 67157
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Woodworking has its own technical vocabulary. Knowing the terms helps you understand drawings, communicate with other woodworkers, follow demonstrations, purchase materials, and work safely.
Use this section as a reference throughout WMT 101 and in later woodworking courses.
| Words (or words that have the same definition) | The definition is case sensitive | (Optional) Image to display with the definition [Not displayed in Glossary, only in pop-up on pages] | (Optional) Caption for Image | (Optional) External or Internal Link | (Optional) Source for Definition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (Eg. "Genetic, Hereditary, DNA ...") | (Eg. "Relating to genes or heredity") |  |
The infamous double helix | https://bio.libretexts.org/ | CC-BY-SA; Delmar Larsen |
|
Word(s) |
Definition |
Image | Caption | Link | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Abrasive |
A hard cutting material used to remove small amounts of material from a surface. Sandpaper is made by attaching abrasive particles to a backing. |
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Air Drying |
Drying lumber by stacking it so natural air can circulate around the boards. |
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Alternate Top Bevel (ATB) |
A circular saw blade tooth grind in which alternating teeth are beveled in opposite directions. Commonly used for crosscutting. |
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Alternate Top Bevel with Raker (ATBR) |
A saw blade tooth arrangement combining alternating beveled teeth with a flat-topped raker tooth. Commonly used on combination blades. |
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Band Saw |
A woodworking machine that uses a continuous narrow blade running over wheels. Used for curved cuts, rough shaping, ripping, and resawing. |
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Bark |
The protective outer covering of a tree. |
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Bill of Materials (BOM) |
A list of the parts and materials required for a project, often including quantities, dimensions, rough sizes, board footage, and cost. |
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Board Foot |
A unit used to measure hardwood volume. One board foot equals 144 cubic inches. |
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Bow |
Lengthwise curvature along the face of a board. |
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Butt Joint |
A joint in which two prepared surfaces meet directly without interlocking joint geometry. |
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Cambium |
The growing layer of a tree that produces new wood and bark. |
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Caul |
A temporary piece used during clamping to distribute pressure, maintain alignment, or protect a project surface. |
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Check |
A crack running along a board that does not extend completely through to the opposite face. |
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Combination Blade |
A circular saw blade designed to perform both ripping and crosscutting reasonably well. |
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Concave |
Curving inward. |
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Convex |
Curving outward. |
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Crook |
Lengthwise curvature along the edge of a board. Sometimes called crown. |
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Crosscut |
A cut made generally across the direction of the wood grain. |
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Crosscut Blade |
A circular saw blade designed primarily for cutting across the grain. |
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Crosscut Sled |
A table-saw accessory that supports and guides a workpiece accurately across the blade. |
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Cup |
Curvature across the width of a board. |
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Dado |
A groove or recess cut across the surface of a board to receive another part. |
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Density |
The weight of a material relative to its volume. |
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Dry Fit |
Assembling parts without adhesive to check fit, alignment, squareness, and assembly sequence. |
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Earlywood |
The portion of a growth ring produced earlier in the growing season. It generally has larger cells and lower density. |
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Edge |
One of the narrow longitudinal surfaces of a board. |
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End |
The surface across the end of a board where end grain is visible. |
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End Grain |
The exposed ends of wood fibers, usually visible at the ends of a board. |
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Expansion Slot |
A slot cut into a circular saw blade plate to help control distortion caused by heat. |
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Face |
One of the two broad surfaces of a board. |
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Face Grain |
Grain visible on the broad face of a board. |
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FAS |
Firsts and Seconds, a high hardwood lumber grade intended to provide a large percentage of clear usable material. |
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Figure |
The visible pattern created by grain, growth structure, color, rays, and other characteristics of wood. |
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File |
A hand tool with cutting teeth used to refine and smooth wood or other materials. |
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Flat Top Grind (FTG) |
A saw blade tooth grind with flat-topped teeth, commonly used for ripping. |
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Floating Panel |
A solid-wood panel fitted into a frame or groove without being glued around its perimeter so it can expand and contract. |
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Grain |
The arrangement and direction of wood fibers and growth structure. |
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Groove |
A recessed channel cut generally in the same direction as the grain. |
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Growth Ring |
Wood produced during approximately one year of tree growth. |
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Gullet |
The open space in front of a saw blade tooth that provides room for chip removal. |
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Half-Lap Joint |
A joint in which approximately half the thickness is removed from each of two overlapping parts. |
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Hardwood |
Wood from broad-leafed trees, or angiosperms. The term describes botanical classification rather than actual hardness. |
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Heartwood |
Older central wood in a tree that no longer conducts sap and is often darker than sapwood. |
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Hook or Rake Angle |
The angle of the front face of a saw tooth relative to a radial line through the blade. |
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Jig |
A device used to guide a tool or workpiece during a specific operation. |
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Jig Saw |
A portable saw with a narrow reciprocating blade used for curved, irregular, and interior cuts. |
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Jointer |
A machine used primarily to flatten the face of a board and straighten and square an edge. |
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Kerf |
The width of a cut made by a saw blade. |
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Kiln Drying |
Drying lumber in a controlled environment using circulated heated air. |
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Knot |
A portion of a branch or limb contained within lumber. |
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Latewood |
The denser portion of a growth ring formed later in the growing season. |
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Long Grain |
Wood surfaces where the fibers run generally parallel to the surface, such as the face or edge of a board. |
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Medullary Ray / Wood Ray |
Cellular tissue extending outward from the center of a tree toward the bark. |
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Miter Joint |
A joint created by joining angled surfaces, commonly two 45-degree cuts forming a 90-degree corner. |
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Moisture Content |
The amount of water contained in wood relative to its oven-dry weight, expressed as a percentage. |
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Mortise |
A recess or opening designed to receive a tenon. |
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Mortise-and-Tenon Joint |
A joint in which a projecting tenon fits into a matching mortise. |
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Nominal Thickness |
A named lumber size that may differ from the actual finished dimension, such as 4/4 hardwood. |
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Pith |
The central portion of the tree around which the earliest growth occurs. |
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Plan of Procedure (POP) |
A planned sequence of construction operations, often identifying the tools or machines required for each step. |
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Planer |
A machine used to make one board face parallel to another and bring lumber to a controlled thickness. |
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Plainsawn / Flatsawn |
Lumber cut with the growth rings oriented generally less than about 45 degrees to the board face. |
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PVA Glue |
Polyvinyl acetate adhesive commonly used for woodworking. Titebond Original and Titebond III are examples used in WMT 101. |
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Pushstick |
A device used to help control a workpiece while keeping the operator's hands farther from a cutter or blade. |
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Quarter Notation |
The traditional system for describing rough hardwood thickness, such as 4/4, 6/4, and 8/4. |
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Quartersawn |
Lumber cut so the growth rings are oriented more nearly perpendicular to the board face. |
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Rabbet |
An L-shaped recess cut along the edge or end of a board. |
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Random Widths and Lengths (RWL) |
A common way hardwood is sold, with individual boards varying in width and length. |
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Rasp |
A hand-shaping tool with relatively large cutting teeth used to remove wood quickly. |
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Reference Edge |
A straight, controlled edge used as a basis for later measurements and machining. |
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Reference Face |
A flat surface used as a basis for later measurements and machining. |
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Relief Cut |
A cut made into waste material to make a curved band-saw or jig-saw cut easier to complete. |
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Resawing |
Cutting through the thickness of a board to produce thinner pieces. |
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Riftsawn |
Lumber with growth rings oriented at approximately 45 degrees to the face. |
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Rip Cut |
A cut made generally in the same direction as the wood grain. |
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Rip Blade |
A circular saw blade designed primarily for cutting with the grain. |
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Rip Fence |
The adjustable table-saw fence used to guide material during ripping. |
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Rough Lumber |
Lumber that has not been surfaced smooth after sawing at the mill. |
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Router |
A high-speed cutting tool used for shaping edges, following templates, trimming material, and cutting profiles, grooves, and other features. |
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Router Table |
A stationary setup in which a router is mounted beneath a table with the bit projecting upward. |
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Sapwood |
Younger outer wood that conducts water upward through a living tree. |
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S1S / S2S / S3S / S4S |
Lumber-surfacing abbreviations meaning surfaced one, two, three, or four sides. |
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Selects |
A hardwood lumber grade providing a high percentage of clear material, often in somewhat smaller board sizes than FAS. |
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Shake |
A separation between growth rings. |
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Softwood |
Wood from coniferous trees, or gymnosperms. |
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Special Setup |
A machine operation outside normal use that requires instructor approval before the machine is operated. |
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Split |
A crack extending completely through a board. |
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Sticker |
A small dry strip placed between layers of stacked lumber to provide support and allow air circulation. |
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Stickering |
Stacking lumber with aligned stickers between layers to support the boards and allow air circulation. |
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Surfaced Lumber |
Lumber that has had one or more faces or edges machined smooth. |
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Tearout |
Damage caused when wood fibers lift and break ahead of a cutting edge. |
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Tenon |
A projecting portion of a woodworking joint designed to fit into a mortise. |
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Texture |
The relative size and uniformity of the cellular structure of wood. |
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Throat Plate |
The removable plate surrounding a blade, bit, or spindle where it passes through a machine table. |
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Triple Chip Grind (TCG) |
A saw blade tooth pattern using alternating tooth profiles, commonly used for manufactured materials and specialized cutting. |
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Twist |
Warp in which the four corners of a board do not lie in the same plane. |
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Wane |
Missing wood or remaining bark along the edge or corner of a board. |
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Warp |
A general term for distortion in lumber, including bow, cup, crook, and twist. |
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Wood Movement |
Dimensional change in wood caused primarily by changes in moisture content. |
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Working Drawing |
A drawing that communicates enough information about a project's size, shape, parts, and construction for it to be built. |
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| Sample Word 1 | Sample Definition 1 |
