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Here we have tried to list some of the woodworking and furniture terms that may be found throughout our site that you may not be familiar with. If there is a term that you would like a explanation to, that is not listed here, please send an email to Customer Service. We will try to respond as soon as possible.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

No glossary terms available.

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Bead A small rounded, raised profile, routed along the edge of a board.

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.

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.

Box joint A corner joint made up of interlocking "fingers".

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.

Butt Joint A woodworking joint where the edges of two boards are placed against each other

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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.

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)

Clear A board which is free of defects.

Common Grade Lumber Lumber with obvious defects.

Concave An inward-curving shape. (i.e. a spoon)

Convex An outward-curving shape. (i.e. the back of a spoon)

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).

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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Dado A rectangular channel cut partway into a board.

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.

Dovetail Joint A method of joining wood at corners by the use of interlocking pins and tails.

Dowel A cylindrical wooden pin that is used to reinforce a wood joint.

Drawer Stop A device installed in a cabinet to limit the drawers travel.

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Earlywood (Springwood) The first part of the tree's rings to form after winter hybernation. Earlywood is often characterized by larger cells and a lower density.

Edge joining Smoothing and squaring the edge of a board so that it can be glued up squarely to another piece.

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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 wood used to build the carcase.

Face Veneer High quality veneer that is used for the exposed surfaces on plywood.

Fiddleback A decorative wood figure caused by wavy grain. Fiddleback veneer is prized for it's character and often used for musical instruments.

Flat-sawn Lumber In softwoods, a method of sawing lumber where the log is cut tangential to the growth rings. Also called plain-sawn.

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Grain The size, alignment, and color of wood fibers in a piece of lumber.

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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. (see through dovetail joint)

Hardboard A type of manufactured board similar to particle board but with a much smoother surface. A common brand of hardboard is Masonite.

Heartwood The dead inner core of a tree. Usually much harder and darker than the newer wood. Also see sapwood.

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.

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No glossary terms available.

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No glossary terms available.

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Kiln In lumber drying, a kiln is a room or building where temperature, moisture, and the amount of air circulating are controlled to dry wood.

Kiln Dried Lumber that has been dried in a Kiln. (See Kiln)

Knockdown A design feature that allows a piece of furniture to be easily disassembled by the use of special hardware or joinery.

Knot A part of the tree where a branch has been overgrown by the tree and incorporated into its trunk.

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Laminate 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.

Latewood (Summer Wood) The portion of a tree’s rings that forms after the earlywood and is often characterized by smaller cells and a higher density.

Lumber Logs which have been sawn, planed, and cut to length.

Lumber-Core Plywood 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.

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Medium density fiberboard (MDF) A special type of tempered hardboard characterized by a very fine, smooth finish. MDF is used in cabinet making.

Miter-and-spline joint A joint with two mitered surfaces connected by a spline. (see spline)

Mortise A rectangular hole cut into a piece of wood to accept a tenon. (see tenon)

Mortise and Tenon joint A joinery technique where the tenon from one board fits into the mortise of another.

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No glossary terms available.

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Ogee A decorative molding profile with a S shape.

Old Growth (Virgin Timber) Old, naturally established trees often characterized by dense straight grain and a lack of knots and defects.

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Particleboard A type of manufactured plywood that is made from ground up and glued scrap wood. Particle board is very dense, heavy, and flat.

Particleboard-core plywood Plywood that is made by gluing a thin layer of veneer to a piece of particleboard.

Plain-Sawn Lumber A method of sawing lumber where the log is cut tangential to the growth rings. Also called flat-sawn when referring to softwoods.

Plate 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 Biscuit Joint.

Porous Wood Wood with larger than normal pores and vessels

Pumice A fine abrasive powder that is made from volcanic ash. Pumice is used with a a felt block in woodworking to rub out (polish) a finish. (Pumice is also the gritty additive in Lava soap.)

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Quarter-sawn A method of cutting lumber where the annual rings are relatively perpendicular to the face of the board. Quarter-sawn lumber tends to be more dimensionally stable than other forms of lumber, such as plain-sawn.

Queen Anne A style of furniture that was first made popular in England during the rule of Queen Ann. It was used almost exclusively by early colonial cabinetmakers. The Cabriole Leg is one of the primary characteristics of the Queen Ann style.

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Rabbet A cut partway through the edge of a board that is used as a part of a joint.

Rail (1) A horizontal board that runs along the underside of a table.
(2) The horizontal part of a raised panel door.

Raised Panel A piece of wood that is the center of a frame and panel assembly.

Rotary-cut Veneer 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.

Rule Joint 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.

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Sapwood 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.

Scarf Joint -Picture A woodworking joint that is made by cutting or notching two boards at an angle and then strapping, gluing, or bolting them together.

Select In softwood, lumber which has been graded strictly for its appearance. In hardwood, lumber which is one grade below first and second.

Sliding Dovetail Joint A sliding dovetail joint is similar to a tongue and groove joint except the tongue and grove are matching dovetails.

Softwood Generally lumber from a conifer such as pine or cedar. The name softwood does not refer to the density of the wood. There are some hardwoods, such as Balsa, which are softer than some softwoods, like Southern Yellow Pine.

Sound A term referring to a board which has no or very few defects which will effect its strength.

Spline A thin piece of wood that fits in the mating grooves cut into two pieces of wood.

Stain (1) A discoloration in wood caused by a fungus or chemicals. (2) A die or pigment used to color wood.

Stile The vertical part of a raised panel door.

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Taper A piece of wood that has been cut so that it is wider on one edge than the other.

Tempered Hardboard Dense fiberboard that has been specially treated to increase its durability, strength, density, and moisture resistance.

Tenon A protrusion from a board that fits into a matching mortise to form a joint.

Through Dovetail Joint A method of joining wood where the interlocking pins and tails of the dovetail joint go through the side of its mating piece.

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.

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No glossary terms available.

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Veneer A thin sheet of wood cut from a log.

Veneer-core Plywood Plywood made from three or more pieces of veneer glued up in alternating grain patterns.

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Wormholes Holes and channels cut in wood by insects.

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No glossary terms available.

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No glossary terms available.

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No glossary terms available.

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