Follow @WoodenGates
Carpentry and Joinery glossary A-Z
Explanation of terminology used in Joinery and Carpentry
We’ve put together a glossary of commonly used Carpentry & Joinery terms. Some of the terms have a couple of different meanings and some you will be familiar with and some maybe not so. Due to the sheer amount of Carpentry and Joinery terms, we will spread it over a couple of posts so we can include as many as possible.We begin with A-B
Quick links – 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
Air Dried
Refers to the method of drying out timber naturally using the circulation of air. The pieces of timber to be dried are stacked on top of each other, seperated by lathes or sticks to allow the air to circulate. This method of drying takes considerable time. Also known as In Stick.
Angle Rafter
Another name for a Hip Rafter
Annual Rings or Annular Rings (Pictured right) 
The concentric rings of wood fibre added annually as the tree grows. The wood fibre is made up of alternating rings, the darker rings being formed during the summer and the lighter rings during the winter. Also known as Growth Rings or Tree Rings, the Annual Rings can be used to determine the age of the tree, this is known as Dendrochronology.
Applique
Ornamentation planted on, instead of being worked on, in the solid.
Apron
An ornamentation on the middle rail of a door. It is usually planted on, but may be moulded/carved in the solid.
Apron Rail
The middle, or lock rail of a door, with raised ornamentation.
Architrave
The ornamental mouldings mitred round a door or window frame. The Architraves cover the joint between the plaster and wood framings.
Arris
The corner where two plane surfaces meet, this is generally removed either with sandpaper or by way of a moulding on finished Joinery.
Arris Rail
A triangular rail used in fencing.
Auger
A long twist bit turned with the hands, usually by means of a handle.
Awl
A hand tool for piercing small holes, normally as a starter hole for screws or nails. Also known as a Bradawl or Sprig Bit
Back Flap (pictured right) 
A hinge with large flaps for screwing onto the face of a door and framing.
Balanced Sashes
The vertically sliding sashes in a sash and frame window.
Balk or Baulk
Any overly large sections of rough-sawn timber.
Balustrade
A row of Balusters / Bannisters with a base and handrail forming a protective enclosure.
Balusters or Bannister
The small vertical timbers supporting the handrail to stairs.
Band and Gudgeon hinges
Sometimes referred to as Hook and Band hinges or Hook and Eye, these are heavy duty hinges usually found on wooden gates and garage doors. They are in two pieces, the hinges being the band and the gudgeon or hook being the pivot which the hinge swings on. Band and Gudgeon hinges come in two different types, cranked (pictured below) and straight; the cranked version being used when it is required to keep doors of gates flush with the face of the frame or posts.
Barefaced Tenon
A Tenon with only one side shouldered.
Barge boards
The inclined timbers on the gable of a building, used to cover the ends of the roof timbers when they project over the face of the wall. Sometimes referred to as Verge Boards or Gable Boards.
Bark Pocket
A well defined opening containing bark between the annual rings of a tree, which develops as the tree is growing.
Base Mould
An alternative name used for a Skirting Board.
Battening
Narrow timbers fixed to a wall for wallboards, matchboarding, Skirting Board etc to be fixed to. Also known as Grounds.
Batter
Inclined from the vertical.
Bay Window (pictured right) 
A window projecting over the face of the wall and continued from the ground.
Bead
A round moulding with a quirk, used to remove the sharp arris, and to break the joint between boards. When several beads are placed together, they are called Reeds. If the bead lies below the surface, it is referred to as a Sunk Bead.
Bench Hook
Used for holding and steadying small stuff while being cut.
Bind
The term applied to to any hung frame, that fits too tightly on to the stop or rebate and so prevents easy closing. Hinge Bound.
Birds Mouth
A V cut or fork in the end of a piece of timber, so that it sits astride the corner of another piece.
Blind Mortice
A Mortice for a stub tenon.
Blockboard
An engineered board that comprises softwood blocks glued together and sandwiched between two veneers. Normally only suitable for interior work as the glue used to bond the blocks together and veneer upon them is not normally an exterior glue.
Block Plane
A small plane that can easily be used with one hand, useful for fitting mitres etc.
Board
Converted timber of small size, but very wide relative to the thickness.
Borrowed Light
An interior window obtaining light from another usually exterior window.
Box Window
A semicircular or segmental Bay Window.
Box Tenon
A tenon in the form of a rectangle for corner posts. For more information on the Box Tenon, please see our previous post on this and other woodworking angle joints.
Bow (pictured right)
A deviation/curvature in the flat of the timber from one end to the other, eg. if the timber was lying on a flat surface, then the centre would be slightly lifted.
Brace
A member of a framed structure crossing a space diagonally, and able to resist either compression or tension. Also a cranked handdrill for boring.
Brad
A small oval nail.
Bradawl
A hand tool for piercing small holes, normally as a starter hole for screws or nails. Also known as a Awl or Sprig Bit
Breaking Joint
Arranging the consecutive heading joints in floor boards and matchboarding so they will rest on different joists or studs.
Bridle Joint
A reverse joint to the Stub Mortice and Tenon joint. For more information on Bridle Joints, please see our previous blog post on these and other woodworking angle joints.
Bulls-Eye
A small circular or elliptical window.
Bullnose
A step having the end shaped to a quarter circle.
Burr (Pictured right)
A tree growth in which the grain has grown in a deformed manner, usually found round a wound or deformed bud. The burrs produce highly decorative, yet hard to work wood, which are used in veneers, turning, etc.
Butt Hinge
Hinges that are intended to be sunk into the edge of a door or casement.
Butt Joint
Two pieces of timber jointed together with a square joint.
Button
A small piece of wood secured by one screw so that it is free to revolve. Used to secure one piece of framing to another and tabletops/counter tops to the carcasses. Buttoned joints.
We will be back shortly with part two of our Carpentry and Joinery glossary, in the mean time, if you have any terms to add, then please use the comments box below and we shall then add them.
Tags: carpentry, Carpentry and Joinery Glossary, Joinery, timber, wood, Woodwork
This entry was posted on Monday, March 1st, 2010 at 13:12 and is filed under Carpentry and Joinery Glossary. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.