Glossary
Below is a growing list of terms you might find in British Woodworking magazine, or on our website, or in other media. Do tell us if there are any items we need to add.
Arris Sharp edge on furniture, that is normally removed with fine abrasive to remove the sharpness and give a very slightly rounded effect.
Bare-Faced Tenon A tenon with a shoulder on only one face.
Bobbin Sander Machine which drives a vertical drum, covered in abrasive, which protrudes through a table. On better bobbin sanders the drum oscillates up and down so that dust particles caught in the abrasive don't create scratches.
Biscuit Joint Compressed wooden 'biscuit', lozenge shaped, is fitted into a groove cut with a biscuit jointer to join two components. It is great for locating items, in simple carcase construction, and for edge-jointing planks for table tops and panels. But it isn't very strong because the biscuits are shallow and thin. Not to be used outdoors.
Camming Out When a screw driver bit, particularly, spins out of a screw socket, wrecking the metal. Once it happens once it is likely to happen again, the design of the socket being very precise. This is caused by using the wrong bit, but the screw being poor quality or the driver bit being damaged. Replace driver bits that tend to cam out.
Clearance Hole Hole drilled in a piece of wood through which a screw or nail can pass unimpeded. Ideally the screw should be too loose. See also Pilot Hole.
Countersink V-shaped drill bit used to create a widened opening to a hole for the countersunk head of a screw or machine screw.
Diffuse-porous wood Species in which the open ends of vessels (as seen when you cut through end grain, and known as pores) are evenly distributed, as you'll find in maple, birch and sycamore. Diffuse-porous wood tends to have less patterning, but are sometimes easier to use because of their even texture, though it can be more difficult to judge grain direction.
Drawboring Technique to pull tenons into mortises without cramps, and used often in traditional timber framing. Once the mortise and tenon have been formed, a hole is drilled across the mortise. You then assemble the joint, and mark the position of the hole on the tenon. You drill through the tenon, not on that mark, but a fraction towards the shoulder. When you assemble the joint and hammer a peg through the hole the tenon is pulled up tight into the mortise.
Drill press See Pillar Drill.
End-Grain Not surprisingly, the end of boards, where the fibres come to an 'end'. Challenging for woodworkers because working across the fibres is much more difficult than along the fibres. See also Long-Grain.
Hold-down Device used to hold wood or jigs to a bench or a jig, often employing a cam or screw, or just friction in a knurled hole to create pressure. Usually L-shaped and often home-made.
Dovetailed Housing Joint Parallel-sided dovetailed groove and 'tenon' that fit together, usually between two rails. Not to be confused with a sliding dovetail. See also Sliding Dovetail.
Haunched Tenon Short section of tenon that fits into a shallow mortise or groove. The haunch is design to stop a rail (which is tenoned) from twisting, without weakening the component that is mortised.
Long-Grain General term referring to any face or edge running parallel (ish) to the lie of the fibres in wood. See also End-Grain.
Mitre Fence or Guide Used to cut boards to length on a tablesaw or bandsaw, but also found on disc sanders, router tables and spindle moulders. It usually incorporates a bar that runs in a channel in the table, at right angles to the blade or cutter or sanding disc. The guide is usually adjustable for angled cuts, hence its name, however most of the time it will be used for 90° cuts, and is sometimes referred to as a cross-cut fence or guide. See also Sliding Carriage.
Mitre Slot Channel in a machine table for the mitre fence/guide. Of varying widths from maker to maker. Good for making your own jigs with a wooden bar fitting neatly in the channel. See also Mitre Fence/Guide.
Mitred Tenon Where two tenons meet, say inside a chair or table leg, the ends of the tenons are often mitred. This means each tenon is roughly the same length, and maximises the gluing area where the long-grain cheek of each tenon touches the long-grain of each mortise.
Mortise Square or more often rectangular hole, usually chopped out to receive a matching tenon. See also Tenon.
Pillar Drill Drilling machine, with adjustable table. Also known as drill press.
Pilot Hole Hole drilled to get a screw or nail going, and to diminish the risk of splitting. Not always needed for modern screws. Drill bit chosen should be about the thickness of the solid core of your screw, but it's always worth experimenting. See also Clearance Hole.
Random Orbit Sander (ROS) Powered, hand-held sander that combines the rotating action of a disc sander with the eccentric action of an orbital sander. The ROS can remove waste fast with a low-grit abrasive (like 80 grit), but can also produce a very fine scratch-free finish using 240 or 360 grit.
Refrectory table Design of table, often in oak, that comprises two end frames and long centre rail at foot height, and often an upper central rail to support the top. The advantage of this design is that it requires no apron beneath the top that can get in the way of the sitter's knees.
Ring-porous wood Species in which the open ends of vessels (known as pores) in hardwoods are larger in earlywood than latewood are known as ring-porous. Oak, ash and elm are all ring-porous, with the distribution of pores causes the unevenness in patterning and in texture and grain.
Rip Fence Fence on a tablesaw or bandsaw that is parallel to the blade and is used to cut boards and sheet material to width. The fence may or may not be attached to the table at the front and back. Some people favour the rip fence being slightly off parallel, so that the workpiece doesn't get trapped at the back of the cut.
ROS (Random orbit sander) Powered, hand-held sander that combines the rotating action of a disc sander with the eccentric action of an orbital sander. The ROS can remove waste fast with a low-grit abrasive (like 80 grit), but can also produce a very fine scratch-free finish using 240 or 360 grit.
Router Table By inverting a router beneath a wooden or metal table you can use it to shape components or cut joints, like rebates and mouldings. Hugely versatile, the router table can be very simple.
Sliding Dovetail Tapered dovetailed housing (groove, trench) and matching tapered, dovetailed male component that fit together for a tight, crampless joint. The dovetailed housing is such a tight joint that it can only be drawn together when the rails are relatively narrow. Otherwise the two parts will get stuck. The sliding dovetail is designed to tighten only right in the last few millimetres. See also Dovetailed Housing Joint.
Tenon Male component worked from a solid piece of wood to fit inside a mortise. A tenon comprises one or more cheeks (long-grain) and one or more shoulders (end-grain). There are many types of tenon, each slightly different. See also Mortise.
Threaded Insert Fitting that is driven into wood with a thread on the outside to cut into a drilled hole. Inside is another thread, to take a bolt or threaded rod. See also Top-Hat Nut.
Through Tenon Tenon joint that fits into an 'open' mortise so that the end of the tenon is visible. These joints are difficult to cut because the exit is so visible. They are often wedged to ensure the joint is tight and there are no gaps.
Top-Hat Nut Insert with spikes that can be fitted into wood to take a bolt or threaded rod. You can also buy threaded inserts, which have a double thread: a large on on the outside to bind in the wood, and a thinner one inside to take the bolt.
Sliding Carriage Some machines will have a sliding carriage for cross-cut work instead, or as well as a mitre guide or fence. The sliding carriage is fixed to the side or front of the machine, and can take up a fair amount of room. It incorporates an adjustable fence. A sliding carriage is generally considered more accurate than a mitre fence/guide, but costs more and takes up valuable space. See also Mitre Fence/Guide.