Are you looking to learn more about the world of woodworking? With the Berkshire Products Woodworking Glossary, you can!
This comprehensive guide covers all the terminology, tools, and techniques you’ll need to understand all the basics of woodworking. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced woodworker, our glossary can help you understand live-edge slabs, standard woodworking techniques, or the latest trends. With the easy-to-use glossary, this resource is the perfect tool to help you on your journey to becoming the best woodworker you can be!
We are always eager to help our customers, no matter their woodworking level. Please reach out with any questions you may have, either via email, at info@berkshireproducts.com, or via phone, at 413-229-7919. We have a knowledgeable sales team that would love to help you with your next project!
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A
- Air Dried
- Lumber that has been stacked and allowed to dry naturally. Air flows between boards allowing moisture in the wood to evaporate.
B
- Bow
- A warp in a board that causes it to curve in the same direction away from the desired plane usually along the length. Likely causes are improper storage or uneven air circulation during drying.
C
- Chemical Stain
Irregular spots or discoloration on area of finish caused by reactive chemicals.
- Cross Cut Sawn
- Cross cut sawn is when a piece of wood has been cut across the grain to reduce length.
- Cup
A warp in a board that causes it to curve edge to edge across the width so that the edges are higher or lower than the center.
- Curly, Tiger, Fiddleback Grain
- Variations of figure caused by contortions in the grain direction so that light is reflected differently creating a wavy appearance.
D
- Danish Oil
- A hard drying wood finishing oil. It can be applied to provide a hard-wearing, water-resistant satin finish, or as a primer on bare wood before applying paint or varnish.
- Deciduous Trees
Deciduous trees lose their leaves seasonally, usually in autumn and regrow them in the spring. Deciduous trees are hardwoods.
- Denatured Alcohol
- Denatured alcohol is ethyl alcohol (ethanol or grain alcohol) containing a foul-tasting or toxic chemical, added to make it unfit for human consumption. Used to bring out the color and grain of slabs without altering the moisture content.
- Descending Grain
- Wood fiber that runs downward into a progressing cut which catches and tears instead of cutting cleanly.
- Dewpoint
The temperature at which dew forms and is a measure of atmospheric moisture. The measurement of moisture content in the air.
- Diagonal Grain
Cross grain exhibiting deviation of the growth-rings in which the wood grain is at an angle to the long dimension
- Diamonding
- Warping caused by the difference between tangential and radial shrinkage resulting in square sections to become diamond shaped.
- Dimensional Stabilization
- The treatment of wood in order to minimize swelling and shrinkage.
E
- EMC Equilibrium Moisture Content
- The moisture content at which wood is no longer gaining nor losing moisture. This happens after full adjustment to relative humidity and temperature.
- Edge
- The narrowest surface of a board that is approximately parallel with the grain direction
- Epoxy
- Two-part epoxy glue is known for high performance strength and durability. When applied to wood, it acts as a sealant, or filler that hardens to create a lasting bond. Its waterproof seal makes it easy to clean and ideal for wooden tables or furniture. After the full cure time it can be sanded or drilled.
F
- FAS Lumber
- First and Seconds – The best and most expensive grade of domestic lumber.
- Face
- When a board has one side that is wider than the other, the wider side is referred to as the face (as opposed to the edge). This may also refer to the side that is too visible in the finished item.
- Feather Grain, Crotch Grain
- A feathery pattern in the grain of a board or slab cut from the crotch.
- Fiber Saturation Point
- The point in the drying process at which only water bound in the cell walls remains. The cell cavities are empty of all free water.
- Free Water
- Moisture contained within the cell cavities.
G
- Green Lumber
- Wood that has not yet been seasoned and has a high moisture content.
- Grit
Abrasive particles of sand and stone used in sanding. The higher the grit number the smoother the finish.
H
- Hardwood
- The wood from a deciduous tree, such as maple or oak.
- Heartwood
- The wood from the pith that no longer conducts sap. It is darker than sapwood. May or may not be more resistant to bugs and decay. Heartwood is stronger than sapwood while the tree is growing.
- Honeycombing
Checks in the interior of a piece of wood, usually along the wood rays caused by stresses during the drying process.
- Hygroscopic
The ability to absorb and retain moisture from the air.
I
- Interlocking Grain
Tree growth that twists back and forth throughout the trunk. Creates figure, may present challenges when machining.
- Iron Stain / Metal Stain
- A gray or black stain on wood caused by contact with metal such as iron for a period of time. More likely to occur under wet or moist conditions.
J
- Janka Test
- The Janka test measures the force required to embed a .444-inch steel ball into the wood by half its diameter. This test is one of the best measures of the ability of a wood specie to withstand denting and wear.
- Juvenile Wood
- Smaller, faster growing trees with thinner cell walls producing lower strength lumber.
K
- Kiln Dried
Wood that has been dried in a kiln under carefully controlled temperature and humidity to reduce moisture content.
L
- Live Edge or Natural Edge Lumber
- Lumber having live edge along both edges.
- Loose Knot
A knot in wood that is not firmly in place and may fall out. Caused by the dead part of a branch that was fully integrated into the tree before it was cut.
M
- Mildew
- A fungus that grows on wet surfaces in warm conditions.
- Mineral Stain
Green-Black or brown discoloration with unknown causes. Typically found in many different hard woods as well as red and white oak, ash and hickory wood. Stains are generally found in the cross-section cuts of logs. It is common for the wood to split and crack where the discoloration is found.
- Miter Cut
Miter cuts are typically 45-degree cuts. Miter joints are made by cutting two pieces at an angle and fitting them together.
- Mixed Grain
- Mixed grain is exactly what its name sounds like—a mixture. That means that when you order a batch of lumber from your supplier, some of the boards you get will be vertical grain. Others, however, will come from boards that were sawn the other way, parallel to the annual growth rings of the tree.
- Moisture Content MC
- The percentage of moisture in a piece of wood compared to the same piece when it is thoroughly dried to 0%.
- Moisture Gradient
- The difference in the moisture content of a piece of would at the core vs the outer surface.
- Mottled Figure
- An irregular form of figure identified by its spiral like grain creating a wrinkly or blotchy look.
N
O
P
- P.A.D. Partially Air-dried
Wood that is still considered unseasoned even though it has been exposed to air for a period of time.
- Peck / Pecky
- Pockets of disintegrated wood caused by advanced decay in a living tree. Once lumber is seasoned there is no further development of peck. Most common in Cypress and Cedar.
- Pin Knot
- A knot with a diameter not over 1/2 inch thick.
- Pitch Pocket / Gum Pocket
- A separation in wood, an accumulation of resin (pitch) between layers of growth, hidden until exposed by a saw.
- Pith
- Is located in the center of the tree and is usually a light/pale color that darkens with age. First year of growth.
- Plain Sawn, Flat Sawn
Boards that have been cut so that the growth rings are at an angle less than 45°. The length of the board will have a unique look called cathedral grain.
- Planer
A planer is a woodworking machine to trim boards to a consistent thickness throughout their length and flat on both surfaces.
Q
- Quilted (West Coast term) / Blistered Figure (East Coast term)
- Smooth surface that appears to be covered with small blisters resulting from an uneven contour of annual growth rings.
R
- Radial Arm Saw
- A Radial Arm Saw is a cutting machine consisting of a circular saw mounted on a sliding horizontal arm.
- Ray Flecks
Rays of cells visible on the face grain of a board, most prevalent in a almost perfectly quartersawn board.
- Reaction Wood
Growth within the tree of leaning stems caused by environmental stress. Prone to cupping and warping during machining.
- Resaw
Resawing is cutting a board to thickness.
- Rift Sawn
- Rift sawn boards exhibit less figure than quartersawn and are most often those with growth rings at a 30°–60° perpendicular angle to the face of the boards. This method produces the most waste.
- Rip
A rip-cut is to cut a piece of wood parallel to the grain to reduce width.
- Roe Figured, Roey
- Interlocked grain that appears as stripes or rows that run along the grain.
S
- Sapwood
- The new wood, just under the bark, where the tree sap is transported, lighter in color than the heartwood at the center. It may or may not be more susceptible to decay and has more problems with bugs and staining. How much sapwood a tree has is dependent on species, growing conditions and how quickly the tree is growing. Older sapwood turns into Heartwood.
- Sawn Veneer
- Veneer that has been cut from a block with a saw, rather than peeled on a lathe or sliced off by a blade. Sawn veneer is sometimes said to be more solid than sliced or peeled veneer.
- Seasoning
The process of reducing the moisture content of wood to a moisture level that is suitable for its intended use and environment. Air drying and Kiln Drying are most common.
- Shake / Ring Shake
- Separation of wood fibers along parts of annual rings caused by back-and-forth movement etc.
- Skill Saw
A power saw for cutting wood or metal consisting of a toothed disk rotated at high speed.
- Slope of Grain
Deviation of wood fibers from a line that is parallel to the edge of piece of lumber.
- Softwood
- The wood from a conifer, such as pine, fir or spruce.
- Sound knot, Intergrown Knot, Red Knot, Tight Knot
- A knot whose growth rings are intergrown with the surrounding wood. The branch was alive when tree was cut.
- Spalted Wood, Spalting
- Blackish irregular lines that are the result of fungal decay. Spalting represents the early stages of decay and typically causes a noticeable softening of the affected wood.
- Stickers
- Small pieces of wood used to separate layers of wood, allowing air circulation during the drying process.
- Straight Grain
Grain that runs straight and parallel to its length. Ideal grain, easiest to work with.
- Straight Line Rip Saw
- A straight line rip saw is a circular blade machine, usually of the radial design, used for cutting wood across and above the stock.
- Stripe Figured, Ribbon Figured, Ribbon Stripe Figure
- Wood figure where alternating lighter and darker color stripes or ribbons run along the entire length of a board.
T
- Tannin
An acid found in wood that reacts with certain chemicals causing different colored compounds.
- Tension Wood
- Reaction wood formed typically in hardwood trees on the upper side of branches and leaning trunks. Often collapses during drying or cutting. Reaction wood, when it is ripped, can pinch the saw blade.
- Twist
- Uneven or irregular warping, where four corners of a board are no longer in the same plane.
U
V
- Vertical Grain (West Coast Term), Quarter Sawn (East Coast term)
- Boards cut from the center of the logs where the grain angle is between 60 and 90 degrees. The rings run parallel the whole length of the board. The log is first sawn into quarters then each quarter is plain sawn.
W
- Warp
- A deviation from flatness in wood. Occurs from changes in moisture content. Cupping or bowing are examples of warp.
- Wax
Waxes are an easy finish to apply and maintain, they are generally rubbed onto wood with a special cloth or brushed on providing a natural shine. They can also be applied after stain has been used such as shellac or varnish.
- Weathering
Discoloration to wood’s surface caused by various weather exposure such as light, wind, precipitation, and humidity.
- Wide Belt Sander
A large sander similar in concept to a planer, but much larger. Uses a large sanding belt head instead of a planer’s shaping head and requires air from a separate source to tension the belt. For rough sanding large surfaces or finishing.
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