Woodworking Terms

Backer board - a piece of wood or plywood placed on the back side of a workpiece in order to provide support or minimize tearout

Bevel - an angled edge or end, where the entire surface of the edge or end is angled (different from a chamfer)

Chamfer - an angled surface on the edge or end of a board that spans from the edge or end to the face (different from a bevel)

Chuck - a device (usually on a drill or drill press) used to clamp a bit in place, capable of gripping a large range of bit or shank sizes and often utilizing a key to operate

Collet - a device (usually on a router) that clamps a bit in place, sized for a specific bit or shank diameter, e.g. ¼” or ½”, and utilizing one or two wrenches to operate

Crosscut - to cut across the grain

Cutterhead - a cylindrical block with knives or cutters positioned around its perimeter

Dado - a groove running across the grain

Dado head - a set of blades stacked side-by-side for use on the table saw, used for making dadoes or grooves

Edge - the smaller pair of surfaces (relative to the face) on a board that exhibit long grain

End - the pair of surfaces of a board that exhibits end grain

End grain - wood fibers that are oriented perpendicular to the surface of a piece of lumber (as seen on the ends of a board)

Face - the largest pair of long-grain surfaces of a board

Fence - a beam or board used to guide a workpiece past a blade or bit

Green - a term used to describe lumber that has not been dried

Joint - to flatten and smooth the face or edge of a board using the jointer (see the Jointer section in this manual)

Long grain - wood fibers that are oriented parallel to the surface of a piece of lumber (as seen on the faces and edges of a board)

Lumber - a solid wood board

Grain - the cylindrical fibers (like soda straws) which make up lumber, oriented along the vertical axis of a tree

Kerf - the slot created by a blade or bit

Kickback - a dangerous situation in which a workpiece is forcibly ejected from a machine, often at tremendous speed

Margin of Safety - the minimum distance the operator’s hands, fingers, or other body parts should be from a cutter, blade, or bit

MDF - medium-density fiberboard; a man-made sheet material made of fine particles glued together to make a smooth-faced, stable product

Melamine - a man-made sheet material made from particle board with a thin layer of plastic on one or both faces, often used for cabinet construction

Mortise - a hole or slot with at least two flat sides into which another part is inserted (typically a tenon)

Offcut - the part of a piece being cut that is on the far side of a blade and is therefore not typically held or controlled by the operator

Particle board - a man-made sheet material made from medium-sized particles glued together to make a moderately smooth-faced, stable product (coarser than MDF)

Plane (v.) - to flatten and smooth the face or edge of a board using the planer (see the Planer section in this manual)

Plane (n.) - a hand tool used to smooth and flatten a surface (also referred to as a hand plane)

Platen - a flat reference surface, typically the surface on which a belt-sander belt runs

Pushstick - a safety device used in an upright orientation to guide a workpiece past a cutter, blade, or bit, thereby keeping the operator’s hands at a safe distance

Pushblock - a safety device with a broad base and handle used to guide a workpiece past a cutter, blade, or bit, thereby keeping the operator’s hands at a safe distance

Rabbet - a stepped surface on the edge or end of a board

Resaw - to cut a piece of wood in order to make it thinner

Rough - a term used to describe lumber that has not been surfaced (smoothed) on its faces or edges

Rip - to cut with the grain

Sheet good - man-made sheet material, like plywood, melamine, or MDF

Sled - a carrier consisting of a base and fence for controlling a workpiece during a cutting operation, typically guided in some way (by runners or an external, stationary fence)

Special setup - a machine operation that exposes the operator to greater than average risk; a special setup requires instructor or aide approval prior to operating the machine

Stock - the piece being worked

Tearout - torn or damaged fibers, typically caused by a blade or bit exiting the workpiece

Track - on a belt sander, to adjust the belt to run true on the machine and not off to one side

Trigger lock - the button on some hand-held power tools that locks the trigger in the ON position

V-block - a block with a V-shaped channel along its length

Warp - a lumber defect describing stock that is not flat; the four types of warp are cup, bow, crook, and twist