Basic Carpentry Glossary Part Two M - X

Here is the second part of our basic carpentry glossary - the most common woodworking and carpentry terms you will encounter:

Kerf - the width of a saw cut determined by the thickness and set of the saw blade. Kick Back - this is when a work piece is thrown back by a cutter. Can be prevented by using anti-kick back devices on power tools such as table saws. MDF - medium density fiberboard, very stable underlay for counter tops etc. to be covered with laminate. Miter Box - an apparatus to guide a saw to make miter joints. Miter Gauge - a guide with an adjustable head that fits in a slot and slides across a power tool table to cut material at an angle. Miter Joint - pieces cut at an angle to make a joint. Molding (Moulding) - a strip of material with a profile cut on the facing edges, used for trimming. Ogee - an S shape that is made by making one cut to produce two identical pieces. Particle Board - a generic term for material manufactured from wood particles and bound together with glue. Plumb - a term used to describe something that is perfectly perpendicular to the earth relative to gravity. A plumb bob on the end of a string will give you a line that is plumb or straight up and down. Plywood - a glued wood panel usually 4' X 8' made up of thin layers of wood laid at right angles to each other. Rip Cut - a cut which runs through the length of a board parallel to the grain. Sawhorse - a trestle usually used in pairs to hold wood for cutting. Spline - a thin strip of wood fitted between two grooves to make a joint. T-slot - a slot milled in the shape of an upside down T to hold special bolts for clamps or jigs. Table Saw - a circular saw mounted under a table with height and angle adjustments for the blade. Taper Cut - a cut where the width decreases from one end to the other - these are usually done on a table saw with a jig. Tear out - the tendency to splinter the trailing edge of material when cutting across the grain. Template - a pattern to guide the marking or cutting of a shape, often a router is used with a piloted bit. Tenon - a projection made by cutting away the wood around it to insert into a mortise to make a joint. Tongue and Groove - a joinery method where a board has a protruding tongue on one edge and a groove on the other - the tongue of one board fits into the groove of the next. Witness Marks - these are marks put on boards or pieces to keep them in order during gluing, joining and assembly. X-Acto Knife - this is a razor like blade in a handle; the blades come in various shapes, very handy for fine work.