It's easy to pick up a saw, cut several pieces of wood, join them together and make a box. Chances are it would probably be made using a butt joint (edge to surface joint) held together by glue, nails or screws. As you can see, to complete even the simplest of projects, it requires some technical term as to how it was done.
As a beginner, you will need to know your craft to help you follow patterns or plans. Some of the more common terms you may come across as you learn woodcrafting are listed below.
- Hardwood: Wood from deciduous trees. Oak, Maple, and Cherry are examples of hardwood.
- Softwood: Wood from conifer trees. Spruce, Fir, and Pine are examples of softwood.
- Grain: The direction of the fibers in the wood.
- Joint: Two pieces of wood fitted together to form a bond.
- Ripping: Cutting a board in the direction of the grain.
- Crosscutting: Cutting a board against the direction of the grain.
- Groove: An hollow opening cut along the grain of the wood.
- Dado: An hollow opening cut against the grain of the wood.
- Bevel: The slope of the edge of the stock cut at an angle.
- Miter: The angle of a cut across the workpiece.
- Rabbet: The removal of stock at the edge of a board to forming a L-shaped cut.
- Kerf: A slot in the board made by the width of the sawblade.
- Pilot Hole: The hole drilled for the threaded part of a screw.
- Countersink: Nails or screws sunk flush or slightly below the surface of the stock.
- Dowel: A wooden pin used to add strength to joints.
- Butt Joint: Joining two pieces of board edge to edge or edge to surface.
- Dowel Joint: Drilling corresponding holes and reinforcing with dowels.
- Bevel Joint: Joining two edges of boards sloped at the same angle.
- Miter Joint: Joining two flat surfaces of board cut at the same angle.
- Dado Joint: Where the edge of one board is fitted into a dado cut of another board.
- Lap Joint: Joining two pieces of board by one piece overlapping the other.
- Dovetail Joint: Joining two pieces of board by interlocking them at right angles.
- Jig: Special devices used to help guide or secure the workpiece during woodworking operations.
- Miter gauge: an adjustable device used to cut straight or angle cuts. It's inserted in a slot to push the stock towards and through the blade.
- Fence: A straight-edge guide used for straight cuts at a pre-determined distance from the blade.
- Push Stick: A device used to keep your hands from harms way by pushing the stock safely past the blade.
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