There's nothing like "talkin' shop" with your wood working buddies ... use this glossary of wood working and wood router terms to beef up your vocabulary.
I basically knew nothing when I first started my wood working hobby as a teenager. That included the nomenclature and vocabulary. My lack of terminology caused me some unnecessary frustration. I would want to do something like make a "half lap" joint. I could see what I wanted to do in my mind, but I couldn't describe it concisely to someone when I was asking them about how to make it. So I'd have to go into a (sometimes) lengthy description before we figured out what it was that I wanted to do. It's funny how this frustration helped the light come on for me as to why my English teachers made me do vocabulary work.
Back in those days, there was no internet. So, I had build my wood working vocabulary through many trips to our local library. I spent a lot of time digging through books an magazines to find what I wanted.
I guess this is a long winded way of saying that I started this glossary in the hope that I might save other people some time by collecting here some useful wood working / wood router related terminology.
I look at this glossary as a work in progress. I do have a full time job to pay the bills ... and to buy wood router toys:-) !!!! So, I figure I'll start the page with a few terms now and add to it as I go. Please feel free to email me suggestions of other terms you might find helpful and I'll add them in here. Whatever the case may be, I hope this page helps you in some way.
B
- Bead (from samallen.com) A traditional decoration often used with a tongue-and- groove joint to hide the gap between the boards.
- Beading Bit - edge
This bit produces a beautiful finish on the edge of your piece; very decorative. (from Rockler) part of the "Decorative Profile" category of router bits. This type of bit simply serves to add style or flair to your wood work piece. - Beading vs. Roundover
Look at the bearing relative to the bit's cutting edge, then compare with the roundover bit. Also, notice that by raising this bit you can eliminate the top bead, leaving only a roundover on the top of the cut.
Look at the bearing relative to the bit's cutting edge, then compare with the beading bit. Notice that by lowering this bit, you can create a bead at the top of the cut.(from Rockler: beading, roundover) beadind bits reside in the "Decorative Profile" category of router bits whereas roundover bits are part of the "Cove and Roundover" category. Note that by carefully adjusting the depth and angle at which your bit cuts, you can achieve identical profiles in the target work piece using either of these bit profiles.
C
- Collet
In the middle: ½" collet on top, ¼" collet on bottom (from wikipedia.com) a holding device—specifically, a subtype of chuck—that forms a collar around the object to be held and exerts a strong clamping force on the object when it is tightened via a tapered outer collar. It may be used to hold a workpiece or a tool. The picture shows the tapered collar on the left, 2 collets in the center, and two router bits on the right (½" shank on top, ¼" shank on bottom).
D
- Dovetail
Dovetails form a super strong joint that holds up under a lot of wear and tear. However, many wood workers choose to use dovetails because they can add beautiful detail and craftsmanship to a work piece. (from thefreedictionary.com)n.1. A fan-shaped tenon that forms a tight interlocking joint when fitted into a corresponding mortise.2. A joint formed by interlocking one or more such tenons and mortises.v. dove·tailed, dove·tail·ing, dove·tailsv.tr.1. To cut into or join by means of dovetails.2. To connect or combine precisely or harmoniously.v.intr.1. To be joined together by means of dovetails.2. To combine or interlock into a unified whole: The nurses' schedules dovetailed, so that one was always on duty. - Dovetail Bit
Using a dovetail bit and a dovetail jig, you can quickly and reliably produce high quality dovetail joints. (from Rockler) part of the "Joinery" category of router bits. You use this type of bit in a wood router in conjunction with a dovetail jig to cut the "tails" of your dovetail joints. Tails are basically a special case of tenons (the male part of a mortise and tenon joint). The angle of a dovetail (tenon) causes it to lock with its corresponding pin (mortise), thus producing a super strong joint. Use a straight bit to cut the pins. - Dovetail Jig
Offered by Rockler, comes with ...- easy-to-mount, heavy-duty steel base; half-blind and dado template, through and box template, dovetail bit, straight bit, two template guides, two lock nuts and T-handle hex wrench.
- Heavy-duty cam-type clamps with sandpaper-backed locking bars provide solid grip of wood.
- CNC machined aluminum templates provide superior accuracy.
- For use with routers with 1/2 collet.
L
- Lap Joint
Clockwise from top left: Half lap, mitred half lap, dovetail lap, and cross lap (from wikipedia.com) In woodworking, or metal fitting, a lap joint describes a technique for joining two pieces of material by overlapping them. A lap may be a full lap or half lap. In a full lap, no material is removed from either of the members to be joined, resulting in a joint which is the combined thickness of the two members. In a half lap joint, material is removed from each of the members so that the resulting joint is the thickness of the thickest member. Most commonly in half lap joints, the members are of the same thickness and half the thickness of each is removed.
R
- Router Bit Profiles
This image shows 10 profiles made in wood by several common router bits. (from wikipedia.com) the shape left in a wood working piece after the wood worker removes material from the piece using a given router bit. For example, if a wood worker removes material from the edge of a board using a router bit with a "round over" profile, the resulting edge will have a smooth, circular transition from one side to the adjacent side. - Router Lift
Offered by Rockler, this is an excellent digital direct-drive router lift. It delivers dead-on accuracy and easy repeatability, eliminating test cuts to properly adjust the bit. PLUS, make easy bit changes and eliminate backlash for a safer workshop. (from Rockler) a router lift is an after-market mechanical device that attaches to your router table, and is used to raise and lower your router in relation to the surface of the router table. The motor assembly of your router is clamped into the body of the router lift, which in turn is mechanically connected to an easily accessible height adjustment mechanism. The upshot is that you bypass the router's height adjustment mechanism in favor the the router lift's.
W
- Wood Router (from Merriam-Webster Online) a machine with a revolving vertical spindle and cutter for milling out the surface of wood.
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