JCE Woodwork flashcards
JCE Woodwork · Build recall with a focused review session.
33 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.
- Hardwood vs softwood
- Hardwoods come from broad-leaved flowering trees such as oak and beech; softwoods come from conifers such as pine and spruce. Hardness varies, so the names describe botany, not hardness.
- Moisture content
- The mass of water in timber expressed as a percentage of its oven-dry mass. Indoor furniture timber is usually dried to roughly 8 to 12 percent to limit shrinkage and movement.
- Seasoning
- Controlled drying of timber, by air or kiln, to bring moisture content down. Properly seasoned stock is more stable, stronger and accepts glue and finish far better than green timber.
- Grain direction
- The direction in which wood fibres run along a board. Planing and machining with the grain gives clean surfaces; working against it lifts fibres and causes tear-out.
- Rip cut
- A cut made along the length of the grain. Rip saws have relatively few, chisel-shaped teeth that clear waste efficiently when cutting parallel to the fibres.
- Crosscut
- A cut made across the grain. Crosscut saws have more, steeper, knife-like teeth that sever fibres cleanly on both faces of the cut.
- Kerf
- The slot of material removed by a saw blade or cutter. Because the kerf has width, mark and cut on the waste side of the line to keep the part accurate.
- Face side and face edge
- Two adjacent surfaces planed flat and square to each other and marked as references. All subsequent marking, measuring and joint layout is taken from them.
- Try square
- A fixed square with a stock and blade used to mark and test 90 degree angles. Check it occasionally against a known straightedge for accuracy.
- Sliding bevel
- An adjustable square whose blade locks at any angle. It transfers an existing angle to workpieces or sets out angles that are not 90 degrees.
- Marking gauge
- A tool with a pin or knife that scores a line parallel to a face edge at a set distance. Used for setting out mortises, tenons and joint shoulders.
- Winding sticks
- Two straight strips placed across the ends of a board and sighted along. If their top edges appear parallel the board is free of twist.
- Butt joint
- Two pieces joined end to face or edge to edge without interlocking geometry. Simple and fast, but weak in tension and usually reinforced with fasteners, dowels or plates.
- Dowel joint
- Cylindrical wooden pins glued into matching holes to align and strengthen a butt or edge joint. Dowels resist shear and help keep surfaces flush during assembly.
- Biscuit joint
- An oval compressed-beech wafer glued into matching slots cut with a plate joiner. It aligns edges and adds modest strength, making it common for panel glue-ups.
- Mortise and tenon
- A projecting tenon on one member fits a matching mortise cut in the other. The joint resists racking and twisting and is standard for frames, doors and tables.
- Through dovetail
- Flared tails on one board interlock with pins on the other, with the joint visible on both faces. Excellent resistance to pull-apart loads, typical for drawer boxes.
- Half-blind dovetail
- A dovetail joint in which the pins stop short of the front face, so the joint is hidden from view. Used where a drawer front meets the sides.
- Housing joint
- A straight groove cut across a component to receive the end or edge of another. It locates shelves and dividers and adds glue area without visible fasteners.
- Dado
- A groove cut across the grain to house the end of another board. A matching groove cut along the grain is called a plough or groove.
- Rebate
- A step or shoulder cut along the edge of a board, forming an L-shaped profile. Used for back panels, glazing beads and lipping.
- Bevel angle
- The angle between a cutting edge and the tool's back face. Bench chisels and plane irons are commonly honed near 25 degrees with a slightly steeper micro-bevel for strength.
- Sharpening grit sequence
- Grind or hone on a coarse abrasive, then progress to finer grits to polish the edge. Skipping grits leaves deep scratches that slow the final honing stage.
- Sanding progression
- Work through abrasives without skipping more than one grit, for example 80, 120, 180 and 240. Sand with the grain and remove dust between grits.
- Raising the grain
- Wiping bare timber with a damp cloth lifts crushed fibres, which then dry standing proud. A light sanding after drying gives a smoother surface before staining or finishing.
- Wood dust hazard
- Fine airborne wood dust is a respiratory sensitiser and a fire risk. Extraction at the machine and a suitable respirator reduce exposure in the workshop.
- Kickback
- Sudden violent ejection of the workpiece back toward the operator when a blade binds. A riving knife, push stick and standing clear of the blade line reduce the risk.
- Push stick
- A shaped wooden or plastic handle used to feed narrow stock past a blade while keeping hands at a safe distance. It should be replaced when worn or damaged.
- Chisel technique
- Clamp the work securely and cut with both hands behind the edge, moving away from the body. Never force a chisel with a levering motion that could snap the blade.
- Wood movement
- Timber swells and shrinks mainly across the grain as humidity changes. Design joints and panels with allowance, such as slotted buttons, so movement does not split the work.
- Nominal versus actual size
- Rough-sawn timber is sold by nominal dimensions but planing removes material. A nominal 50 by 100 mm board finishes near 44 by 94 mm, so design from measured stock.
- Panel glue-up
- Joining narrow boards edge to edge to form a wider panel. Alternate end grain direction to reduce cupping, and use biscuits or dowels to keep faces aligned.
- Film finish
- A coating such as varnish, lacquer or polyurethane that builds a protective layer on the surface. It resists moisture and wear but shows scratches more than penetrating oil.