| Term |
Description |
| AAC |
(After
arrival of car) Credit terms whereby the allowable days to make payment are
determined by the arrival date, not the shipment date, of the car. |
| AAT |
(After
arrival of truck) Credit terms whereby the allowable days to make payment are
determined by the arrival date, not the shipment date, of the truck. |
| Abutment |
The
support structure at either end of an arch or bridge. The intermediary supports
are called piers. |
| Across
the grain |
The
direction at right angles to the length of the fibres and other longitudinal
elements of the wood. |
| ADF |
(After
deducting freight) A credit term meaning that the freight portion of an invoiced
amount is not subject to a discount. |
| Adhesive |
A
substance used to bond two surfaces together. |
| Adhesive |
A
substance that is capable of bonding two materials together by surface attachment.
It includes cements, mucilage, paste, and glue. |
| ADI |
(After
date of invoice) A credit term meaning that the allowable days to make payment
are determined by the date of the invoice, not the shipment date or arrival
date of the material. |
| Adult
Wood |
Wood
which characteristically has relatively constant cell size, well-developed
structural patterns, and stable physical behavior; also called mature wood. |
| Afforestation |
Establishment
of forest crops by artificial methods, such as planting or sowing on land where
trees have never grown. |
| Age
class |
Any
interval into which the age range of trees, forests, stands or forest types
is divided for classification and use. Forest inventories commonly group trees
into 20-year age class groups. |
| Air
dried |
Seasoned
by exposure to the elements, as opposed to being dried in a kiln. |
| Air-dried |
Lumber
or other wood products that have been either dried by exposure to natural atmospheric
conditions outdoors or in an unheated shed or dried to equilibrium with the
surrounding atmosphere. Moisture content of air-dried wood fiber depends on
relative humidity, temperature, and length of drying period. Also referred
to as air seasoned and contrasts with kiln-dried (KD) lumber. |
| Air-dried
lumber |
Lumber
that was dried, usually outside, to an equilibrium moisture content with the
air it was exposed to. |
| Air-dried
timber |
Timber
dried by exposure to air in a yard or shed, without artificial heat (also see
seasoning). |
| Allowable
cut |
The
amount of wood that can be removed from a landowner's property during a certain
time span, without exceeding the net growth during that same time on the property. |
| Along
the grain |
The
direction parallel with the length of the fibres and other longitudinal elements
of the wood. |
| Alternate
top bevel with raker (ATB/R) |
A
design for a circular saw blade where four alternately beveled teeth are followed
by a raker too to remove debris from the cut. |
| Anchor
bolt |
A
device for connecting timber members to concrete or masonry |
| anisotropic |
Exhibiting
different properties when measured along its different axes. |
| Annual
Growth |
Layer
of wood developed by a tree during a given year; same as annual or seasonal
increment. |
| Annual
growth rings |
The
layer of growth that a tree puts on in one year. The annual growth rings can
be seen in the end grain of lumber. |
| Appearance
grades |
High
line regular board and dimension grades that include tighter restrictions on
certain appearance characteristics, particularly wane. |
| Arbor |
A
shaft, driven by the tool's motor that turns blades or other cutting tools. |
| Arris |
The
sharp intersection of two surfaces, eg. The face and edge of a piece of wood
. |
| Back
saw |
A
short rectangular saw with fine teeth and a rigid "spine" along the
top of the blade. A backsaw is used for fine joinery work such as cutting dovetail
joints. Also see Dozuki. |
| Back
sawn timber |
Timber
sawn so that the growth rings are inclined at less than 45 degrees to the wide
face. |
| Backcut |
Final
cut in felling a tree. Made on the opposite side of the direction of fall |
| Backhaul |
A
delivery by tractor-trailer originates from where the trailer is loaded, the
load is delivered to a destination, then the trucker returns home. If the return
is also a paying load to be delivered to the vicinity of the trucker's home,
that load is called a backhaul. If the trucker returns home empty, that run
is called a "deadhead." |
| Back |
to
back (order) A trading term referring to an order in which both the buy side
and the sell side occur simultaneously. |
| Band
sawmill |
An
evolution in sawmill technology that uses a thinner band saw blade (less kerf
therefore less sawdust waste) than a circular saw. A bandsaw also has teeth
on both sides that allows cuts to be made in two directions instead of just
one, improving efficiency and productivity. |
| Bark |
Composed
of inner living bark and outer dead bark, it consists of tissues in the cylindrical
axis of a tree outside the cambium. |
| Bark |
The
outer protective layer of the tree. Severely damaged bark on a tree is a defect
that can lower the value of the its logs. At the sawmill, logs are first debarked,
then slabs are cut off leaving a rectangular or square cant to be cut into
lumber. There are two main types of debarkers: Rosserhead and Ring debarkers.
Before raw bark is sold as bark mulch, it is ground in a tub grinder (hammermill)
to give it the proper texture and consistency. Bark quality is a function of
color. |
| Bark |
The
outermost, protective layer, of a tree composed of dead cork and other elements. |
| Basal
area |
Cross
sectional area of a tree, in square feet, measured at breast height. Used as
a method of measuring the volume of timber in a given stand |
| Basic
silviculture |
1.
An administrative term describing the the practices necessary to establish
regeneration of the desired species at specified densities and stocking, free
from competing vegetation, and within a certain time limit. ;2. Silvicultural
activities required by law. See also intensive silviculture. |
| Bead |
A
small rounded, raised profile, routed along the edge of a board. |
| Beam |
Structural
member, other than a triangulated frame, which supports load primarily by its
internal resistance to bending. |
| Beam |
A
structural member that supports a transversely applied load. |
| Beam |
Any
framing member placed to support a load. Also called a girder. |
| Bearer |
A
sub floor timber beam placed across piers or stringers and supporting floor
joists |
| Bench
Dog |
A
metal or wooden peg that fits into a hole in a workbench and is used to hold
a workpiece in place. The peg can be round or square and sometimes fitted with
special springs to hold them in place. |
| Bending
Strength |
A
measure of the resistance of wood to an applied bending stress which is a combination
of three primary stresses, i.e., compressive, tensile, and shear stresses. |
| Best
Management Practices (BMP) |
A
series of forest practices thought to be the best possible for a specific region
and forest type. BMP are highly promoted by the American Forest and Paper Association's
Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI). |
| Bevel |
Any
angle not at 90 degrees. Also, a tool for marking such an angle. |
| Bevel
cut |
An
angled cut through a board. |
| Big
box |
Large,
warehouse-type lumber and building material stores catering to do-it-yourself
(DIY) shoppers. Home Depot and Lowes are examples. |
| Biodeterioration |
The
breaking down of timber by natural or biological agents such as fungi and insects. |
| Biomass |
Total
woody material in a forest. Refers to both merchantable material and material
left following a conventional logging operation. In the broad sense, all of
the organic material on a given area; in the narrow sense, burnable vegetation
to be used for fuel in a combustion system |
| Biomass
boiler |
Biomass
boilers burn bark, sander dust and other wood-related scrap not usable in product
production. Also called "hogged fuel" boilers, biomass boilers make
steam and heat for mill use. |
| Bird's-mouth |
The
notch in a rafter that rests on the top plate of a wall. |
| Birds
eye |
Figure
on the surface of wood that has numerous rounded areas resembling small eyes. |
| Birds-eye
figure |
A
figure on wood, usually maple and a few other species. The figure is composed
of many small BB size rounded areas resembling a birds eye. The figuring is
most common on plain and rotary sawn lumber. |
| Biscuit
Joint |
A
butt joint that is reinforced with a football shaped "biscuit". The
biscuits are usually made from compressed pieces of wood, usually birch. When
a biscuit comes into contact with glue in the joint it swells creating a tighter
joint. Also called a Plate Joint. |
| Blow
down |
Tree
or trees felled by wind. Also known as windfall |
| Blue
stain |
A
fungus discoloration, mostly bluish, but somtimes grayish, blackish, or brownish
in appearance; found mostly in sapwood, common in pines and in the warmer months
of summer. At one time this was thought to be a serious defect; now it is used
as high-quality interior finish |
| Blunting
Effect |
The
effect of a timber on the performance of a machine when the timber is processed.
|
| Board |
1.
A piece of sawn, hewn, or dressed timber of greater width than thickness. Usually
19 mm to 38 mm thick and 75 mm or more wide. 2. Manufactured products supplied
as rigid or semi-rigid sheets, eg. Fibreboard and particle boards. |
| Board
foot |
The
common volumetric unit of measure in the lumber industry, equivalent to a piece
of wood 1Ó thick, 12Ó wide, and 1Ó long. |
| Board
Foot |
A
unit of measurement of lumber represented by a board which is 1 foot long,
12 inches wide, and 1 inch thick or its metric equivalent. In practice, the
board foot calculation for lumber 1 inch or more in thickness is based on its
nominal thickness and width and the actual length. |
| Board
foot |
A
volume of lumber that measures 1" x 12" x 12". The number of
board feet in a log is estimated using one of three log scales: Scribner, Doyle,
or International Rule. The standard used in Massachusetts is the International
Rule. The actual yield of a log after sawn into lumber is often greater than
the estimated yield. Both logs and lumber are sold by the thousand board feet
or MBF. |
| Board
Foot - Related tip and Formula |
A
form of wood measurement, where one board foot equals the volume of a board
1 inch thick, 12 inches wide, and 12 inches long. |
| Board
measure |
A
term indicating that the unit of measure being used is the board foot. |
| Bole
wood |
The
lower section of the trunk of a tree from the ground to the first limb or branch.
Some loggers and whole tree operations delimb trees leaving only the bole or
stem portion of the tree. If chipped in a whole tree chipper, the result a
"cleaner" chip with fewer leaves, sticks, or pine needles. Tree stem
that has roughly grown to a substantial thickness, capable of yielding sawtimber,
veneer logs, or large poles |
| Bolt |
Short
logs to be sawn for lumber or used for veneer. Also: 1) Any short log, as a
pulpwood bolt or pulpwood stick; 2) Any short stick, generally between 2 and
8 feet long; 3) Also referred to as a block. |
| Bone-dry
ton (BDT) |
Wood
pulp or residue that weigh 2,000 pounds at zero percent moisture content. Also
known as an ovendry ton |
| Bookmatch |
A
term in veneering, where successive pieces of veneer from a flitch are arranged
side by side. A properly done bookmatch will resemble a mirror image of the
opposite side. |
| BoreÊ |
The
hole for the arbor in a circular saw blade. |
| Botanical
name |
The
botanical names of species and their relationship to trade names are defined
in AS 2543, Nomenclature of Australian Timbers and AS 1148, Nomenclature of
Commercial Timbers imported into Australia. |
| Bound
moisture |
Moisture
which is closely bound to the cell wall constituents of wood. |
| Bow |
A
curvature in the longitudinal direction of a board causing the wide face to
move away from a flat plane. |
| Bow |
A
lumber defect referring to deviation from a straight line drawn end to end
along the wide face of a piece of lumber. |
| Bow
- Related Article |
A
defective piece of lumber that has warped along its length. |
| Box
beam |
A
built-up beam with solid timber flanges (a) and plywood or wood-base panel
product webs (b). |
| Box
joint |
A
corner joint made up of interlocking "fingers". |
| Bracing |
Secondary
structural members that normally do not support gravity loads but are required
to provide lateral stability to other structural members or to transfer horizontal
loads to the supports. |
| Brad |
A
small finishing nail up to 1" long. |
| Brashness |
A
condition that causes some pieces of wood to break suddenly and completely
with very little splintering. The break or failure usually occurs under comparatively
small loads and deformations. |
| Bridging |
Bracing
installed between floor joists to stiffen floor and distribute live loads.
Also called cross-bridging. |
| British
thermal unit (BTU) |
Measure
of the amount of heat required to raise 1 pound of water 1 degree Fahrenheit.
Amount of latent heat available to be released when a substance undergoes combustion. |
| Bucking |
Cutting
a felled tree into shorter specified log lengths; rough cutting logs for length. |
| Bunch |
To
gather trees or logs into small piles for subsequent skidding by other equipment.
To assemble logs together to form a load for transport |
| burl |
1)
A hard, woody outgrowth on a tree, more or less rounded in form, usually resulting
from the entwined growth of a cluster of buds. Such burls are the source of
the highly figured burl veneers used for purely ornamental purposes. 2) In
lumber or veneer, a localised severe distortion of the grain generally rounded
in outline. |
| Burl |
Bulges
and irregular growths that form on the trunks and roots of trees. Burls are
highly sought after for the incredible veneer they yield. |
| Burl |
The
source of the highly figured burl veneers used exclusively for ornamental purposes,
it is a bulge formed on the trunk or branches of a tree by abnormal wood formation. |
| BurrÊ
Related Article |
A
raised ridge of metal used on a scraper to remove wood. |
| Butt |
Base
of a tree. Large end of a log |
| Butt
cut |
The
first cut above the stump of a tree. |
| Butt
joint |
An
end joint formed by abutting the squared ends of two pieces. |
| Butt
Joint |
A
woodworking joint where the edges of two boards are placed against each other. |
| Butt
log |
First
log cut above the stump. Also known as butt cut. |
| Butt
rot |
Decay
or rot characteristically confined to the base or lower bole of a tree |
| Cabriole
Leg - Related Article |
A
leg used on Queen Anne furniture. The cabriole leg is characterized by graceful
curves and a shape that resembles an animal leg. |
| Calender |
To
make the surface of paper smooth by pressing it between steel rollers during
manufacture. |
| Camber |
Intentional
vertical curve built into a beam or truss to offset load deflection or to improve
its appearance. |
| Cambium |
A
thin layer of tissue between the bark and wood that repeatedly subdivides to
form new wood and bark cells. |
| Cambium |
The
layer of cells between the woody part of the tree (heartwood) and the bark.
Division of cambium cells results in diamteter growth of the tree through formation
of wood cells (xylem) and inner bark (phloem). |
| Cambium |
The
live, actively growing, layer of a tree. The cambium is one cell thick and
resides between the sapwood and the phloem. It repeatedly divides itself to
form new wood and causes the tree to grow and expand. |
| Canopy |
The
forest layer made up of the crowns of the tallest trees. |
| Cant |
1.
Log that is squared on two or more sides and to be sawn further. 2. A log is
first debarked then the rounded slab or outside portion of the log is cut off
by the sawyer. The remaining square or rectangular portion of the log is called
a cant. Lumber is cut from the cant. The more pieces of lumber cut, the more
sawdust (waste byproduct ) is produced, reducing the log yield of marktable
board feet. |
| Carcase |
The
body of a piece of furniture with a box like shape. (I.E. A kitchen cabinet) |
