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Dado: A rectangular channel cut partway into a board.

Deciduous: Trees that shed their foliage annually. Commonly referred to as hardwood.

Defect - Related Article: An abnormality in a piece of lumber that lowers its strength and commercial value such as a check or knot.

Deflection: The amount of sag in a shelf, floor, joist, or counter caused by the weight it's supporting.

Dovetail Joint: A method of joining wood at corners by the use of interlocking pins and tails.

Dowel Woodworking Tip: Doweling Tip: A cylindrical wooden pin that is used to reinforce a wood joint.

Dowel Center Picture - Woodworking Tip: How to use a dowel center: A cylindrical metal pin with a raised point that is inserted into a dowel hole and used to locate the exact center on a mating piece of wood.

Dozuki: A type of Japanese woodworking saw that is used for fine joinery work such as dovetails. Its Western equivalent is a back saw.

Drawer Stop: A device installed in a cabinet to limit the drawers travel.

Dressing: Shaping the cutting edge of a chisel to correct the bevel.

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Earlywood (Springwood): The first part of the tree's rings to form after winter hybernation. Earlywood is often characterized by larger cells and a lower density.

Edge guide: A straightedge that is used to guide tools, such as a circular saw or router, along a workpiece.

Edge joining: Smoothing and squaring the edge of a board so that it can be glued up squarely to another piece.

Elbow: In a dust collection system - a fitting used to turn corners. Click Here

Equilibrium moisture content: When the level of moisture in a board is equal to the moisture in the surrounding air.

Face Frame: In cabinetmaking a face frame is a flat frame attached to the front of a carcase. The face frame is used to conceal the exposed edges of the plywood panels used to build the carcase.

Face Veneer: High quality veneer that is used for the exposed surfaces on plywood.

Featherboard - Related Article: A piece of wood with thin "fingers" that hold a board against a fence or down against the table of a power tool, usually a table saw or router..

Fence: A straight guide used to keep a board a set distance from a blade or other cutters.

Fiddleback: A decorative wood figure caused by wavy grain. Fiddleback veneer is prized for it's character and often used for musical instruments.

Fittings: For dust collection - Accessories that are used to connect hoses, pipes, and tools within a dust collection system. Click here for dust system fittings.

Flat-sawn Lumber - Related Article: In softwoods, a method of sawing lumber where the log is cut tangential to the growth rings. Also called plain-sawn.

Girth - Related Article: The distance around a tree; the circumference.

Glue Joint: A special interlocking grooved pattern that is used to join two pieces, edge to edge, securely.

Grain - Related Article: The size, alignment, and color of wood fibers in a piece of lumber.

Grit: A measure of the size of abrasive particles used in the manufacturing of sandpaper. Grit can also be measured as the number of particles in an square inch of sandpaper surface.

Half-Blind Dovetail: A dovetail joint where the cut does not go all of the way through the board. The ends of a half-blind dovetail are concealed. (see through dovetail joint)

Hardboard - Related Article: A type of manufactured board similar to particle board but with a much smoother surface. A common brand of hardboard is Masonite.

Headsaw: In a sawmill, the large band saw or circular saw used to size the log into lumber.

Heartwood: The dead inner core of a tree. Usually much harder and darker than the newer wood. Also see sapwood.

Herringbone Pattern: In veneering, a hearing bone pattern is formed when successive layers of veneers are glued up so they form a mirror image. Usually this pattern slants upwards and outwards, like a herringbone.

Hygroscopic: The tendency of wood to absorb and expel moisture as humidity levels change.

Jig: A device used to make special cuts, guide a tool, or aid in woodworking operations.

Kerf: The groove left in a board when cut by a saw blade.

Kickback: When a workpiece is thrown back, in the opposite direction the cutter is turning.

Kiln: In lumber drying, a kiln is a room or building where temperature, moisture, and the amount of air circulating are controlled to dry wood.

Kiln Dried: Lumber that has been dried in a Kiln. (See Kiln)

Knockdown: A design feature that allows a piece of furniture to be easily disassembled by the use of special hardware or joinery.

Knot - Related Article: A part of the tree where a branch has been overgrown by the tree and incorporated into its trunk.