Glossary of Terms

To assist with some of the terminology used on this website, as well as provide information on techniques and timbers used by Definitive Furniture, we have provided a glossary of information for you to refer to during your visit.

Ash
An extremely strong, pale timber with dark figure. This timber is excellently suited to steam-bending and laminating due to its long fibres.
Beech
A European tree having smooth, greyish bark. This versatile and strong timber has a light creamy-red tone and has good working properties.
Dovetail
The most effective means of joining timbers at right-angles to each other. Possibly the most famous of woodworking joints. There are various means of production, from hand-cut to machined. They could be cut to have aesthetic advantages as well as structural ones.
Etched
Etching is the process of marking the surface of glass or metal. This can be done either by an acid-resist technique, or by physically scraping away the surface with a sharp instrument.
FSC
Forest Stewardship Council - an independant, membership-based organisation promoting responsible management of the World's forests.
Laminated
The process of joining together thin sections of material to produce a curve or shape, which would be extremely difficult to achive by other means.
Oak
This wood is famed for its strength and durability, as well as having a very pleasing figure.
Sycamore
This timber was extensively used in instrument making in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries and is still used to decorative effect on the back of violins. Its plain appearance makes it an excellent candidate for coloured stains in marquetry and inlay.
Teak
An exceptionally oily timber, which has outstanding natural resistance to the elements. Although mainly thought of as a red timber, Teak is startlingly green-yellow colour when freshly cut.
Toughened glass
There are two most commonly used ways to toughen glass in the interests of safety: Laminating, the process of sandwiching a thin piece of plastic between 2 pieces of glass; and, Toughening, which is baking the glass in a kiln.
Veneer
This is the process whereby a thin slice of timber is applied to a ground (Plywood or MDF) to produce a board that would be difficult to create by any other means. Veneering can also be used to decorative effect and using expensive, or rare timbers.
Walnut
This is a fine timber to work with and a very pleasing timber to finish, as it takes an excellent polish. Depending upon individual species, the colour hue can range form a deep nut-brown to a regal purple. However, these colours mellow and mature with age.
Wedged mortise and tenon
This process involves using a wedge to open the tenon within the mortise during clamping. This produces a stronger joint and removes the need to leave the clamps on for a long period of time.