Cabinet Glossary & Definitions

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Find a Cabinetry term:
Butt Joint

Cabinetry

Carpentry
Circular saw
Corbels

Door Styles

Joinery

Lacquer
Miter saw
Molding
Onlays

Profiles
Shellac

Table saw

Turning
Varnish

Woodworking

Wood filler

Wood finishing
Wood Species

Wood stain

B

Butt Joint
A joinery technique in which two members are joined by simply butting them together. The butt joint is the simplest joint to make since it merely involves

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C

Cabinetry, Cabinet Making, Cabinetmaker
The practice of utilizing many woodworking skills to create cabinets, shelving and furniture; a craftsman who specializes in the making of fine furniture. Implies a very high level of skill in woodworking.

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Carpentry
Originally a carpenter was a wagon maker but carpentry has come to mean the general working of wood. Sometimes used to cover all aspects of woodworking, at other times carpentry refers to the least-skilled level of woodworking and larger projects, such as house building.

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Circular Saw
A metal disc or blade with saw teeth on the edge as well as the machine that causes the disk to spin (also less-commonly known as the 'buzz saw' in the USA).

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Corbels
A bracket of stone, wood, brick, or other building material, projecting from the face of a wall and generally used to support a cornice or arch.

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D

Door Styles
Different types of styles or shapes Door Shape, square, arched or slab styles, you will see a variety of raised panel and recessed panel styles.

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J

Joinery
Either refers to (mainly in the UK) architectural woodwork or (mainly in the USA) to the joining of two or more pieces of wood together, necessary in most woodworking projects. Also used particularly to refer to the joining of wood without the use of nails, screws, or other metal fasteners.

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L

Lacquer
A clear or coloured coating, that dries by solvent evaporation only and that produces a hard, durable finish that can be polished to a very high gloss, and gives the illusion of depth.

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M

Miter Saw
A tool used to make accurate crosscuts and miters in a workpiece (also called mitre saw).

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Molding
A finishing detail that is an ornamental addition to surfaces, with coordinating cross-sections. Features formed from marble, plaster, wood, etc. and used in interior design.

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O

Onlays
Something laid or applied over something else, as to add relief to a surface.

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P

Profiles
A raised panel has a profile cut into it's edge so that the panel surface is flush with or proud of the frame. Some popular profiles are the ogee, chamfer, and scoop or cove.

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S

Shellac
A very widely used single component resin varnish that is alcohol soluble. It is not used outdoors or where it will come into repeated contact with water such as around a sink or bathtub.

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T

Table Saw
Or sawbench is the most common piece of large woodworking equipment. Because of its versatility, when only one piece of large woodworking machinery is owned, it will often be a table saw.

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Turning
The art of turning a piece of wood on a lathe and shaping it by holding various cutting tools against it.

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V

Varnish
A transparent, hard, protective finish or film primarily used in wood finishing but also for other materials.

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W

Woodworking
The process of building, making or carving something using wood.

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Wood Filler
Also known as Wood putty or Plastic wood, is a substance used to fill imperfections, nail holes or pores in wood prior to finishing.

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Wood Finishing
Refering to the process of embellishing and/or protecting the surface of wooden objects.

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Wood Species
Different types of hardwoods or softwoods. Examples are maple, oak, birch, cherry and hickory.

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Wood Stain, a sub-category of paint
Consists of a pigment suspended in a "vehicle" of solvent and binding agent (alkyd, linseed oil, acrylic, polyurethane, lacquer, or resin). It is formulated to impart or transport the pigment into the pores of the surface rather than creating a film on top of the surface.

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