Professional Documents
Culture Documents
ABUTMENT. In joinery, the end of one timber touch- BARGE BOARD. The board covering the ends of
ing another. See also BUTT JOINT. purlins at the gable end of a roof. Also RAKE.
ADZE. Handled edge tool (various patterns) with its BASE CRUCK. Cruck with blades starting as posts and
edge at a right angle to the handle, used to shape or dress curving upward to end at the collar beam. See CRUCK
timbers. FRAME.
AISLE. Lengthwise volume (parallel to the roof ridge) in BASKET HITCH. Open sling configuration for lifting
a building divided into several such spaces, usually three. timber. Cf. CHOKER HITCH.
Cf. BAY. BAY. Crosswise volume (perpendicular to the roof ridge)
ANCHOR BEAM. In a Dutch barn, the major tie beam in a building, bounded by two bents or crossframes. Cf.
joined to H-bent posts, generally by outside-wedged AISLE.
through tenons. BEAM. Any substantial horizontal framing member.
ANISOTROPIC. Material whose structural properties BEARING. Area of contact in a joint through which
are not identical in every direction. load is transferred.
ARCH BRACE 1. Curved brace. 2. Brace rising from BED TIMBER. Short, stout timber used to distribute
bridge abutment to support lower chord of truss. concentrated loads at bridge piers and abutments.
ARRIS. Line along which two adjacent surfaces meet. In BEETLE. Large wooden mallet typically weighing 15 to
some square rule (q.v.) carpentry, the reference line formed 30 lbs. Also COMMANDER, PERSUADER.
by the meeting of two datum (reference) planes. BENDING. Deviation from straight resulting from the
ASHLAR PIECE. Short vertical strut near the foot of a application of force. In a bent member, the concave sur-
rafter, joining it to a sole piece at the top of a masonry face is compressed, the convex surface is tensioned and the
wall. neutral axis is unaffected.
AUGER. Handled edge tool for boring holes in wood. BENT. 1. Assemblage of timbers perpendicular to the
AXIAL LOAD. Force applied along members neutral ridge, usually the crossframe of a building, sometimes
axis. including rafters, assembled on the ground and then
BACKING. Top surface of a hip or valley rafter, beveled reared up into position. 2. One of the supporting frames
to follow the slopes of adjacent roof surfaces. The hip of a railroad trestle.
backing is thus convex, the valley backing concave. BEST EDGE. On a timber to be laid out, the secondary
BAREFACED DOVETAIL. Dovetail (q.v.) flared only reference surface adjacent to the best face.
on one edge, suitable for mortising as well as housing. See BEST FACE. On a timber to be laid out, the primary ref-
also HALF-DOVETAIL. erence surface, which will typically receive flooring or wall
BAREFACED TENON. Tenon flanked by only one and roof sheathing. Not an appearance term.
shoulder. BEVEL. Any nonorthogonal angle taken through the