Flying Terms

It seems as if wood joinery terms fly on the air at Vermont Timber Works even after the guys have taken pencils from ears and the doors have closed for the night. Consequently, I cannot help but learn a few terms myself, though I resist. (I'm in bookkeeping.) Here's my wood joinery repertoire...so far anyway:



Tongue (Now there's an easy one! It looks like a tongue.)


Shoulder (It's much like a human shoulder, well, one that will never rotate, ever again, once joined.)

Mort - Mortise and Tenon (How does one remember which part is the mortise and which is the tenon??? How many times have I asked Sandy? She's my source for anything 'shop' because she doesn't roll her eyes or sit back in her chair with an impatient expression when I ask dumb questions. Although, if I ask which is mortise and which is tenon, one more time, Sandy might clobber me or at least think me mentally deficient.


So I've devised a method. I think Mortimer instead of mortise, and I know that 'ol Mort has a hole in his head because that's how I picture him. Poor 'ol Mort.)




Dovetail (Easy. It describes itself perfectly. I, however, would have named this joinery, fishtail. But I can remember either.)





Doublemort (Just double poor 'ol Mort.)




Our web page on joinery demonstrates these terms in timber photos, and Wikipedia offers a detailed picture on wood joinery. It's a great page.

I guess that wasn't too painful. I might learn a few more terms. Let them fly!