Image: grandriver / Difydave / liangpv / E+ / DigitalVision Vectors / Getty Images
About This Quiz
We think you would agree: There is nothing as beautiful as a finely crafted piece of wood, be it a piece that has been sculpted into art, formed into furniture, or even a house made entirely of timber.
Man has worked with wood since the beginning of time. In fact, the early weapons used by our ancestors were simply long tree branches sharpened as best they could into spears.Â
And there is something strangely hypnotic watching a carpenter working in his chosen medium. The way he fashions a thick plank into the leg of a chair, slowly shaping it until it looks the part. And then using a chisel to give it a final shape, before sanding it down and applying some varnish to give himself just one piece of his final puzzle.Â
Carpenters have many tools in their workshops and methods by which they perform their chosen profession. Many of these have unique terms that are applied to them. So in the ultimate "How good is your carpentry vocabulary" quiz, we are going to see just how much you actually know about the world of sawdust, chisels, wood glue, saws, joints and planes!
This is a tough one, so keep your wits about you!
Good luck!
In carpentry, what would an "Allen key" be used for?
To secure a specific form of fastener
"Allen keys" are used to tighten and loosen a specific type of fastener with a hexagonal head. These are often used in carpentry, especially on parts of wood that are presented because they look neater than screws.
To open a wooden door
A special key that is used on a wood drill
None of the above
Advertisement
When a carpenter asks you to pass the "plane", which tool is he looking for?
One that can drill holes
One that can shape wood under the carpenter's own power
A carpentry plane is an important tool for a carpenter. It has a blade which can be set to take off large pieces of wood or for finer work. It is used to shape wood or to remove thin layers, for example from the bottom of a door that might be jamming.
One that can finely sand wood to a beautiful finish
None of the above
Advertisement
What is a "level"?
A particular type of wood drill bit
A type of sanding disk
A tool to make sure something is straight
There is no point if a piece of wood a carpenter is trying to make a shelf out of is not straight. Even when he hangs a shelf, he would use a "level" to determine that it is indeed hung straight. This small tool has a liquid viewer where if you line up an air bubble in a particular area, you know a shelf is indeed level.
None of the above
Advertisement
Of the options below, which of these would best describe a "band saw"?
A manual saw which cuts wood under power from an operator
A saw used by two operators
A small saw for cutting small pieces of wood
A mechanical saw with a blade in a continuous loop
A band saw has a continuous looped blade that is able to cut large pieces of wood. To do this, the wood must be fed toward the blade as it spins.
Advertisement
Can you tell us what "anchor bolts" are in carpentry?
Large drill bits
Massive fasteners similar to screws
Large nuts and bolts driven into concrete to provide support
Often, a solid base is needed when making large wooden structures. Here, supports take the form of "anchor bolts" which then will hold structural pieces in place.
None of the above
Advertisement
Do you know what a "batten" is?
A small strip of wood
A "batten" is a small strip of wood that a carpenter will cut to size. It is then used to cover a joint that is used between two pieces of siding. Basically, it is used for aesthetic purposes.
A wooden mallet
A chisel
None of the above
Advertisement
What is a "tread" in carpentry terms?
The under part of a carpenter's boot
The horizontal part of a wooden stair
And all along you thought a stair is just a stair. Well, no, because the horizontal part of it, the place where you put your foot is known as the "tread"!
A special wood nail
None of the above
Advertisement
In carpentry drawings, do you know what a "side elevation" is?
The front view of a building
The rear view of a building
The top view of a building
The side view of a building
Carpentry drawings or plans, especially when it comes to building a wooden house, are extremely important. These show the exact layout of the building from every possible angle, including the side.
Advertisement
When building a wooden home, where would you find the "rafters"?
Part the floor
In the roof
"Rafters" are the large wooden structures that form part of your roof. Typically, they form a V-shape. In some houses, ceilings are left out to show off the rafters and extend the overall height inside.
In the foundation
None of the above
Advertisement
If timber has "bowed," what has happened to it?
It has dried out.
It has warped out of shape.
The last thing a carpenter wants is lumber that is "bowed," especially longer planks. It can be corrected, however, usually through the process of steaming and bending it back into place.
It is too wet to work with.
None of the above
Advertisement
From the options below, which best describes a "plumb bob"?
A tool to find a point directly below a starting point
Sometimes, a carpenter will need to know a point exactly below another, and at varying lengths. To find them, simply use a "plumb bob". This is a simple device consisting of a string and a weight and easily used.
A specialized chisel for shaping small pieces of wood
A nail tack
None of the above
Advertisement
What would the term "slabbing" refer to in carpentry vocabulary?
When a piece of lumber snaps
Drawing a house's floor plan on a ready laid deck
"Slabbing" means taking a floor plan for a wooden house, drawing it on the already finished slab and identifying where the walls would be after framing by drawing chalk lines to represent them.
Sanding large pieces of wood using an industrial sander
None of the above
Advertisement
What is the "grain" of a piece of wood?
The length
The thickness
The direction the fibers of the wood run
The way the "grain" of a wood runs is important to know. To get a better finish for a piece that you need to chisel for example, you would chisel with the grain.
None of the above
Advertisement
To shape wood, which of these would you use?
Hammer
Drill
Saw
Chisel
A chisel is a woodworking tool used to shape wood. It has a sharpened beveled metal tip to remove pieces of wood and is guided by a carpenter who holds onto a small handle.
Advertisement
In wooden stair construction, what is a "stringer"?
The part of the stair your feet will climb up
The vertical part of the stair that supports the horizontal section
While the part where your foot lands on a stair is the "tread", the "stringers" are vertical pieces of wood that support the "treads" and the "risers". This gives stairs their strength.
The handrail
None of the above
Advertisement
If you were using a "brace and bit," what would you be doing?
Hammering
Gluing
Drilling
If you were using a "brace and bit," the chances are you were living in a time before electrical hand-held tool or you just like antique tools. A "brace and bit" is an old-school drill. To drill into a piece of wood, a carpenter would crank a handle which would engage gears to turn the drill bit.
Varnishing
Advertisement
What would you do with a "caliper"?
Measure and mark
"Calipers" are tools with two arms that are used to mark and measure accurately while working with lumber. It looks a little bit like a compass that you would use in math class.
Hold two pieces of wood in place
Support an upright piece of lumber
None of the above
Advertisement
From the options below, which best describes "countersinking"?
Turning a screw in and out seven times to ensure it fits properly
Drilling three holes and picking the one most accurate to your requirements
Using a specialized drill bit to ensure a screw will sit flush with a piece of wood
The overall finish of a piece of a wood such as a table or desk is of utmost importance. And where screws will be showing, it is usual to use a countersink bit to ensure the head of the screw also sinks away in the wood, providing a flush and neat finish.
None of the above
Advertisement
In carpentry drawings, do you know what a "rear elevation" is?
The side view of the building
The top-down view of the building
The back view of a building
A "rear elevation" is simply the drawn plans for the back of a wooden house. These are crucial for carpenters in the building trade.
The front view of the building
Advertisement
Which of these tools would you use to put a nail into a piece of wood?
Hammer
But you knew that, right? Well, I hope so! Hammers come in all shapes and sizes with a claw hammer the choice of carpenters. Why? Well, it can easily pull out any nails that might have bent while they were pounded into wood.
Screwdriver
Drill
Chisel
Advertisement
Can you tell which of these best explains "veneer"?
Thin hardwood glued on a cheap board
Outfitting your kitchen with new countertops and cupboards can be expensive. Often, instead of using an expensive wood for countertops, carpenters can save their clients money by using thin sheets of an expensive wood glued onto chipboard, for instance. This is known as "veneer".
A special sanding method to bring out the wood grain
A type of wood joint
None of the above
Advertisement
When two wooden panels are "flush," they are?
The one on the left is higher than the one on the right.
Perfectly joined
When two wooden panels meet perfectly, they are said to be "flush", if not the lower one is said to be "shy" while the raised one would be "proud".
The one on the right is higher than the one on the left.
None of the above
Advertisement
Which of these would you use for delicate cuts while sawing?
Hand saw
Fret saw
Fret saws are for fine saw work while cutting thin pieces of wood. Fret saws have a large, U-shaped body and a very small, thin blade.
Bandsaw
Table saw
Advertisement
What is a "dowel"?
A short, round piece of wood of varying circumference
Dowels are round pieces of wood of varying circumference. They are used to plug holes, join pieces of wood together and for many other purposes in carpentry.
A square piece of wood with dimensions of 2x4
A triangular shaped piece of wood
None of the above
Advertisement
Do you know what an "awl" is in the carpentery world?
A pointed woodworking tool
An "awl" is a very simple instrument used in carpentry to punch a small hole in wood. This can then be used to set a nail or screw, making it easier to hit them or turn them into the wood.
A carpenter's apron
A part of a wood lathe
None of the above
Advertisement
If a carpenter is sawing a piece of wood as a "cross cut" he is ...
Sawing across the grain
Sometimes, a carpenter will choose to "cross cut," which means cutting through the grain of a piece of wood. This effectively rips the wood fibers, and using a saw with finer teeth makes the task a little easier.
Sawing with the grain
Sawing against the grain
None of the above
Advertisement
Any idea what "green lumber" is?
Lumber that is ready to use
Lumber that is too dry
Lumber that has not dried sufficiently
For lumber to be in prime condition, ready to use, it needs to dry out sufficiently. Just think about it, a tree is filled with water and sap, it cannot be used straight after it has been cut down. It needs to be dried out. Lumber that is not sufficiently dry is known as "green lumber".
None of the above
Advertisement
When smoothing a piece of wood, which of these would you use?
Sander
The easiest way to beautifully finish off a piece of wood is to give it a light sanding. This is easily achieved by using an electric sander. There are many options to choose from, but a mouse sander is the best for small, detailed work.
Plane
Calipers
Plumbline
Advertisement
Can you tell us what type of wood product is made from compressed and glued wooden particles?
Balsa wood
Chipboard
This specially manufactured building board is formed from compressed wood and glued wooden pieces. It is often used as a partition.
Kerto
None of the above
Advertisement
Any idea as to what "beading" would refer to in carpentry terms?
A decorative piece of wood
"Beading" is simply using a small piece of wood as a decorative piece. With a half-round profile, "beading" is used mostly to give an ornamental edge.
A joint used to combine two pieces of wood
A special varnishing technique
None of the above
Advertisement
If a carpenter uses "filler," what has he done?
Glued two plywood boards together
Covered up chips, old nail holes or where screws used to be
"Filler" is a friend of a carpenter, especially when repurposing an old piece of wood. Once he has taken out older screws or nails, filler is used to fill up the holes and then sanded for a clean finish.
Used a plug and screw in a thick wooden wall
None of the above
Advertisement
Can you tell us what a "dovetail" is in carpentry lingo?
A special type of saw
A chisel
A type of carpentry joint
A dovetail joint connects two pieces of wood at a right-angle. The two pieces fit together using opposite joints which look like dovetails and which slide together.
None of the above
Advertisement
In what form of carpentry is a "speed square" most useful?
Framing
A "speed square" is a carpenter's tool that is triangular in shape. It is essentially a try square, combination square and framing square all in one.
House construction
Sculpturing
None of the above
Advertisement
Any idea what a "story pole" is?
A wooden board with plans drawn on it
A 2x4 marked with increments on it
A "story pole" is a marked 2x4 that is used to determine the height of a landing when constructing stairs. It also shows exactly where risers should be placed.
A wooden flag pole
None of the above
Advertisement
In carpentry drawings, do you know what a "front elevation" is?
The front view of a building
When it comes to building a wooden house, carpentry plans and drawings are extremely important. These show the exact layout of the building from every possible angle, including the front.
The top view of a building
The back view of a building
The side view of a building
Advertisement
You Got:
/35
