Glossary S:

under construction 5-15-08

SAB: Select and Better, a lumber grading term.

S4S: Surfaced Four Sides. Indicates that the lumber has been planed smooth on all four sides. See Jointer/Planer syllabus.

Saber Saw: [under construction -- for more on the history of the saber saw click here] Two types of saber saws are manufactured: portable and stationary. Similar to a Jig Saw, the stationary saber saw is set up so that the blade is held only at its lower end. See image on left. Since the blade's top is free, the operator to make internal cuts without removing the blade from the chuck.

The portable saber saw is a motorized jig or coping saw which is guided by hand. It is used for curve and internal cutting as well as the other work performed by a jig or coping saw.

On the left is a cut-away image of a 1955 stationary saber saw. Source?























































Safety: See Shop Safety < Sandblasting: [in progress 4-9-07] For decorating, engraving or cutting wood, glass or other hard materials -- using air or steam for pressure -- a stream of fine sand is projected upon a hard surface. Also for removing scale and/or rust from iron and steel. Historically, sandblasting emerges in the latter part of the nineteenth century as a technique used in mining. As a technique in woodworking, sandblasting's first application is ?

 

 The example on the left, from Making of America database, is for 1880. (My Barnhart Etymological Dictionary and the OED claim the first use of "sand-blasting" circa 1871, although exact source is obscure.)
 

 (Source: [Anonymous] "The World's Work", Scribners monthly, an illustrated magazine for the people. 20, Issue 3  July 1880 pages 476-479)

Sandblasting Our first adventure into texturing was in the mid-1980s, when we were making wooden fruit, mainly apples.... [A]n order to make 500 apple-shaped boxes in applewood for the New York Times (the Big Apple), with "New York Times" engraved on them. Sandblasting seemed a possibility for the engraving. ... While trying out sandblasting as a technique for putting letters on wood, we realized it had a greater potential for surface decoration. We explored the effect on various types of wood, both side grain and end grain, looking at pattern and texture, trying different types of masking and stencils, creating surfaces that ranged from a weathered driftwood look to finely detailed designs with crisp, hard edges. Source: Liz & Michael O'Donnell, Decorating Turned Wood: The Maker's Eye. New York: Sterling, 2002. Page 128

 

 [temporary  image --  sandblasted bowl by my friend Ron Grant] 

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Sander:  [under construction] According  to Michael Ettema, research curator at Grand Rapids Public Museum., "Powered sanding machines probably appeared in furniture factories in the latter part of the nineteenth century, together with power transmission systems." Early versions of power sanders -- simple devices -- consisted of sandpaper sheets attached to a rotating disk or drum, or a sandpaper belt rotated between two cylinders. Actual sanding operations required that workpieces be hand-held or placed on a table and advanced to the sandpaper by hand. Gauging the amount of wood to be removed depended on the operator's judgment. More complex variations of the machine included a rotating sandpaper disk or belt mounted on a flexible frame moved by hand across a large, flat workpiece such as a table top. "Machines that automatically fed the work to sanding drums appeared in trade literature by the 1880s."

Source: Ettema, Michael "Technological Innovation and Design Economics in Furniture Manufacture", winterthur portfolio 16 (1981), pp 197-223.

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Sanding: Sandor Nagyszalanczy The Wood Sanding Book [book's introduction and table of contents online]

Sandpaper: [under construction]

From OED: 1825 Nicholson, John The Operative Mechanic And British Machinist 1825 (1853) p. 641: In preparing a project to be painted, "[t]he surface of the work [must] be carefully rubbed down with sand-paper." Eagerly I examined this passage in Nicholson's book, but found that he gives no additional info about sandpaper's origin.

1850 Holtzapffel, Charles & John J.Turning And Mechanical Manipulation 1843–50 III. 1091 Sand Paper is made with the common house sand, and only of one degree of coarseness, but in other respects exactly like glass paper.

from Scientific American : [give url] Sandpaper: To Joseph G. Isham, of New York, N. Y., for improvement in Sand Paper. Patented 26th April. 1848. Claim Having thus pointed out the detects of the sand or polishing paper heretofore made and used, the nature of my invention and the most prominent of the advantages of my improvement, what I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is gluing or otherwise cementing sand glass, emery or other reducing or polishing surface on both sides of sheets of paper, as herein described, whereby the coating on both sides will unite and form well rounded edges, and thus produce what may be termed a reducing or polishing tool, presenting the advantages of greater cheapness and durability, and better adapted to the various kinds of work to be done, and at the same time economizing the time of the operator, as herein described.

from michael ettema: Sanders. Powered sanding machines probably appeared in furniture manufactories simultaneously with power transmission systems. In their most basic form, sanders consisted of sandpaper sheets attached to a rotating disk or drum, or a sandpaper belt rotated between two cylinders (fig. 11). These simple devices generally required that the workpiece be hand held or placed on a table and advanced to the sandpaper by hand. Gauging the amount of wood to be removed depended on the judgment of the operator. More complex variations of the machine included a rotating sandpaper disk or belt mounted on a flexible frame moved by hand across a large, flat workpiece such as a table top. Machines that automatically fed the work to sanding drums appeared in trade literature by the 1880s.

This is from wikpedia entry on sandpaper: The first recorded instance of sandpaper was in 13th century China when crushed shells, seeds, and sand were bonded to parchment using natural gum. Shark skin was used as a sandpaper. Sandpaper was originally known as glass paper, as it used particles of glass.

Sandpaper has occasionally been used as a surface for painting, as by Joan Miro. Sandpaper was even used as a musical instrument, in Leroy Anderson's Sandpaper Ballet.

Sandpaper was patented in the United States on June 14, 1834 by Isaac Fischer, Jr., of Springfield, Vermont.

Isaac Fischer Jr., of Springfield, Vermont, is an inventor, best known for patenting a process for making sandpaper. He received his patent for the process on June 14, 1834.

In 1916 3M invented the waterproof sandpaper, know as Wetordry™, and its first application was for automotive paint refinishing.

Ad for 3m's new Aluminum oxide sandpaper in sept-oct issue of the Home Craftsman, p 5:

 

New! Woodworking sandpaper tough enough to sharpen steel! Sand home projects twice as fast, twice as easy with 3M Home Workshop Sandpaper! It's coated with aluminum-oxide mineral that's so tough it actually sharpens chisels and knives. And it lasts 10 times longer than ordinary sand-paper because it stays sharp. That's why professional woodworkers have used it for years. Now, for the first time, this super-tough "Production" Sandpaper is pre-cut to fit most home power tools, plus the popular 3M Sanding Block. Packaged in fine, medium and coarse grits for easy selection, too. Look for this completely new home workshop sandpaper the next time you're in your hardware store. Bright yellow packs identify it. Stock up now and be ready to handle any sanding job right with 3M Home Workshop Sandpaper! Source: Home Craftsman September-October page 5

Sandpaper 101 webpage (created on Woodzone website) good on sandpaper basics

Sandpaper 101

Everything you’ve ever wanted to know about sandpaper but were afraid to ask.

How Does Sandpaper Work?

Sandpaper works a lot like a saw, chisel, or any other cutting tool in your shop. The particles on sandpaper are made up from a number of sharp edges that cut the wood the same way a saw blade does. The only real difference is that sandpaper, unlike your saw, can’t be sharpened.

Sandpaper is Sandpaper, Right?

Not exactly. There are two different grades of sandpaper on the market; Commercial and Industrial. ... Read More

Museum: Minnesota Mining and Manufucturing/Dwan Museum, Two Harbors, MN, chronicles the history of 3M (Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company)", and in particular, the history of sandpaper.

Source: Michael Dresdner (1992). The Woodfinishing Book. Taunton Press. ISBN 1-56158-037-6

Sandpaper: An abrasive material prepared by coating stout paper with glue and sifting fine sand over its surface before the glue sets. Abrasive paper sold as "sandpaper" is sometimes actually glass-paper made of powdered glass. The cutting property of glass-paper is relatively low. Quartz-paper, also sold as sandpaper, has a higher cutting property but not so high as garnet. (home craftsman 4 September October  1935 p. 44)

Garnet: An excellent abrasive for wood. Comes with a paper back. Considered better than sandpaper. (home craftsman 4 September October  1935 p. 44)

Emery: An abrasive available in wheel form, in sticks, in powder, on cloth and on paper. Emery has a higher cutting property—that is, it cuts faster—than garnet. (home craftsman 4 September October  1935 p. 44)

Carborundum: One of the hardest abrasives, it comes in the form of grinding stones and hones. Stich stones are prepared by binding powdered carborundum with porcelain or shellac. Carborundum has a higher cutting property than emery. (home craftsman 4 September October  1935 p. 44)

Saw: See Circular Saw See also Japanese Flush Cut and Rip Dozuki Saws

Saw Horses: also known as Carpenter's Trestles.

On Carpenter's Trestles, "In 'ripping' planks or pieces of wood of a few feet in length, a pair of carpenter's trestles will be required; and these will allow a knee to be placed on the plank to hold it steady, if necessary, either in ripping or cross-cutting." Source: George Ashdown Audsley, Amateur Joinery in the Home: A Practical Manual for the Amateur Joiner on the Construction of Articles of Domestic Furniture. Boston: Small, Maynard, and Co, 1916, p. 29. 

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Scarf:   [attention needed]join ends of timber by beveling to overlap at joint to prevent increasing thickness glue and nail together. similar to a half lap but the the two surfaces that are to be glued are slanted.

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Scorper: See Draw-knife.

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Scraper: A tool used for smoothing. Used almost exclusively prior to the invention of sandpaper and still capable of producing smooth, flat finish or removing glue squeeze out.

source: dave blair

 

Scraper: A tool or apparatus that scrapes; an instrument with which something is scraped.

Specif.: a A metal device fixed near an entrance, used to scrape dirt, etc., from shoes. b Any of various instruments,

 

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Scratch Stock:

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Screwdriver: 

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Scroll Saw For more click here     A saw with a fine wire or narrow flat blade. Used to cut intricate shapes and inside contours. The blade has a short, up-and-down stroke like a sewing machine.

Seasoning of wood: (Adapted from Mario Dal Fabbro's How to Build Modern Furniture, 1951, page 3: It is essential that wood be well seasoned before it is used. The usual methods are as follows:

Natural seasoning (sometimes called Air Drying): In this method sawn wood is exposed to free air after it has been carefully stacked, through a procedure called  Sticking, best illustrated with a photo. While the seasoning is slow, wood processed in this way is the least subject to splitting, warpage, or decay.

Water seasoning: claimed as a "somewhat quicker method of seasoning consists of immersing the wood in running water for about one month". As this process occurs, "the water entering the pores of the wood washes out the sap". Following this process with water, the wood is dried in the open air.

Artificial seasoning: The quickest method for seasoning, this method the wood is placed in a drying Kiln. A current of hot air is allowed to circulate continuously between the layers of wood. In some cases steam is used. 

Etymologically, seasoning, that is as a verb, as in "the seasoning of wood" dates to the 17th century -- the source being the oft quoted Joseph Moxon , in Mechanick Exercises (London, 1703; reprint, New York: Praeger Publishers, 1970) (the OED shows 1679, but my edition is 1703) b. To become seasoned.

1679 MOXON Mech. Exerc. ix. 155 They generally Rough~plain their Boards ... that they may set them by to season.

 

1881 Cassell's Fam. Mag. VII. 511 An artificial method ... which has the effect of ageing the wood in a few hours, as well as if it had been kept seasoning for years. [from oed  too, but needs  checking  --  why "artificial"?]

 

 Title: Encyclopedia of architecture. A dictionary of the science and practice of architecture, building, carpentry, etc., from the earliest ages to the present time, froming a comprehensive work of reference for the use of architects, builders, carpenters, masons, engineers, students, professional men, and amateurs. By Peter Nicholson ... Edited by Edward Lomax and Thomas Gunyon ... Illustrated with two hundred and thirty engravings on steel, mostly from working drawings in detail. In two volumes.
Author:  Nicholson, Peter, 1765-1844.
Publication Info: New York,: Johnson, Fry & co., [185-?].
Collection: Making of America Books


Click on this link
DESICCATION, (Latin, desicco, to dry), the act of making dry; it is the chemical operation of drying bodies, and is effected in different modes, according to the nature of the substance. The term, Desiccating Process, has been applied to a patented invention, (Davison and Symington's Patent), for seasoning or drying a great variety of substances. It is said to have been used with success in seasoning wood.

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Section:  A drawing of an object showing how the object would appear if it were cut apart at a given Plane. Section views appear on Working Drawings to reveal the inner construction of the object. home craftsman 4 march april 1935, p 172.

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Select and Better:

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Serpentine front:  A curved front —alternately concave and convex—of a piece of furniture as a Desk, Secretary or Chest. home craftsman 4 march april 1935, p 172

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Set:

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Shaft-driven: An innovation of the Industrial Revolution in the nineteenth century,  where "belt" power was needed to drive all of a factory's power machine tools, a rotating "shaft", solid or hollow, to which is attached pulleys, transmitted power or motion by rotation. These operation were known then as being "shaft-driven". Between the half century span, 1880 to 1930, the production and distribution of mechanical power shifted rapidly from water and steam systems  -- with shafts and belt drive systems -- to electric motors driving individual machines. According to Warren D. Devine, an economic historian, "The use of electricity reduced the energy required to drive machinery," but, significantly, this shift from shaft to individual induction motors powering individual power tools "enabled industry to obtain greater output per unit of capital and labor input." Among other things, Devine continues, the "reduced energy needs and increased productivity in manufacturing influenced the relationship between energy consumption and gross national product in the first three decades of the twentieth century."

Source: Devine, Warren D.  "From Shafts to Wires: Historical Perspective on Electrification," Journal of Economic History, Vol. 43, No. 2 (Jun., 1983), 347-372. also study on electrification by David Paul.

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Shank Hole:   The shank hole is to allow the shank part of a screw, that area with no threads on it, to move effortlessly through the wood. Notice that bits for predrilling screws have a narrow part on the end, then a wider part, then some will have a tapered part, the last is the countersink for flat headed wood screws, the middle is the shank area and the narrow part is for the threads.

Shaper: click here for an extended entry Also Router.

Shaper Cutters: click on this link for discussion of  Router Bits, Shaper Cutters and Jointer and Molding Knives.

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Shaving Horse: [include material by James R. Blackaby, How the Workbench Changed the Nature of Work American Heritage Of Invention & Technology. fall 1986,: 26-30 ISSN: 8756-7296]

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Shellac:

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Shim: cross reference with Bushing

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Shooting Board: Also Miter Shoot click here

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Shop Safety:

Rule number one: Use common sense! If your intuition tells you something is dangerous -- especially for power tools, it's probably dangerous. Proceed with caution. 

Rule number two: Listen to your machines while they are operating. Like operating your automobile, be aware of strange sounds. While a machine is operating, if something doesn't sound right, turn it off!

Rule number three: On tablesaws, feed smaller workpieces into rotating blade with a Push Stick, and/or use Featherboards.  Always feed work into the rotation of the blades and/or cutters. A rotating circular blade on a tablesaw throws wood! Don't rip on a Radial Arm Saw. A router bit, lose in its Collet, rotating at 24,000 RPMs, is a lethal weapon.

Rule Number four: Keep a push stick or push block nearby to complete cuts.

Rule number five: For all shaper and router operations, wear safety glasses, a dust mask, and hearing protection.
 

Rule number six: When feeding workpieces into rotating cutters and/or bits, avoid awkward hand positions; always keep your hands clear of the cutters.

Rule number seven: Before installing cutters or making adjustments, always unplug the tablesaw, the shaper or the router. 

Rule number eight: When routing freehand, clamp stock to a work surface.  

Rule number nine: Do not shape or rout work that is warped or that contains loose knots or foreign objects such as screws or nails.

Rule number ten:  On shaper spindles and router collets, watch constantly for Runout

Sources:  Alan Marco "Woodworkers' First Aid" Fine Woodworking?

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Shopsmith: [under construction 2-18-07]

See discussions of Shopsmith history on these pages: invention, late 1940s; developments in 1950s

Speed-changer: under construction

[adapted from a post on SS10ERusers, 6-17-07; editing 10-16-07] The speed changer is a very ingenious mechanism. A more generic term for it is a variator. When set up correctly the belts do not slip and it does not (intentionally) induce drag. When you adjust the crank, the axle of the pulley assembly is raised and lowered. Since the belts do not stretch, when the pulley is raised the motor belt pulls down into the groove forcing the center floating portion of the pulley over. This narrows the groove of the upper belt taking up the slack created by raising the assembly. It is beautiful in its simplicity but difficult to describe. When the machines set unused for years it is common for the center floating portion of the assembly to stick from rust or dried grease. Without knowing how the mechanism works this creates real problems for new owners. If you crank the adjuster too hard the aluminum supports for the adjuster rod will break off. Sadly, I have seen way too many in that condition and have repaired a bunch of them. The speed changer has two operating ranges depending on how you orient the belts. Low range gives rpm from around 450 to 1800. High range from around 2000 to 6600 rpm. One disadvantage is that most lathe and drill press work are in the low range and the table saw operates in the high range so belt changing is necessary when changing modes. A second disadvantage is that the two belt system creates a lot of power loss between the motor and spindle. When you start with 1/2 HP that doesn't leave a lot. It still works pretty good for most lathe and drill press work but really can be a problem in saw mode. Many users will remove the speed changer pulley and go to direct drive for table saw use. Sadly, this requires reversing the motor pulley orientation also so if you do it often it can be a real pain. That is why variable speed dc or ac motors are really nice to have. They make the machine the best of both worlds. Since the table saw is also the most compromised function of the multipurpose machine, the ideal shop in my opinion will have a nice table saw to complement the 10ER, space permitting of course. [Below is a cut=away of the speed changing mechanism used on Mark IV and later models of Shopsmith. In addition, notice on the upper right portion of the image a cutaway of the "quill and lever" setup.]

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Snipe:

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Spindle: [under construction] In woodworking, the term, Spindle, has several meanings. In the furniture field, a spindle is a slender rod, sometimes rounded, but -- in Arts and Crafts designs -- also square. In its round format, usually tapering toward each end, as in the Windsor chair.  In the tool field, a spindle is a rotating rod or arbor; it can be solid or hollow. A spindle, for example, is used in a drill press—at one end is the chuck and at the other is the drive wheel.


One meaning is for the mechanism on shapers designed to hold shaper cutters securely while the motor rotates the cutters at speeds that range from 4,500 to 10,000 revolutions per minute. Below, on left, is a spindle for a shaper, but fitted with an adapter to make a  shaper a "router
table".

























A second meaning identifies the "basic elements on the back of a Windsor chair", that is the slender round pieces of wood that stretch from "sockets" the Windsor's seat to the "hoop-back". Below the seat are another set of slender pieces of wood, the "stretchers", similar to spindles, whose function is to stabilize the Windsor's legs.

 

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Stretcher: under construction

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