Wordsmith.org: the magic of words

Wordsmith Talk

About Us | What's New | Search | Site Map | Contact Us  

Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Page 1 of 2 1 2
#129600 06/22/04 07:02 PM
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,004
shanks Offline OP
old hand
OP Offline
old hand
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,004
As an unsociable-hours worker, I get to watch a lot of mid-morning and early afternoon cable television, which has had me addicted to carpentry/workshop shows. There are quite a few UKkian programmes on, plus the USsian king of carpentry: Norm Abram in his New Yankee Workshop. What I find interesting about these shows is the way similar techniques are given slightly different names. Most obvious, to me, are the following three.

1. Rebate/rabbit: a notch cut along the edge of a board so as to give it a lip that can subsequently be used for fastening it to other board and so on.

The Brits unhesitatingly call it a rebate, but for Norm it's always a rabbit. Why? Where did this word come from anyway?

2. Tongue'n'groove: Anybody familiar with wood flooring will probably have encountered this stuff. Again, the Brits say it tongue and groove, but our favourite Yank has it as tongue in groove. Who's right?

3. Temporary fasteners while the glue sets. Clamp for Norm, cramp for the Brits. Help!

Next, can anyone explain what a dado is really supposed to be? There are too many different things shown, all of which the chappie in question confidently refers to as a dado.

Finally, why is nobody called a carpenter anymore?

I pause, for a reply...

the sunshine "hoping there are none I have offended" warrior

Edit: Just to make the point that, apparently, Norm is using the word rabbet, not rabbit.

Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Rebate/rabbet:

AHD4 says from ME rabet from OF rabat from rabattre. It lists rebate as a variant.


Tongue 'n' groove:

AHD4 gives tongue and groove, but defines it as a tongue in a groove. Go figure.


#129602 06/23/04 01:24 PM
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 3,467
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 3,467
is a groove in a piece of wood that another piece of wood fits into. It has three sides, as opposed to a rabbEt's two sides.

Here is an example of a dado: Most furniture is based on a carcase, for example a bookcase. If you want adjustable shelves on a bookcase you drill holes in the vertical sides so you can put pins in for the shelf to sit on. But if you are going to have a shelf that stays in place, the best construction technique is to cut a dado in the vertical pieces and slide the shelf into the dado. You can fasten with glue or screws through the vertical into the end of the shelf. The "top shelf" (in actuality the top of the case would be dropped into a rabbet (which is just a dado without the third side.

I generally use a power router to make rabbets and dadoes, though you can also use a specialized plane called a plough to cut the groove. Some people even use a dovetail joint in place of a rabbet, but that's much harder to do because you have to slightly taper the rabbet so the shelf will slide into it easily. The taper might be only 0.2 mm in the entire length of the rabbet. That's too finicky for me. I generally measure to the nearest 1/64th of an inch (or about what half a mm?)

As an aside here, I find myself using the metric side of my tapes and rulers more and more because I find mms a bunch easier to deal with in my head than binary fractions.

TEd



TEd
#129603 06/23/04 01:41 PM
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 7,210
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 7,210
I have an adjustable dado blade(actually a set of blades) for my table saw. using different blades in combination with small cardstock spacers gives you the dado width. works pretty slick. there are also dado blades made for table saws that oscillate from side to side to get the width, but I have never used one of those.



formerly known as etaoin...
#129604 06/23/04 06:58 PM
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,788
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,788
It is a little-known musicological fact that Harry Belafone was an ardent woodworker. He used to fortify himself with a drink of rum in the evening and work in his woodshop all night long, cutting grooves in boards with his table saw. Hence, the song which he made famous:

"Da-do, me say Da-do. Day light come and me want to go home."


#129605 06/23/04 10:18 PM
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 3,467
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 3,467
eta:

I have both and even though the multiple bladed one is harder to set up, I find it gives a much better dado. The wobble type only leaves a flat bottom at one particular width. Anything else and it leaves either a concave or convex bottom which you have to clean up with a plough plane. Might as well just do it by hand.

I do like the other one, but I usually just reach for the router. particularly on casework where I am dadoing a large panel.

TEd



TEd
#129606 06/23/04 10:21 PM
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 3,467
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 3,467
I found this on the web.

eBay-o, eBay-ay-ay-o
eBay come, now we shop online
Bay, eBay-ay, eBay-ay, eBay-ay, eBay-ay, eBay-ay-ay-o,
eBay come, now we shop online

I bid in the auctions all night long
eBay come, now we shop online
I'm a winner til the Visa bill come
eBay come, now we shop online

Sell your pajamas, now sell your bunk
eBay come, now we shop online
That man's winnings are this girl's junk
eBay come, now we shop online

Come, Mr. Tallyman, tally up me auction
eBay come, now we shop online
Come, Mr. Tallyman, tally up me auction
eBay come, now we shop online

Bid six bucks, seven bucks, eight bucks more
Sniper come, now me wan' go high
Ten bucks, twelve bucks, twenty bucks more
eBay come, now we shop online

Bay, eBay-ay-ay-o
eBay come, now we shop online
Bay, eBay-ay, eBay-ay, eBay-ay, eBay-ay, eBay-ay-ay-o,
eBay come, now we shop online

Percussion break (16 beats)
A beautiful flight to Club Havana
eBay come, now we shop online
Temptation is eBay's deadly manna
eBay come, now we shop online

Come, Mr. Tallyman, tally up me auction
eBay come, now we shop online
Come, Mr. Tallyman, tally up me auction
eBay come, now we shop online

Bid sixty bucks, eighty bucks, a hundred bucks more
eBay come, now we shop online
Postman bring it right to your door
eBay come, now we shop online

Bay, eBay-ay-ay-o
eBay come, now we shop online
Bay, eBay-ay, eBay-ay, eBay-ay, eBay-ay, eBay-ay-ay-o,
eBay come, now we shop online




TEd
#129607 06/23/04 10:38 PM
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 7,210
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 7,210
wobble! that's the word I couldn't think of.

yah, someday I'll have a router...



formerly known as etaoin...
#129608 06/24/04 09:15 PM
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 6,296
W
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 6,296
FTR : We still have carpenters in Virginia, USA.


Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 428
F
addict
Offline
addict
F
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 428
the Brits say it tongue and groove, but our favourite Yank has it as tongue in groove. Who's right?

My stepfather is a carpenter (and he DOES call himself that), and a USn, and he has always said tongue AND groove (or, t-and-g, more familiarly), and he considers IN incorrect.

He also says rabbet and clamp, and has not encountered the Britforms of those two things, but I want to say that "rebate" is also a term in Classical architecture, but I don't have my dictionary here.

Also, to continue TEd's aside, my fractional math is also horrible, so I like decimals, too. However, my stepfather adds, subtracts, divides and multiplies complex fractions in his head as easily as I can manipulate integers. It's quite the parlor trick.


Page 1 of 2 1 2

Moderated by  Jackie 

Link Copied to Clipboard
Forum Statistics
Forums16
Topics13,912
Posts229,283
Members9,179
Most Online3,341
Dec 9th, 2011
Newest Members
TRIALNERRA, befuddledmind, KILL_YOUR_SUV, Heather_Turey, Standy
9,179 Registered Users
Who's Online Now
0 members (), 676 guests, and 4 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Top Posters(30 Days)
Top Posters
wwh 13,858
Faldage 13,803
Jackie 11,613
tsuwm 10,542
wofahulicodoc 10,510
LukeJavan8 9,916
AnnaStrophic 6,511
Wordwind 6,296
of troy 5,400
Disclaimer: Wordsmith.org is not responsible for views expressed on this site. Use of this forum is at your own risk and liability - you agree to hold Wordsmith.org and its associates harmless as a condition of using it.

Home | Today's Word | Yesterday's Word | Subscribe | FAQ | Archives | Search | Feedback
Wordsmith Talk | Wordsmith Chat

© 1994-2024 Wordsmith

Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5