Chapter 17: Architectural Woodwork

Question 1

How do you define architectural woodwork?

Answer 1

Custom, shop-fabricated millwork built primarily of lumber and used for interior finish construction and specialty furnishings. Includes cabinetry, paneling, custom doors and frames, shelving, custom furniture, and special interior trim. Referred to simply as “millwork.”

Question 2

What is finish carpentry?

Answer 2

Woodwork completed on the jobsite.

Question 3

What is modular casework?

Answer 3

Consists of pre-fabricated cabients that are selected from a manufacturer’s standard product line.

Question 4

What is softwood?

Answer 4

Timber from evergreen trees, such as pin and fir.

Question 5

What is hardwood?

Answer 5

Timber from deciduous trees, such as oak and maple.

Question 6

What is solid stock?

Answer 6

A thick piece of lumber (1/2” or thicker) used alone to form some woodwork component.

Question 7

What is plain sawing?

Answer 7

Makes the most efficient use of the log and is the least expensive method. Has characteristic cathedral pattern.

Question 8

What is quarter sawing?

Answer 8

Produced by cutting the log into quarters and then sawing perpendicular to a diameter line. More uniformly vertical, tend to twist and cup less, shrink less in width, hold paint better, and have fewer defects.

Question 9

What is rift sawing?

Answer 9

Provides an even more consistent vertical grain because the saw cuts are always made radially to the center of the tree.

Question 10

What is rotary slicing?

Answer 10

Log is mounted on a lathe and turned against a knife, which peels of a continuous layer of veneer. Produces very pronounced grain patter.

Question 11

What is half-round slicing?

Answer 11

Log is cut in half, and the veneer is cut slightly across the annular growth rings.

Question 12

What is rift slicing?

Answer 12

Accomplished by quartering a log and cutting at a 15 degree angle to the growth rings.

Question 13

What is a scribe piece?

Answer 13

An oversized piece of plastic laminate or wood that can be trimmed in the field to follow any minor irregularities of the wall.

Question 14

How is an upper cabinet attached to a wall in commercial construction?

Answer 14

Where metal studs are used, wood blocking is required in the stud cavity behind the wall finish. Installed as the studs are being erected and is attached to them with screws.

Question 15

What is flush construction of cabinet doors?

Answer 15

Door is installed flush with the face frame. Extra care and expense are required to fit and align the doors and drawer within the frame.

Question 16

What is lipped overlay construction of cabinet doors?

Answer 16

Part of the door or drawer overlaps the frame and covers the joint between the two pieces.

Question 17

What is flush overlay construction of cabinet doors?

Answer 17

The front of the door or drawer overlaps the face frame of the cabinet. Edges of adjacent door or drawer fronts are separated only enough to allow operation without touching, usually about 1/8” or less. “European cabinets”

Question 18

What is reveal overlay construction of cabinet doors?

Answer 18

The edges of adjacent drawer and door fronts are separated enough to reveal the face frame behind. More traditional method of constructing cabinets.

Question 19

What is book matching veneers?

Answer 19

Veneers are sliced off the log and every other piece is turned over so that adjacent leaves form a symmetrical grain pattern.

Question 20

What is slip matching veneers?

Answer 20

Consecutive pieces are placed side by side and the same face sides are exposed.

Question 21

What is random matching veneers?

Answer 21

Places veneers in a random sequence, and veneers from different flitches may even be used.

Question 22

What is a running match?

Answer 22

Simply alternates book matched veneer pieces, regardless of their width or how many pieces must be used to complete a panel.

Question 23

What is a balance match?

Answer 23

Utilizes veneer pieces trimmed to equal widths in each panel.

Question 24

What is a center match?

Answer 24

Has an even number of veneer leaves of uniform width so that there is a veneer joint in the center of the panel.

Question 25

What is a balance match?

Answer 25

Utilizes veneer pieces trimmed to equal widths in each panel.

Question 26

What is a center match?

Answer 26

Has an even number of veneer leaves of uniform width so that there is a veneer join in the center of the panel.

Question 27

What is a warehouse match for assembling a paneled room?

Answer 27

Least expensive method; Pre-manufactured panels are assembled from a single flitch; They’re field cut to fit around doors, windows, and other obstructions, resulting in some loss of grain continuity.

Question 28

What is blue matching for assembling a paneled room?

Answer 28

The panels are manufactured to precisely fit the room and line up with every obstruction so grain continuity is not interrupted. Most expensive method.

Question 29

What is sequence matching for assembling a paneled room?

Answer 29

Uses panels of uniform width manufactured for a specific job and width the veneers arranged in sequence. Moderate loss of grain continuity.

Question 30

How is paneling hung on the wall?

Answer 30

Either hung with wood cleats or aluminum z-clips - allows panels to move and expand

Question 31

What are the benefits of using MDF as a substrate for plastic laminate.

Answer 31

Has smoother surface than particleboard, which reduces the potential for telegraphing through the laminate.
It is dimensionally stable
Has same fire rating as plywood but fire-resistant MDF is available.
But is more expensive and is not good at holding some types of screws.

Question 32

What is standing trim?

Answer 32

An item of fixed length, such as a door or window casing, that can be installed with a single length of wood.

Question 33

What is running trim?

Answer 33

An item of continuing length, such as a baseboard, chair rail, or cornice.

Question 34

How should you consider moisture when constructing millwork?

Answer 34

All wood products shrink and swell with changes in air moisture content, so all wood construction should be detailed to allow this movement to take place without putting undue stress on the wood joints.

Question 35

What is a lacquer finish?

Answer 35

A coating material with a high nitrocellulose content modified with resins and plasticizers dissolved in a volatile solvent. Very hard.

Question 36

What is a varnish?

Answer 36

Consists of various types of resinous materials dissolved in one of several types of volatile liquids. Can be opaque or transparent.

Question 37

What is a polyurethane finish?

Answer 37

A synthetic material that creates a very hard, durable finish. Offer protection from abrasion and water damage.

Question 38

What are polyester finishes?

Answer 38

Synthetic material - gives the hardest most durable finish possible.

Question 39

What is a catalyzed vinyl finish?

Answer 39

Yields a surface that has the most chemical resistance of the standard lacquer, varnish, and vinyl finishes. Vinyl is also very resistant to scratching, abrasion, and other mechanical damage.

Question 40

What is an oil finish?

Answer 40

Traditional wood finish. Easily applied and give a rich look to wood but require re-oiling periodically and tend to darken with age.

Question 41

What is a water-based stain?

Answer 41

Yield a uniform color, but they raise the grain.

Question 42

What is a solvent-based stain?

Answer 42

Dries quickly and does not raise the grain but they are less uniform.

Question 43

What is solid surfacing?

Answer 43

Generic term for homogeneous, polymer-based surfacing materials. Combination of a filler and a clear resin binder, either acrylic, polyester or a mixture. Used for kitchen and bath countertops, sinks, toilet partitions, bars, etc.

Question 44

What is quartz surfacing?

Answer 44

A process by which crushed quartz particles are set in a thermoplastic polyester resin with mineral oxide pigments to create a durable and scratch-resistant surfacing material

Question 45

What are the benefits of quartz surfacing?

Answer 45

Strong than granite or marble; Can be cantilevered by to 12”; Available in a wide variety of colors and finishes; used on horizontal and vertical surfaces

Question 46

How do building codes regulate the fire rating of architectural millwork?

Answer 46

Most model building codes regulate the use of woodwork as wall or ceiling finish material but do not regulate the use of wood in furniture or cabinets. The strictest regulation is on the use of woodwork as an interior finish occurs when paneling is used on walls and ceilings. The paneling must meet the maximum flame-spread rating of the code in force based on occupancy and use area.