The saying “two nations divided by a common language” is attributed to George Bernard Shaw, and popularised by Winston Churchill, refers to the United States and the United Kingdom that while they share the English language, there are significant differences in spellings and meanings. This is also true of many words and terminologies we use in woodworking. While many of them are just spelling differences some of them mean entirely different things. For your interest and entertainment see our list below and let us know if you have more that we can add.
Put your suggestions in the comments section below or email us at info@woodworkersinstitute.com.
USA – Door trim / UK – Architrave
An ornamental molding/moulding around a door or window frame, covering the joint between the frame and plaster.
USA – Base board / UK – Skirting
A decorative board covering the joint of a wall and the adjoining floor or on the base of a piece of furniture.
USA – Crown molding / UK – Cornice
An ornamental molding/moulding around the wall of a room just below the ceiling or on the top of a piece of furniture.
USA – Miter / UK – Mitre
A joint made by cutting two pieces of wood at an angle and fitting them together.
USA – Molding / UK – Moulding
A strip of wood with various profiles used to cover transitions between surfaces or for decoration.
USA – Louver / UK – Louvre
A set of angled slats or flat strips fixed or hung at regular intervals in a door, shutter, or screen to allow air or light to pass through.
USA – Dado / UK – Groove
A channel cut in the face of a board usually with a table saw or router. A dado is also a low height decorative wall panel.
USA – Jointer / UK – Planer
A woodworking machine used to straighten the edge or face of a board.
USA – Planer / UK – Thicknesser
A woodworking machine used to smooth and reduce the thickness of a board.
USA – Mortise / UK – Mortice
A recess or hole, formed in one piece of wood to receive a projection or tenon on the end of another piece of wood. In the photo it is shown on the right.
USA – Rabbat / UK – Rabate
A channel cut along the edge of a board, either with or across the grain.
USA – Vise / UK – Vice
A bench mounted clamping and holding device with a screw to tighten jaws to hold workpieces.
USA – Aluminum / UK – Aluminium
The first industrial production of aluminium was initiated by French chemist Henri Étienne Sainte-Claire Deville in 1856. It is a silvery-white, lightweight metal element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Most English speaking countries use the ‘ium spelling.
USA – Imperial/English measuring units / UK – Metric measuring units
The Imperial or English measuring system used in the USA originated in Britain and consists of inches, feet and yards: 12 inches to a foot and 3 feet to a yard. The UK has adopted the Metric system that most of the world uses and it consists of millimetres, centimetres and metres: 10 millimetres to a centimeter and 100 centimetres to a metre. To convert: 1 inch equals 25.4 millimetres. Fortunately, it is possible to get tape measures with both measuring systems.
