Glossary of Framing Terms
Acid Burn: Yellowish-brown lines that appear on artwork or documents that were not framed using conservation materials. This causes the artwork or documents to discolor and become brittle.
Acid Free: A term used to describe paper materials with a 7 pH, or very close to 7 pH. Acid-free materials are more permanent and less likely to discolor over time. The term Archival or conservation quality more accurately describes true acid-free conservation quality matboard.
Archival: The framing procedure where all materials are acid free. Conservation framing is the same.
Adhesive Transfer (ATG) Tape: A double sided tape used to stick mat boards and other materials together. Usually used with an applicator or "ATG gun", available at Art Supply stores.
Beveled Edge: The 45-degree cut on a matboard. This allows about 1/16" of the core to be seen. A reverse bevel means the core will not be seen from the front of the mat.
Bottom weighting: A term used when additional border is applied to the bottom of a mat but not the top. In some instances it can look very good. A negative is that the mat cannot be used both vertically and horizontally.
Conservation Framing: The framing procedure where all materials that come in contact with the artwork or document are totally acid free. This minimizes the effect of adverse atmospheric conditions.
Double Mat: Two mats are used. The top mat has a slightly larger opening than the bottom mat; the difference is called the "reveal". When ordering, define only the exact opening you require and the reveal. We will determine the opening sizes on both mats.
Floating Artwork: A double mat (or more) is used. The bottom mat does not have an opening. The opening in the main mat is larger than the image. The image is attached to the bottom mat, so a small portion of this mat can still be seen.
Foam Core: A stiff light material used as a backing board to give rigidity. Foam makes up the center of the board with a layer of paper on its surfaces. Foam core is usually 3/16 to 1/8" thick, and is very smooth. Excellent for mounting images such as posters and lighter paper.
Hardware: The materials used with frames to make them ready to assemble and hang either metal or wood frames.
Image Size: This is the size of the actual image, not the surrounding border. Unless part of the border is to be shown, the window of the mat should be smaller than the image size in order for it to be attached to the back of the mat.
Mat Board: A board comprised of two parts, the core and the paper face. Most matboard is 4 ply or about 1/16 inch thick. Occasionally 2 ply or 8 ply is used. Mat board is available in many forms.
Mat Board Core: The center area of mat board. Usually 1/16 inch thick. It can be regular or conservation quality.
Mounting Board: A board used to mount images when this is necessary. Regular or acid-free foamcore is excellent mounting boards.
Plexi-glass: An acrylic material used instead of glass. It is very light in comparison to glass and much more resistant to breakage. We use both 1 mm. plexi (.040") and 3 mm.plexi (1/8").
Profile: The term used to describe how a frame looks when viewed from one end. It will describe the width and height of the mat, and the dimensions of the rabbet. The rabbet describes the 90 degree cut made to house the glass and mat package.
Regular matboard: This is good quality mat, and the least expensive. It is often termed "acid-free" but should not be confused with conservation quality mat.
Reveal: In a double mat, the reveal is the amount of the bottom mat that will show. The rest will be behind the top mat.
Shadow Box frames and displays: A term used when thicker items are framed. This can be anything from a medal which may only require ј inch of depth to a baseball bat requiring 3 inches. Or perhaps much more. There are two methods of creating shadow boxes: - Frames with various rabbet depths. These may be Ѕ inch up to 4 inches or larger. These frames are generally very expensive.
- Boxes made of differing materials which fit into any standard wood frame. They can be lined with any matboard to be make a very professional presentation. These are much less expensive, and used extensively in the memorabilia framing industry.
Spacer: Can be used between the mat and backing to create a space when a "shadow box" effect is required. A piece of foamcore will give 3/16 inch space for the shadow box effect.
Window: The opening in a mat board through which the image will show. The window is usually 1/8 to 1/2 inch smaller than the image so the image can be taped to the back of the mat. For example a 5 x 7 photo (exactly) should have a window of approximately 4 1/2 x 6 1/2 inches.
Whitecore mat: This is a mat especially designed to have a very white core. It is of good but not conservation or archival quality. It is a bit more expensive than regular matboard.
Glossary of Wood Terms
Alder: A hard strong wood resembling maple, easily stained to imitate darker woods.
Antiquing: A process to make wood furniture look aged by applying a glaze of color, then rubbing it down to revel the paint Applewood: A fine fruitwood used in colonial furniture. Ash: A native hardwood, used widely for furniture frames because of its strength and durability. Ash has a prominent oak-like grain and also resembles hickory or pecan. Aspen: Light-colored white poplar with a lustrous surface.
Beech: A hard, strong wood, similar in appearance to maple. This relatively inexpensive wood is often used for frames, bent or turned parts, and veneers. Birch: One of the toughest American woods, with fine grain and pleasing light tone similar to maple. Birch can offer a variety of grain patterns (straight, curly, and wavy) and can be stained to resemble walnut or mahogany. Book Matching: The process of placing sheets of veneer side-by-side, like the pages of a book, to create a symmetrical pattern or mirror image. Brazilian Rosewood: Reddish-brown wood with distinctive dark markings varying from deep purple to black. Burl: Highly figured veneers from trees with knots.
Cabinet Woods: Wood used to make casegoods, such as tables and chairs. It is strong, easily worked and carved and able to take a good finish. The category includes hardwoods like mahogany, walnut, maple, birch, oak, cherry, ash, alder, elm, pecan and hackberry and soft woods like pine and redwood. Cedar: A fragrant, knotty softwood used mainly to line chests and drawers. Checking: The appearance of wide cracks or splits in wood caused by expansion and contraction due to humidity changes. Cherry: A hard and sturdy wood with a reddish-brown tone and tight, straight grain. Cherry resists warping and checking and is easily worked. It is used in 18th century American and French styles, both as a solid and veneer. Concealed woods: Woods including poplar, gumwood and cottonwood used for hidden interior surfaces (i.e. drawer backs and partitions). Conifers: A category of trees, mostly cone-bearing evergreens, including pine, spruce, and fir. Core woods: Strong and workable woods used under veneers, including popular, gumwood, alder, aspen, beech, cottonwood and particle board. Crotch Veneer: A highly-prized veneer cut from just below the crotch of a tree.
Deciduous trees: Non-evergreen trees that shed or lose foliage at the end of a growing season. Distressed: Furniture that is marred to create the appearance of age and use. Douglas Fir: Light, strong wood used primarily for drawer linings and bottoms. Dust panels: Linings between drawers to keep clothing cleaner by eliminating the migration of dust and other materials.
Ebony: Dark black wood, hard and fine grained. Used primarily for veneers and inlays. Elm: Tough wood with an ash-like grain, used mainly for furniture frames. End matching: The process of placing sheets of veneer end-to-end to produce a continuous pattern. Engraving: The process of printing a pattern or wood grain design on a panel.
Face Veneer: The top layer of veneer, as seen in the finished product. Fiberboard: Composite material composed of wood chips or plant fibers bonded and compressed into rigid sheets. Used as a core wood under veneers because of its strength. Fiddleback: A wavy-grained wood pattern. Figure: The characteristic markings found in wood solids or veneers. Finishing: A multiple-step process of applying coats of materials like stain, paint, lacquer, and oils with frequent sandings in between. This protects wood from the effects of humidity changes and makes it more beautiful. Fourway matching: The combination of using book and end matching to create a large pattern of veneers. Frames: Woods used for the frames of upholstered pieces like sofas and chairs. Frame woods must be strong, able to resist shocks, and not twist, warp, swell or shrink. Ash, birch, oak, gumwood and poplar are among the most popular. Fruitwood: A generic name for woods like apple, cherry and pear.
Hackberry: An elm-like wood with a light blonde color. Hardwoods: This is more a category of woods cut from deciduous trees (oak, beech, maple, hahogany and walnut) than an actual designation of hardness. Hickory: Hard, tough and heavy wood used as a veneer and in structural elements requiring strength and thinness. Pecan is a species of hickory.
Inlay: A design (i.e. a border or other ornamental pattern) set into the surface of furniture by inserting contrasting woods or other materials into tiny grooves or channels. Intarsia: Similar to inlay, with designs such as an entire scene sunk into a solid wood surface.
Japanning: A painting technique requiring several coats of heat-hardened lacquer, used in creating chinoiserie designs.
Kiln-drying: The process of slowly drying cut lumber in a kiln to gradually eliminate moisture from the center to the outer surfaces. Kiln drying prevents future cracking and checking.
Lacquer: Varnish that takes on a very high polish. It is applied in a series of thin layers, each of which must be dried and sanded before moving on to the next layer. Linseed Oil: Oil extracted from flax seed, an ingredient in paints and varnishes. Lauan: Reddish brown hard wood with attractive markings, once marketed as Philippine Mahogany.
Mahogany: Close-grained with excellent woodworking and finishing qualities, mahogany is a red-brown wood closely associated with formal 18th century and Victorian furniture. It's used both as a solid and for veneers. Crotch mahogany is a veneer cut from beneath the fork of the tree, is known for its handsome markings. Maple: An extremely hard, fine-textured wood used extensively for American colonial furniture and contemporary furnishings. Color is basically light although some maple has a reddish cast; it can also be stained to simulate cherry wood which has similar grain. Birdseye and wavy maple grain patterns have provided highly prized veneers since the 18th century. Marquetry: The process of covering an entire surface with a pattern of inlays set into veneer. Materials include contrasting wood veneers, metal and mother of pearl. Myrtle: A light to rich brown burl with intricate and curly grain.
Oak: A strong, hard-wearing wood with a pronounced texture and grain that's emphasized when quarter sawn (see definition below). It is the most popular wood for country, casual and Mission furniture. Oiling: Applying several applications of linseed oil to finish woods with good natural color (i.e. walnut and mahogany).
Parquet: Geometrically patterned inlays, usually made from woods of different colors or tones. Particle Board: A mixture of wood chips, resins and other binding agents compressed into panels under extreme heat and pressure. The result is an extremely strong and stable material used as core material under veneers or in other unseen areas. Also known as fiberboard and chip board. Patina: The warm glow which age, use and care impart to wood surfaces. Pecan: A type of hickory with a strong grain pattern, usually stained a medium dark color. Pickling: The process of rubbing white paint into previously finished wood. Pine: Soft, knotty wood used as a solid wood on country or rustic furniture. Plywood: Layers of wood (placed with the grains of adjoining layers at right angles to each other) and adhesives. The materials are bonded under high pressure for strength and resistance to warping. Prima Vera: A light colored wood also known as white mahogany.
Quarter Sawn: A method of sawing a log into quarters lengthways to obtain strong, distinctive grain patterns. Especially associated with Mission furniture.
Rattan: A thick vine used in manufacturing casual furniture. Rattan is bent into larger shapes or cut into the core material for wicker. Red Gum: A fine-grained wood that can be stained to closely resemble mahogany or walnut. Redwood: A highly durable wood valued for its strength and wood working qualities. Redwood is also popular for outdoor furniture because it weathers well and is highly resistant to decay. Rosewood: Dark red brown wood with prominent black graining. Rubbed finish: A finish polished with both abrasives and lubricants for a superior surface and reduced sheen.
Satinwood: Light colored wood with handsome feathered features. Used as cabinet wood and for veneer inlay work. Seasoning: Removing moisture from wood through the drying process. Slip matching: The process of placing sheets of veneer in side-by-side patterns to produce herringbone, diamond and checkered patterns. Softwoods: Woods such as pine, spruce and fir, taken from conifers rather than deciduous trees. Spruce: A light, strong wood that's easy to dry and glue, used as a core material under veneers.
Teak: A yellow to dark brown hardwood, so heavy, strong and durable that it's used for shipbuilding as well as furniture. Teak may show straight or figured grains and is used as both a solid and a veneer. It's popular in designs with simple clean lines such as Scandinavian modern. Tulipwood: A species of rosewood, yellow toned with deep purple or red stripes.
Varnish: A hard, clear wood finish. Veneers: Thin, decorative slices of wood cut or sliced from a log, then applied to a core material of solid wood or particle board. The technique allows the application of especially attractive grains to furniture surfaces, even when the wood from which the veneer is taken is too rare, expensive or hard-to-work to be used structurally.
Walnut: A highly desirable wood used for both cabinet woods and veneers. Walnut carves and holds its shape well; veneers have distinctive and handsome grains. Like mahogany and cherry, walnut is found in some of the most impressive English and American antiques. Whitewood: Synonym for yellow poplar. Willow: A soft wood used only as a solid wood. Willow withes (long, tough, supple stems) are used in weaving wicker furniture.
Yellow poplar: Straight-grained, pale wood used primarily as core wood. Yew: Hard, durable wood with a warm, light reddish-brown tone. Used for veneers and, less often, cabinet work.
Glossary of Terms Related to Hardwood Species
Checks: Longitudinal separation of the fibers in wood that do not go through the whole cross section. Checks result from tension stresses during the drying process. Compressive Strength Parallel to Grain: Maximum stress sustained by a compression parallel-to-grain specimen having a ratio of length to least dimension of less than 11. Compressive Stress Perpendicular to Grain: Reported as stress at proportional limit. There is no clearly defined ultimate stress for this property. Density: Weight per unit volume. Density of wood is influenced by rate of growth, percentage of late wood and in individual pieces, the proportion of the heartwood. Dimensional Stability: A term that describes whether a section of wood will resist changes in volume with variation in moisture content (other term: movement in performance). Figure: The pattern produced in a wood surface by annual growth rings, rays, knots, deviations from regular grain, such as interlocked and wavy, and irregular coloration. Grain: The direction, size, arrangement, appearance, or quality of the fibers in sawn wood. Straight grain is used to describe lumber where the fibers and other longitudinal elements run parallel to the axis of the piece. Gum Pocket: An excessive local accumulation of resin or gum in the wood. Hardness: Generally defined as resistance to indentation using a modified Janka hardness test, measured by the load required to embed a 11.28 mm (0.444 in.) ball to one-half its diameter. Values presented are the average of radial and tangential penetrations. Hardwood: A description applied to woods from deciduous broad-leafed trees (Angiosperms). The term has no reference to the actual hardness of the wood. Heartwood: The inner layers of wood in growing trees that have ceased to contain living cells. Heartwood is generally darker than sapwood, but the two are not always clearly differentiated. Impact Bending: In the impact bending test, a hammer of given weight is dropped upon a beam from successively increased heights until rupture occurs or the beam deflects 152 mm (6 in.) or more. The height of the maximum drop, or the drop that causes failure, is a comparative value that represents the ability of wood to absorb shocks that cause stress beyond the proportional limit. Modulus of Elasticity: An imaginary stress necessary to stretch a piece of material to twice its length or compress it to half its length. Values for the individual species are given in megapascals (MPa - equivalent to N/m2), and are based on testing small clear pieces of dry wood. Modulus of Rupture: Reflects the maximum load-carrying capacity of a member in bending, and is proportional to maximum moment borne by the specimen. Modulus of rupture is an accepted criterion of strength, although it is not a true stress because the formula by which it is computed is valid only to the elastic limit. Moisture Content (M.C.): The weight of water contained in wood expressed as a percentage of the weight of the oven dry wood. Pith Flecks: Pith-like irregular discolored streaks of tissue in wood, due to insect attack on the growing tree.
Plain-Sawn Plain-sawn hardwood boards are produced by cutting tangentially to a tree’s growth rings, creating the familiar “flame-shaped” or “cathedral” pattern. This method also produces the most lumber from each log, making plain-sawn lumber a cost effective design choice. Plain-sawn lumber will expand and contract more than boards sawn by other methods. However, it performs just as well when properly kiln-dried, when the job site is properly prepared and when the hardwood products are acclimated to the home before installation. (See Managing Expansion & Contraction, Moisture Content) Quarter-sawn Quarter-sawing means cutting a log radially (90-degree angle) to the growth rings to produce a “vertical” and uniform pattern grain. This method yields fewer and narrower boards per log than plain sawing, boosting their cost significantly. Quarter-sawn boards are popular for decorative applications such as cabinet faces or wainscoting. They will expand and contract less than boards sawn by other methods. Rift-sawn Rift-sawing at a 30-degree or greater angle to the growth rings produces narrow boards with accentuated vertical or “straight” grain patterns. Rift-sawn boards are often favored for fine furniture and other applications where matching grain is important. This type of lumber is available in limited quantities and species. Sapwood: The outer zone of wood in a tree, next to the bark. Sapwood is generally lighter than heartwood. Shear Strength Parallel to Grain: Ability to resist internal slipping of one part upon another along the grain. Values presented are average strength in radial and tangential shear planes. Shrinkage: The contraction of wood fibers caused by drying below the fiber saturation point (usually around 25-27% M.C.). Values are expressed as a percentage of the dimension of the wood when green. Specific Gravity: The relative weight of a substance compared with that of an equal volume of water. The S.G. of wood is usually based on the green volume and oven dry weight. Split: Separation of the fibers in a piece of wood from face to face (other term: end-split). Stain: Materials used to impart color to wood. Tensile Strength Perpendicular to Grain: Resistance of wood to forces acting across the grain that tend to split a member. Values presented are the average of radial and tangential observations. Texture: Determined by relative size and distribution of the wood elements. Described as coarse (large elements), fine (small elements) or even (uniform size of elements). Warp: Distortion in lumber causing departure from its original plane, usually developed during drying. Warp includes cup, bow, crook and twist. Zebrawood: An African wood that, when quarter sawn, shows brown and black stripes on a lighter background Weight: The weight of dry wood depends upon the cellular space, the proportion of wood substance to air space. Work to Maximum Load in Bending: Ability to absorb shock with some permanent deformation and more or less injury to a specimen. Work to maximum load is a measure of the combined strength and toughness of wood under bending stresses.
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