Home       About Us         Working With Us         Gallery         Products         Architect's Corner         Wooden Bridge 101         Contact Us         Links
 
Wooden Bridge 101
Intrigued by what you see here but don't know where to start? In this section, we've prepared some simple tips and advice that will help provide that starting point - the basics behind door and window construction.

If you have questions about any of our materials or construction techniques, please contact us! We will be happy to answer any questions you might have.

Click on the word you would like to see the definition for, or scroll down to see other terms as well.

Door Anatomy
Wooden Bridge Terms		 Window Anatomy
Wooden Bridge Terms


Astragal
Decorative strip that is placed between the two panels of a pair of French doors or windows.

Awning Window
Window that opens at the bottom usually be means of a hand crank.

Balance
Mechanism used in double hung windows that holds the sash any position and controls the amount of force required to raise and lower the window sash.

Bi-fold Door
Series of two or more doors that are hinged together to fold back on itself.

Casement Window
Window that opens from one side or the other, similar to a door.

Casing
Decorative molding around the door or window jamb.

Circle Top
The full arched transom that is fixed above a rectangular door or window jamb.

Distressing
Special effects added to a finish either by mechanical or chemical means, usually to make a product seem older.

Double Hung Window
Window that opens by raising the bottom sash or lowering the top sash.

Fixed Window
Window that can not be opened.

Gasketing
The piece of resilient material that provides the weather proofing in a door or window unit.

Glazing
  (1) n. the type of glass in a door and window.
  (2) v. the process of installing glass in a door or window.

Hardware
Cranks, hinges, handles, locks, operators and other such devices on doors and windows that make them operational.

Hardwoods
The wood harvested from any deciduous tree. Does not refer to density, hardness or resistance to abrasion.

Header
The top member of a door or window jamb - may be horizontal or arched.

Heartwood
The wood made up of the inactive cells of a tree found closer to the center of a tree or log than the sapwood.

Jalousie Insert
Panel of glass or wooden operable louvers that can be installed in a door or window blank to provide ventilation. When closed, each glass louver rests against the one below it, rarely if ever making an air-tight seal and may be a security risk. Many building codes no longer allow jalousie windows or doors.

Jamb
The frame around a door or window that is fixed to the wall and from which the doors and/or windows are hung.

Jamb Extension
Extra piece of wood added to the width of a jamb stock to extend the jamb to match the wall thickness.

Lock Rail
The rail (horizontal member) that is positioned on center to the level of the handle or lock set.

Louver
Slats that may be fixed or operable that are used to increase ventilation.

Muntin Bars
Narrow horizontal and vertical pieces of wood that divide a door and window panes in True Divided Lite unit.

Mullion
Wide horizontal and vertical pieces of wood that separate panels in a multi-panel door or window.

Outside of Jamb Measurements
The maximum defining measurements of width and height of a door or window jamb.

On Center Measurement
Measurement to the center of the object being described.

Pane
A piece of glazing or glass in a door or window unit.

Panel
  (1) n. flat or molded piece of wood that is inset in grooves in rails, stiles and mullions in a multi-panel door.
  (2) n. refers to the individual door or window in a series of doors or windows that inside the same jamb. (For
       example: a pair of doors has two door panels)

Pocket Door
Sliding door that when open is hidden within a 'pocket' inside a hollow wall.

Quarter Sawn
Refers to a method of sawing lumber to produce the most dimensionally stable wood .

Rail
Horizontal member in the framework that makes up a door or window sash.

Rough Opening
The slightly larger than finished unit size opening in the wall where the door or window unit will be installed

Safety Glass
Glass that has been made by laminating two or more pieces of thinner glass together to prevent shattering into small pieces when broken.

Sapwood
The wood found near the outside of a tree or log - generally lighter in color than the heartwood.

Sash
The framework of a window made up by the two vertical stiles and top and bottom rails.

Side Jamb
The two outside vertical members of a door jamb.

Sidelite
A narrow fixed or operating window that is placed off to either or both sides of an entry door unit.

Sill
The bottom horizontal member of a window jamb - usually angled outward for water drainage.

Sliding Door
Series of doors that slide in a track from side to side as opposed to opening on hinges.

Softwoods
Wood harvested from any coniferous tree. Does not refer to density, hardness or resistance to abrasion.

Stability
Refers to how much a particular piece or species of lumber will move because of variations in the humidity and other climatic changes.

Stile
The outside vertical members that make up the framework of a door or window panel.

Stop
(1) n. a piece of molding used to hold a pane of glass in place.
(2) n. a piece of wood a door or window stops against when it is in the closed position that may or may not have
gasketing attached to it.

Sweep
The mechanism attached to the bottom of an exterior door to provide weather proofing.

Tempered Glass
Glass that has been systematically heated and cooled to increase the strength of the glass itself. When broken, falls in small pieces without sharp edges.

Threshold
The bottom horizontal piece of a door jamb designed to assist in watershed and weatherproofing.

Transom
Small rectangular or arched window that is positioned on top of a door unit or larger window unit.

True Divided Lite
Individual panes of glass that are separated by muntin bars.

UV (ultraviolet) Light
The rays of the sun that can do damage and cause wood products and finishes to fade or change color.











  
 

                Home        About Us        Working With Us        Gallery        Architects Corner        Wooden Bridge 101        Contact Us        Sitemap

 
  Mullion Raised Panel Stile Muntin Bar Astragal Terminated Arch Transom Threshold Bottom Rail Lock Rail Jamb Rail Door Header Arched Header Jamb Sash Header Sill Stile Rail