Glossary

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Sabre Leg - Shaped like a saber, either round or square - sectioned, and gently tapered to the ground. Used on the Greek klismos and revived on 18th and 19th century seat furniture.

Salon Set - Complete set of matched furniture for a specific room. Also called a suite.

Sapwood - The new wood in a tree that lies between the bark and the Heartwood. Sapwood is usually lighter in color and becomes heartwood as the tree ages. Also see heartwood.

Satinwood - A bright, rich golden-yellow wood, hard in texture. Imported from Brazil or grown in southern India and Ceylon.

Savanarola chair - Type of chair popular in the Italian Renaissance period composed of interlacing curved slats on the sides, usually having a carved wooden back and arms.

Scallop Shell - A semi-circular shell with ridges radiating from a point at the bottom. This ornamental motif was common in furniture design during the Queen Anne and Georgian periods in England and America. It was also extensively used in the early Spanish Renaissance.

Scarf Joint - A woodworking joint that is made by cutting or notching two boards at an angle and then strapping, gluing, or bolting them together.

Scroll Pediment - Broken pediment with each half shaped in the form of a reverse curve, and ending in an ornamental scroll. Usually a final is placed in the center between the two halves.

Seasoning - The process of removing the moisture from green wood to improve its workability and stability.

Secretary Desk - An 18th century tall piece of furniture with drawers at the bottom, a bookcase on top, and a desk with a drop lid in the center.

Sedan Chair - Enclosed chair, carried by four men, used for transportation in the 18th century.

Serpentine Curve - Winding and curving design often used in furniture legs or on the front of cabinets or desks.

Selects - In softwood, lumber which has been graded strictly for its appearance. In hardwood, lumber which is one grade below first and second.

Sgabello Chair - A small wooden Renaissance chair, usually having a carved splat back, an octagonal seat, and carved trestle supports.

Shaker Furniture - A type of furniture made in the late 18th and early 19th centuries by the Shakers, a religious sect in New York State and later in New England. The designs were functional and plain.

Sheraton, Thomas - Sheraton 1750-1806, an English cabinetmaker whose name has been given to a school of design in English furniture. Using mahogany as his dominant wood, he followed the classic, simple design in the wake of Adam and Hepplewhite.

Shield Back - A chair back fashioned in the shape of a shield. Common in Hepplewhite Designs

Slab - A broad flat piece of wood cut directly from the log, often with bark on both edges.

Sideboard - A long, large piece of dining-room furniture with a flat top, and sometimes as a superstructure for displaying china and glass. The body is a storage unit, composed of drawers, sometimes flanked on each side by cabinets with doors.

Slat-back Chair - An Early American chair design. The back was made up of several parallel horizontal rails attached to the back uprights.

Sliding Dovetail Joints - A sliding dovetail joint is similar to a tongue and groove joint except the tongue and grove are matching dovetails.

Slipper Chair - Any short-legged chair with its seat close to the floor.

Snake Foot - A carved foot where the slender, swelling lines suggest a snake's form, usually on tripod bases.

Softwoods - Generally lumber from a conifer such as pine or cedar. The name softwood does not refer to the density of the wood. There are some hardwoods, such as Balsa, which are softer than some softwoods, like Southern Yellow Pine.

Sound - A term referring to a board which has no or very few defects which will effect its strength.

Spade foot - A square, tapering foot, designed in the shape of a spade, separated from the rest of the leg by a slight projection. Used in Hepplewhite design.

Spindle - The threaded arbor on a shaper that holds the cutters

Splat - Central flat support between a chair's seat and the top rail.

Spline - A thin piece of wood that fits in the mating grooves cut into two pieces of wood.

Stain - 1) A discoloration in wood caused by a fungus or chemicals. 2) A die or pigment used to color wood

Sticker - A thin wood strip that is inserted between stacks of green wood to allow air to flow through the stack to ensure proper drying..

Stretcher - Strengthening or stabilizing rail which runs horizontally between furniture legs, often forming X, H or Y shapes.

Surfaced Lumber - A piece of wood that has been planed smooth on one or more surfaces.