Woodworking term question

[Andre Majorel]

Suppose you're making a rectangular frame with planks, held together by screws, nails or staples going through the planks and into pieces of wood positioned inside the corners. How do you call those pieces of wood ?

Screws | v ____________________ | |_______________| | | |_| |?| |

[Arfa Daily]

Corner braces maybe ?

Arfa

[Cicero]

=================================== Fillet, batten or cleat. 'Cleat' is probably more used in America than UK. There may also be other regional names.

Cic.

[The Natural Philosopher]

occasionally gusset.

[Andre Majorel]

Thanks. Isn't "batten" the kind of lumber you'd make them from, rather than their function ?

[terry]

e quoted text -

I think not. AFIK 'A batten' (noun) is an item that could be made of a variety of materials; wood, plastic, metal etc. Something like 'header', 'beam', 'soffit', 'stud', 'sheathing' or (on a ship) a 'hatch cover' all of which can be comprised of several types of materials. Hence the marine term, 'Everything battened down' i.e. fastened down securly, especially during heavy weather to keep the sea out.

[The Medway Handyman]

None of that dirty talk please.

[Andy Champ]

Well to keep to my nautical theme, my understanding is that old hatch covers were wood covered in canvas. In serious weather they'd get other bits of wood and nail them on top - and they are the battens.

Nothing like sail battens of course (which are best known to non-sailors as the bits of wood in the sails of a Chinese Junk)

Andy

[The Natural Philosopher]

I think you have ut not quite right.

The hatches didn'y have covers: they were (in bad weather) waterproofed with canvas simply tied over to keep the rain or sea out.

Battening down the hatches consisted in reinforcing the ropes by nailing thin strips of batten all around the hatch.

Sail batten is the same material essentially, which may be why they had it 'in stock'.

A batten is a strip of wood usually wider than it is deep. That's all.

I have no idea what a cleat is. I thought it was a pair of posts you wound a rope round.

Fillet is the generic term for a bit of substance that site between two other bits.

A gusset is a strengthening piece of fillet.

[Cicero]

-------------------------------------

================================== In addition to the meanings already quoted, 'cleat' has several different meanings, including the winged bit of metal (usually screwed to woodwork) used for securing ropes. It also means a kind of snap-in clip on the soles of cycling shoes. The 'cleats' referred to in the Tom Lehrer song are almost certainly a type of heavy wedge-shaped shoe common in the 1950s which were called 'wedges' or 'wedge shoes' here in the UK.

Cic.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Right. I wonder if 'cleat' comes from the same root as 'cleave' - i.e. to grab onto.

Wedges ratchets and self locking rope anchors as well as bike clips all come into that category..

[Rod]

cleat (kl?t)

noun

1. a piece of wood, metal, or plastic, often wedge-shaped, fastened to something to strengthen it or give secure footing: cleats are used on gangways, under shelves, on the soles or heels of shoes, etc. 2. Naut. a small metal or wood fitting fixed as to the deck of a ship and used to secure a rope, specif. one with projecting ends

Etymology: ME clete < OE *cleat (WGmc *klaut), a lump < IE *g(e)l-eu- < base *gel-: see climb

transitive verb

to fasten to or with a cleat

cleave (kl?v)

transitive verb cleaved or cleft or clove, cleaved or cleft or clo?·ven, cleav?·ing

1. to divide by a blow, as with an ax; split 2. to pierce 3. to sever; disunite

Etymology: ME cleven < OE cleofan; akin to Ger klieben < IE base

*gleubh-, to cut, slice > Gr glyphein, carve, L glubere, to peel

intransitive verb

1. to split; separate; fall apart 2. to make one's way by or as by cutting

(There is more, such as examples of usage, at the URLs quoted.)