SimplifyDIY Glossary: F
Face edge
A woodworking term for a surface that is planed square to the face side (see below).
Face side
A woodworking term for a flat, planed surface from which other angles and dimensions are measured and worked.
Fascia
The stip of wood that covers the ends of rafters and to which guttering is attached.
Feather
To blend the edge of a surface into those surrounding it by wearing or smoothing it.
Fence
An adjustable guide to keep the cutting edge of a tool a set distance from the edge of a workpiece.
Fibreboard
Cheap, lightweight board material with very little strength, used in ceilings or as insulation to attics.
First fix
During building works, the first fix is the installation of electrical cabling and back boxes, plus plumbing pipework.
Flashing
A thin strip of waterproof material that prevents leakage at a roof joint. Normally metal (lead, zinc, copper) but can be cement, felt or proprietary material.
Flat-pack
Furniture or units supplied in pieces and assembled by the purchaser, using knock-down fittings.
Flaunching
A cement mortar weathering on the top of a chimney stack surrounding the base of the chimney pots to throw off the rain and thus prevent it from saturating the stack.
Flue
A smoke duct in a chimney, or a pipe allowing heat and effluent gases to escape from an appliance such as a central heating boiler.
Flue Lining
Metal (Usually stainless steel) tube within a flue - essential for high output gas appliances such as boilers. May also be manufactured from clay and built into the flue. Other proprietary flue liners are also available.
Flush door
A door with completely flat surfaces. Commonly used in interior doorways, and usually the cheapest available thanks to their hollow core filled with cardboard.
Flute
A rounded concave groove.
Footing
A concrete foundation for walls, that transmits the load into the soil beneath.
Foot lifter
A wedge placed beneath boards and used to lift them to the right height for affixing to a wall.
Formation level
The deepest point to which material must be excavated in preparation for a drive or path to be laid.
Formwork
A timber frame constructed temporarily to act as a cast to shape and support concrete as it sets.
Foundations
Normally concrete, laid underground as a structural base to a wall; in older buildings these may be brick or stone.
Four-way
A block of four electrical sockets connected to a wall socket by an extension lead.
Frass
The timber dust created by wood-boring insects.
Free-standing
Furniture or units that are not built-in or fixed to a wall or floor.
Frog
An indention, usually V shaped in the bedding face of some bricks to reduce their weight. "Frog down" or "Frog up" are the generally accepted ways of describing how the brick are laid.
Furring strips
Strips of wood attached to a wall or ceiling to which panels may be attached.
Fuse board
A unit where a main electrical service cable is connected to the circuits in a house; also a term covering a meter, consumer unit and earth connections.
Fused spur
An extension to an existing electrical circuit that terminates in a fused power outlet into which the cable is directly connected, and no plug is needed. Commonly used to connect appliances to the electricity supply.
Further information and useful links
Site Pages
Featured Articles