Glossary
Cabinetmaker Terms & Vocabulary
15 essential cabinetmaker terms with plain-English definitions: the vocabulary you’ll hear in training and on day one.
Key cabinetmaker vocabulary
These 15 terms come up constantly in cabinetmaker training, on the job and in interviews. Knowing them helps you follow instructions, document accurately and sound prepared.
- 32mm system
- Frameless spacing standard.
- Dado
- Groove for panels.
- Dovetail
- Strong interlocking joint.
- Dust collection
- Removes sawdust.
- Euro hinge
- Concealed hinge.
- Face frame
- Front frame of a cabinet.
- Finish schedule
- Order of finishing steps.
- Frameless cabinet
- European-style box.
- Grain
- Wood fiber direction.
- Joinery
- Ways of joining wood.
- Melamine
- Coated panel.
- Rabbet
- Edge groove.
- Scribe
- Fit to uneven walls.
- Shop drawing
- Detailed build drawing.
- Veneer
- Thin wood layer.
Practice these terms
Test yourself with the free Cabinetmaker practice test: it includes vocabulary questions built from this list. For a complete course, see Cabinetmaker training.
Browse terms from every career in our career glossary.