( 131 ) [STA 



maple, and " feathery figures " from other woods, features 

 so largely worked upon in American veneered stock. See 

 " Slash Grain." 



Spruce Fir (Abies excelsa) or Common Spruce. A soft wood, but 

 the English variety is of little commercial value, owing to 

 competition with the foreign variety which is imported from 

 the North of Europe cut into convenient sizes. Used for 

 temporary sleepers and temporary fences. See also " Black 

 Spruce " and " Sitka Spruce." 



Spunk. -Rotten wood ; touchwood ; wood decomposed by vege- 

 table action, the work of fungi. 



Spur or Spurs. (1) The principal root of a tree. (2) A post 

 used to strengthen a rafter. A variant of this is " sper." 



Square. One hundred superficial (or surface) feet of wood, 

 irrespective of thickness. 



Square-edged. A piece of wood in which all the edges are prac- 

 tically square. Sometimes loosely taken (if not described 

 as absolutely square-edged) as admitting some wane. 



Square Frame. In joinery, a work is said to be square-framed 

 or framed-square when the framing has all the angles of 

 its stiles, rails and moiintings square without being moulded 

 or chamfered. 



Square-jointed. Cut sqxiare at the ends and on the sides, as in 

 flooring-boards, to distinguish from " tongued and grooved." 



Square Staff. A square fillet used as an angle staff in place of a 

 bead moulding. 



Stack. A stack of wood measures 12 ft. x 3 ft. x 3 ft. and 

 contains 108 cubic ft., being exactly half a fathom. 



Staff and Staff Bead. " Staff," in a primary sense, is a hand- 

 staff to ease or assist in walking. 



"A staff his right hand bore, 

 And blue the colour of the frock he wore." 



For staff bead see " Angle Bead." 

 Stage. (1) A slung platform at the bow porthole of a ship, 



on which men stand when discharging goods from a ship. 



(2) The part in a theatre on which stage-plays are 



performed. 

 Stagheaded. A tree past its maturity, the topmost branches 



and branchlets of which are dead. 

 Staircase. Or " flight of stairs," a " storey " of which may be 



in one or more parts broken by " landings." Being a fitment 



of many parts it has an interesting nomenclature ; instance, 



" riser," * " tread," * " nosing," * " step," * " winder," * 



