Glossary Index

Major Module: unit of measure for modular construction. Equivalent to 48 inches or 1200 millimeters in length.

Mallet: a kind of hammer, usually of wood, smaller than a maul or beetle and usually with a relatively large head. Can be made of rubber, wood or lead.

Mansard Roof: a style of hip roof characterized by two slopes on each of its four sides with the lower slope being much steeper, almost a vertical wall, while the upper slope, usually not visible from the ground, is pitched at the minimum needed to shed water.

Marquetry: a decorative craft consisting of covering a structural shell with pieces of veneer forming decorative patterns, designs or pictures. The technique may be applied to case furniture or even seat furniture, to decorative small objects with smooth, veneerable surfaces or to free-standing pictorial panels appreciated in their own right.

Masonite: a brandname type of hardboard invented by William H. Mason in 1924. formed using the Mason method, using wooden chips, blasting them into long fibers with steam and then forming them into boards. The boards are then pressed and heated to form the finished boards. No glue or other material is added. The long fibers give Masonite a high bending strength, tensile strength, density and stability. Unlike other composite wood panels produced using formaldehyde-based resins to bind fibers, Masonite is made using natural ingredients only, which makes it an environmentally friendly product.

Matched Lumber: edge dressed lumbershaped to make a tongue and groove joint at the ends or edges. Includes lumber with rabbetted edges.

Mechanical Core: prefabricated construction module containing electrical, plumbing, heating, ventilating, and/or air conditioning systems. Includes fully formed wall, floor and ceiling framing.

Mechanical Equipment: architectural term refering to all equipment in the following categories: plumbing, air conditioning, heating, gas fitting, and electrical.

Medallion: decorative raised piece, often used on flush doors.

Medium-density Fiberboard (MDF): an engineered wood product formed by breaking down softwood into wood fibres, often in a defibrator, combining it with wax and a resin binder, and forming panels by applying high temperature and pressure. Much denser than normal particle board.

Meeting Rail: on double hung windows, a bottom rail on an upper window sash, or the top rail of the lower sash. Also known as check rail.

Millwork: products mainly manufactured from lumber in a planing mill or woodworking factory. Includes door frames, moldings,shutter and blinds, doors, staiwork, cabinets, mantels and sash and window units.

Minor Module: unit of measure in modular construction equivalent to 24 inches or 600 millimeters length.

Miter: a diagonal cut made at specific angle.

Modular Coordination: method of dimensioning and material use for structures based on unit of measure called a module.

Moisture Barrier: sheets of rubber or plastic material used for preventing the passage of water vapor or liquids.

Moisture Content: amount of water contained in wood. Defined as a percentage of the weight of oven-dry wood.

Molding: a strip of material with various cross sections used to cover transitions between surfaces or for decoration. It is traditionally made from solid milled wood or plaster but may be made from plastic or reformed wood.

Molly Bolt: a type of specialized fastener used with drywall. It allows objects to be attached to drywall in locations other than the studs. The fastener is an anchor, an expandable sleeve that slides into a hole drilled into the wall. A lip wider than the hole prevents it from falling behind the wall. A machine screw is then screwed into the sleeve, drawing it flat against the back side of the drywall while causing it to expand, wedging it tightly into the hole.[

Moulder: woodworking machine for running molding profiles in wood members.

Mullion: a bar or pier which divides adjacent window units, commonly made of wood or aluminum.

Muntin: vertical member in between adjacent panels in panel work. Also refers to the horizontal or vertical sashbars between panes of glass in a window.