A Stonemason's Dictionary
A pocket dictionary of masonry terms, names and expressions

Facette: The fillet between flutes on a column.

Fan-Vault: A type of vault formed by numerous ribs springing at equal angles and curvature, so the appearance from below is of interlocking fans. Perpendicular period.

Fillet: A narrow flat section of a moulding, often separating one moulding from another.

Finial: The carved ornament atop a pinnacle, spire, etc.

Fixer Mason: The stonemason who builds the stones into the building.

Fleche: Small lead clad wooded spire.

Floriated: Decorated with flowers shaped ornamentation.

Fluted: Having parallel grooves, as on a column.

Flying Buttress: A free-standing buttress linked to the building by a section of arch to resist lateral stresses.

Foliated: Carved with leaves

Forest of Dean Stone: Grey sandstone with very even texture, very predictable to work.

Foundations: Load bearing base for a building.

Frame Saw: A multiple straight bladed reciprocating mechanical stone saw capable of sawing several slabs at once.

Freestone: Any stone which can be cut with a chisel, as opposed to rough squaring with a hammer.

French Drag: A very efficient hand tool equating roughly to the carpenter’s smoothing plane, consisting of a wooden handle having multiple angled and toothed blades set into its underside. Often made to measure by the stonemasons themselves from bits of old band saw blade. Used for finishing surfaces to soft limestones, it produces a distinctive and loud screech that nearly makes your teeth fall out.

Frieze: That part of the entablature of an order between achitrave and cornice.

Frig-Bob: A large hand saw (usually 2 man) for sawing large blocks of soft limestone.

Fruit Picker’s S: S shaped hook for hanging a bucket from the rung of a ladder.

Frontispiece: Decorated main entrance to a building.