Custom shop glossary
Plain-English definitions of the materials, tools, and techniques used every day in custom sign, woodworking, and fabrication shops. Written like an experienced foreman explaining things to a new apprentice.
A
Acrylic
A clear or colored thermoplastic sheet (commonly Plexiglas or Lucite) used for backlit signs, awards, and dimensional letters. Cuts cleanly on a CO2 laser, polishes to a glass-like edge, and resists outdoor weathering for years.
Aluminum
A lightweight, corrosion-resistant metal used for sign faces, monument panels, and award plates. Available as solid sheet, composite (Dibond), or anodized — each with different printability and durability profiles.
B
Backlit sign
A sign with internal LED illumination that glows through translucent acrylic or vinyl. Common for storefronts and lobby logos. Typically built as a shallow cabinet with a translucent face and a perimeter of LED modules.
Brass plaque
A flat plaque of cast or rolled brass, often etched or engraved. Brass develops a warm patina over time and is the traditional choice for dedication, memorial, and donor recognition plaques.
Brushed finish
A directional surface finish on metal, produced with a fine abrasive belt or pad. Hides fingerprints, diffuses reflections, and gives a more muted, architectural look than a polished mirror finish.
C
CNC routing
Computer-controlled cutting and shaping of sheet material (HDU, MDF, plywood, aluminum) using a spinning bit. The backbone of modern dimensional sign and millwork production.
Cedar
A soft, aromatic wood (typically Western Red Cedar) used for sandblasted exterior signs and rustic furniture. Naturally rot-resistant — a favorite for park, ranch, and lodge signage.
Channel letter
A three-dimensional letter — typically aluminum body, acrylic face, internal LEDs — used for storefront signage. Each letter is its own miniature lighted cabinet, mounted to a building face or raceway.
D
Dimensional letters
Any raised, three-dimensional sign letter — cut from foam, HDU, acrylic, metal, or wood. The opposite of a flat printed letter; you can see the depth and the shadow.
Dado joint
A woodworking joint where a square groove is cut across the grain of one piece to receive the end of another. Common in cabinet construction for shelves and dividers.
E
Engraving
Cutting or burning text and graphics into a surface — wood, metal, glass, plastic. Done with a rotary engraver, CO2 laser, or fiber laser depending on the substrate.
Etching
Removing material from a surface using a chemical, abrasive, or laser process to create text or imagery. Sandblasting glass, acid-etching brass, and laser-etching anodized aluminum are all forms of etching.
F
Frame mount
A method of attaching a sign or plaque using a separate decorative frame, rather than mounting the panel directly to the wall. Common for memorial plaques and large interior signs.
Finishing
The final stages of production where surfaces are sanded, sealed, stained, painted, or clear-coated. In a woodworking shop, finishing often takes longer than the actual joinery.
G
Gold leaf
Real gold hammered into ultra-thin sheets and applied to a tacky size adhesive. Used for high-end signage, dome lettering, and traditional sign painting. 23.75-karat is the most common outdoor weight.
Granite
A hard, igneous stone used for monuments, headstones, and architectural plaques. Polished or sandblasted, granite holds detail for centuries — which is why it's the standard for permanent memorials.
H
HDU (High-Density Urethane)
A rigid closed-cell foam (Precision Board, Sign Foam, Duna) used as the substrate for carved and dimensional signs. Doesn't rot, doesn't warp, takes paint beautifully, and machines like a hard wood — but lasts outdoors far longer than wood.
Hand-carved
Sign or wood work shaped with hand tools — chisels, gouges, mallets — rather than CNC. Often combined with CNC roughing for the heavy material removal, then finished by hand for the artistic detail.
L
Laser engraving
Engraving done with a focused laser beam — CO2 for wood, acrylic, glass, and coated metals; fiber laser for bare metals. Faster than rotary engraving and capable of much finer detail.
LED-illuminated
Any sign or display lit from within using LED modules. Has largely replaced fluorescent and neon in modern signage thanks to lower power draw, longer life, and easier serviceability.
M
Mahogany
A reddish-brown hardwood prized for its straight grain, dimensional stability, and beautiful finish. Common in fine furniture, exterior doors, and high-end carved signs.
Monument sign
A freestanding ground-level sign — usually masonry, stone, or HDU faced — used for office parks, churches, schools, and subdivisions. Built on a foundation rather than mounted to a building.
P
Polyurethane finish
A clear protective top coat (oil-based or water-based) applied over wood and painted surfaces. Outdoor-rated polyurethanes give carved HDU and wood signs years of UV and moisture protection.
Powder coat
A dry paint finish applied as electrostatically charged powder, then cured under heat. Tougher than wet paint, available in hundreds of colors and textures, and the standard for metal sign frames and outdoor furniture.
Plaque
A flat, mounted panel — bronze, brass, aluminum, wood, or composite — bearing a dedication, recognition, or commemorative inscription. Found on park benches, building cornerstones, donor walls, and memorial sites.
Q
Quick-cure adhesive
Two-part epoxies and acrylic adhesives that set in minutes rather than hours. Used for stud-mounting dimensional letters, attaching plaque hardware, and installing channel letters where you can't wait overnight.
R
Routed letters
Letters cut from sheet material on a CNC router — HDU, acrylic, MDF, or aluminum. The most common method for producing dimensional sign letters today.
Redwood
A soft, durable, naturally rot-resistant wood traditionally used for sandblasted exterior signs. Old-growth redwood is increasingly rare; most current production uses second-growth or alternative softwoods.
Resin
A liquid two-part casting material (epoxy or polyurethane) that cures hard. Used for cast plaques, decorative inlays, and protecting outdoor signage from weather.
S
Sandblasted
A texture or design produced by spraying abrasive grit at a surface through a stencil. Removes the soft grain in cedar or redwood to leave the harder grain raised, creating a tactile dimensional sign. Also used to etch glass and stone.
Sublimation
A printing process where dye is converted from solid to gas under heat and pressure, embedding into a polymer-coated substrate. Used for full-color photo plaques, name badges, and metal awards.
Stain
A pigmented or dye-based finish applied to wood to color it without obscuring the grain. Different woods absorb stain very differently — testing on a scrap is non-negotiable.
T
Trophy
A figural award, typically a column with a base and a topper figure (golfer, soccer ball, eagle), engraved with a winner's name and event. The mainstay of league recognition and tournaments.
Templating
Creating a physical or digital template of an installation site — a wall, a stone, a bench — so that the finished plaque or sign mounts exactly right the first time. Saves enormous frustration on site.
V
V-carve
A CNC technique using a V-shaped bit to carve text and logos with crisp inside corners and a beveled, hand-carved look. The standard for high-end carved HDU and wood signs.
Veneer
A thin slice of decorative wood glued to a stable substrate (plywood, MDF). Lets you use rare or expensive species (figured maple, burl walnut) on large surfaces without the cost or warping risk of solid lumber.
W
Wayfinding sign
Any sign whose primary job is navigation — directional arrows, room numbers, building IDs, parking. A wayfinding system has to feel coherent across an entire campus or facility.
Wood grain
The pattern of growth rings, fibers, and pores in a piece of wood. Determines how it cuts, how it finishes, and how it moves with humidity. A good shop reads grain before every cut.
Run a shop that works with these materials?
ShopFlow OS is built to manage the production of HDU, sandblasted, dimensional, cast, and engraved work — without the spreadsheet chaos.
Be first on the shop floor.
ShopFlow OS opens up to a limited group of founding shops first. Join the waitlist to lock in early access and founding-shop pricing before we open the doors.