Search Results for K Keeneís cement A white cementitious material manufactured from gypsum, which has been burned at a high temperature and ground to a fine powder. Alum is added to accelerate the set. The resulting plaster is hard and strong and accepts and maintains a high polish, hence it is used as finishing plaster. kerf A saw-cut in wood, stone, etc., which is usually performed crosswise and usually not completely through the member. keystone The usually wedge-shaped uppermost, hence last, set stone or similar member of an arch, whose placement not only completes the arch but binds or locks its other members together. kicker A wood block or board attached to a formwork member in a building frame or formwork to make the structure more stable. kickout In excavation work, the accidental release or failure of a shore or brace. kickplate A metal strip or plate attached to the bottom rail of a door for protection against marring, as by shoes. kiln-dried Control-died or seasoned artificially in a kiln. king post In a roof truss, a member placed vertically between the center of the horizontal tie beam at the lower end of the rafters and the ridge, or apex of the inclined rafters. kip A unit of weight equal to 1,000 pounds. knee brace A brace between vertical and horizontal members in a building frame or formwork to make the structure more stable. knee wall A wall that shortens the span of the roof rafters by acting as a knee brace, in that it supports the rafters at some intermediate point along their length. knot The hard, cross-grained portion of a tree where a branch meets the trunk. knot sealer Any sealer, such as shellac, used to cover knots in new wood to prevent sap or resin bleed-through. Search Again