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Fretwork
 
 
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for stringed instrument manufacturing see Luthier
Luthier

A luthier is someone who makes or repairs stringed instruments. The word luthier comes from the French language word wikt:en:luth#French which is French for "lute"....
.


Fretwork is an interlaced decorative design that is either carved in low relief on a solid background, or cut out with a fretsaw
Fretsaw

The fretsaw is a saw used for intricate cutting work which often incorporates tight curves. Although the coping saw is often used for similar work, the fretsaw is capable of much tighter radii and more delicate work....
, jigsaw
Jigsaw

A jigsaw is a tool used for cutting arbitrary curves, such as stenciled designs or other custom shapes, into a piece of wood or similar material....
 or scroll saw
Scroll saw

A scroll saw is a small electric or pedal operated saw useful for cutting intricate curves where a jigsaw or coping saw is not appropriate; it is capable of creating curves with edges....
.






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Encyclopedia


for stringed instrument manufacturing see Luthier
Luthier

A luthier is someone who makes or repairs stringed instruments. The word luthier comes from the French language word wikt:en:luth#French which is French for "lute"....
.


Hfr 007
Ventilation Grille
Fretwork is an interlaced decorative design that is either carved in low relief on a solid background, or cut out with a fretsaw
Fretsaw

The fretsaw is a saw used for intricate cutting work which often incorporates tight curves. Although the coping saw is often used for similar work, the fretsaw is capable of much tighter radii and more delicate work....
, jigsaw
Jigsaw

A jigsaw is a tool used for cutting arbitrary curves, such as stenciled designs or other custom shapes, into a piece of wood or similar material....
 or scroll saw
Scroll saw

A scroll saw is a small electric or pedal operated saw useful for cutting intricate curves where a jigsaw or coping saw is not appropriate; it is capable of creating curves with edges....
. Most fretwork patterns are geometric in design. The materials most commonly used are wood
Wood

Wood is an organic material; in the strict sense wood is produced as secondary xylem in the stems of woody plants, notably trees but also shrubs, etc....
 and metal
Metal

In chemistry, a metal is a chemical element whose atoms readily lose electrons to form positive ions , and form metallic bonds between other metal atoms and ionic bonds between nonmetal atoms....
. Fretwork is used to adorn furniture
Furniture

Furniture is the mass noun for the movable objects which may support the human body , provide storage, or hold objects on horizontal surfaces above the ground....
 and musical instrument
Musical instrument

A musical instrument is an object constructed or used for the purpose of making music. In principle, anything that produces sound can serve as a musical instrument....
s. The term is also used for tracery
Tracery

Tracery is a series of intersecting ribs used in Gothic architecture, especially windows and, in the English_Gothic_architecture#Perpendicular_Gothic style, Vault ....
 on glazed windows and doors. Fretwork is also used to adorn/decorate architecture, where specific elements of decor are named according to their use. eg. eave bracket
Bracket (architecture)

A bracket is an architectural member made of wood, stone, or metal that overhangs a wall to support or carry weight. It may also support a statue, the spring of an arch, a beam, or a shelf....
, Gable Fretwork, Baluster Fretwork. Any item that is cut out is considered fretwork.

Fretwork patterns originally were ornamental designs used to decorate objects with a grid or a lattice. Designs have developed from the rectangular wave Greek fret to intricate intertwined patterns. A common misconception is that fretwork is fretwork because it was done with a fretsaw. Actually the pattern is a fretwork whether or not it was cut out with a fretsaw.

Moorish Fretwork was invented by Moses Younglove Ransom in 1885. It consists of milled spiral rods that are "woven" into lattice like screens. In 1856 Owen Jones
Owen Jones (architect)

Owen Jones was a London-born architect and designer of Wales descent. He was a versatile architect and designer, and one of the most influential design theorists of the nineteenth century....
 published the remarkable Grammar of Ornament, which collected and sorted patterns used by cultures around the world. In his chapter on Moresque Ornament (Moorish), Jones lays out the principles used in Moorish interlace designs. Ransom's Moorish Fretwork follows these design guidelines.

The CNC machine (Computer Numerical Controlled) has brought about change with which the method of timber fretwork is manufactured. Lasers or Router/Milling cutting implements can now fashion timber and other various materials, with the aid of the CNC into flat and even 3-Dimensional decorative items.

See also

  • Scroll saw
    Scroll saw

    A scroll saw is a small electric or pedal operated saw useful for cutting intricate curves where a jigsaw or coping saw is not appropriate; it is capable of creating curves with edges....
  • Jigsaw
    Jigsaw

    A jigsaw is a tool used for cutting arbitrary curves, such as stenciled designs or other custom shapes, into a piece of wood or similar material....
  • Coping saw
    Coping saw

    A coping saw is a type of hand saw used to cut intricate external shapes and interior cutouts in woodworking or carpentry. It is widely used to cut Molding to create coping rather than miter joint joints....
  • Fretsaw
    Fretsaw

    The fretsaw is a saw used for intricate cutting work which often incorporates tight curves. Although the coping saw is often used for similar work, the fretsaw is capable of much tighter radii and more delicate work....


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