fillet
10 years ago No Comments

(pronounced FIHL-leht or FIH-lay)

Besides the obvious culinary meaning, this is one of those words that has too many architectural-related meanings for its own good. In fact, it’s quite confusing. We’ll try to sort it out for you.

1. At its most simple, it refers to a thin narrow strip of material, usually a band of molding that separates other sections of molding.

2. The term can also be used to simply describe the delicate adornment strips applied to shafts and archways along the moldings, as well as the space between two flutings in a shaft. Stay with us here…

3. Lastly, it describes the curved, concave portion forming a junction of two surfaces that would otherwise intersect at an angle. In welding, a fillet weld is radius joint replacing sharp inside corners, and it reinforces the corner where two surfaces meet. A fillet can be 2-dimensional as well; in AutoCAD, you’ll find a fillet function that allows you to quickly insert a radius corner where two lines meet.

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