Chain
A flexible series of joined interlocking links, usually metal, used to pull or confine or to transmit power.

Chain Bond
A masonry wall that is partially held together by use of an iron bar or chain.

Chain Guard
The safety covering that is used over a power-transmitting chain.

Chain Hoist
Hoist that uses gearing to mechanically lift a load. The gearing is attached to a drum, which has a hook and chain attached. After the load is hooked by the chain, the drum is turned by the gearing, which winds the chain onto the drum, lifting the load.

Chain of Title
Official record, detailing ownership history of a piece of property.

Chain Intermittent Weld
Series of welds, alternating from one side of a joint to the other, that run along the length of the joint.

Chain Link, Barbed Edge
Connection at the edge of a chain link fence, which is twisted and cut wire.

Chain Link Fence
Interlocking heavy lengths of wire that are stretched between metal poles.

Chain Link, Smooth Edge
Connection at the edge of a chain link fence, which is made of looped wire.

Chain Operator
Used to operate a manual valve in a fluid system, this close looped chain is around the teeth on the outside of the wheel which turns the valve and is long enough to be reached by a worker several feet below the valve. The valve is opened, closed and adjusted by someone pulling on one side of the chain loop or the other in a pulley-like motion.

Chain Saw
Hand held power made up of a chain with sharp rotating teeth around a flat metal arm, which is used to cut wood and lumber.

Chain Vise
Pipe vise that has a lower jaw and a chain passing around the upper circumference of a pipe. Servicing the same function as the upper vise jaw, it is held in slots and can be tightened to hold the pipe.

Chain Wrench
Pipe wrench made of a length of chain, which is permanently attached to a handle at one end with the other end secured at various places on the handle. For gripping, the chain is looped around the pipe.

Chair
Bent metal device which holds rebar elevated in the center, rather than on the bottom of the pour, when cement is poured.

Chair Railing
Decorative, horizontal, molding trim installed on a wall 32 inches from the floor.

Chalk
Soft limestone.

Chalk Box
Box which hold chalk and string on a reel which, when withdrawn, becomes coated with chalk. The string is then stretch from one point to another and then "snapped" to make a line of chalk to mark the distance.

Chalking
Pigment particles released as aging and deterioration of paint occurs, forming a fine powder on the surface.

Chalking Paint
Paint that oxidizes to form a surface powder, which is then washed off, along with accumulated dirt, leaving the surface clean.

Chalk Line
Straight line that is made when a chalk-covered string is snapped against a surface.

Chamber
A room in a house. Any enclosed space.

Chamfer
Beveled edge or corner, especially one cut on a 45-degree angle.

Change
Concept used in valuing real property that conditions may be altered requiring a revised estimate of market value; for example, deterioration of property or capital improvements.

Change Frequency
Adjustment schedule of an adjustable rate mortgage.

Change Order
Any modification of a construction contract, which is signed by the owner, the architect and the contractor. This would authorize a change in work, the amount of the contract or a change in the contract time.

Change in Principle
The switching, by a real estate company, from one accounting method to another.

Channel
1. Decorative molding with a concave groove.
2. Groove or flute.
3. Metal structural shape whose cross section is letter C shaped, which is used to support installations such as door headers, windows, etc.
4. A radio frequency.

Channel Block
Also referred to as a bond beam block, rebar can be mortared into the channel or groove of this concrete masonry unit to strengthen its installation.

Channel Cable Tray
Tray that uses a solid, one-piece bottom with side rails to support electrical cables where there are many run next to one another.

Channel Iron
Metal structural shape whose cross section is letter C shaped, which is used to support installations such as door headers, windows, cable tray support and piping support.

Chapter Seven (7)
Type of bankruptcy filing, a provision of the 1978 Bankruptcy Reform Act, which provides for a person's property to be divided among creditors to satisfy unpaid debts.

Chapter Eleven (11)
Type of bankruptcy filing allowing restructuring and reorganization of existing debts which is used most often by businesses. Creditors must vote on a debt-paying plan and a judge must approve.

Chapter Thirteen (13)
Type of bankruptcy filing in which a person's obligations are paid back within a three year period, allowing the obligated party to pay off debts without liquidating assets.

Character
Credit standard judging the borrower's historical record of paying loans and is among the other considerations of the credit worthiness of the borrower.

Charcoal
Form of carbon, which is created when organic substances are burned without air. Useful where steady long-term heat is desired because of its slow, even burning ability.

Charge
1. To add electrical energy to a storage medium.
2. To purchase on credit.
3. To load a mixer.
4. To fill.
5. To place material in a furnace.

Chase
1. The shielded vertical shaft that houses pipes, drains, ducts, and flues.
2. A trench or groove.
3. To work decorative patterns into a metal surface.

Chase Wall
The wall that surrounds a space through which electrical wiring is run. The interior space is called a chase.

Chasm
A deep crack in the earth's surface. A wide divergence of feelings or interests.

Chassis
The structural framework supporting the body of a vehicle, cabinet, etc.

Chat
Limestone gravel

Chat-Sawn Finish Limestone
Limestone that has a coarse finish.

Chattel
Portable property, tangible or otherwise, except real estate.

Chattel Mortgage
Lien on personal property that is used as collateral for a loan.

Chattel Real
Interests and property directly connected with real estate, such as leases, fixtures, etc.

Check
1. A sudden stop or abrupt halt.
2. A restraint or control.
3. A written order to a bank to pay a stated amount of money from one's account.
4. Separation that runs along the grains and across the annual rings in a piece of wood.

Checking
Paint surface defect that consists of a square pattern of small cracks.

Check Rail
Also called meeting rails, they are the top horizontal sash member of the bottom window and the bottom horizontal sash member of the top window in a double hung window that mate together tightly when closed, permitting no air passage between the sashes.

Check Valve
Valve permitting flow in a single direction.

Cheek
Either of two sides of an object, such as a door jamb or the jaws of a vise.

Cheek Cut
A chamfer cut along the wide part of a board end, allowing the board to fit securely against another framing member at an angle, like at the end of a hip rafter.

Cheek Wall
A side of an object.

Chemical
Substance used in or obtained by a chemical process.

Chemical Resistance
A material's ability to withstand change from chemical contact.

Chime
Paint can lip which holds the can lid fastened.

Chimney
Vent that conducts smoke and combustion products through the roof, away from the source of combustion, such as a furnace or fireplace.

Chimney Back
The back wall or lining of a furnace, chimney or fireplace.

Chimney Cap
Concrete cap surrounding the top of the chimney brick and protects the masonry from the elements.

Chimney Cricket
The peaked projection that is built adjacent to a chimney for the purpose of redirecting water away from the chimney.

Chimney Effect
The upward flow through a channel that is named after the way hot air rises through a chimney.

Chimney Flue
Inside passage of a chimney that channels smoke and heat to the outside.

Chimney Pot
Short pipe at the top of a chimney, which increases ventilation to the fireplace to reduce smoke.

China, Vitreous
Commonly used in the making of bathroom fixtures, this material is impervious to water. It is relatively brittle and subject to cracking.

China Clay
Fine clay paint pigment that is resistant to abrasion.

China Wood Oil
Also called Tung Oil or Japanese wood oil this drying oil is taken from the seed kernels of the Tung tree and is used in making wood finishes.

Chink
A narrow opening; a crack; a fissure.

Chip Board
Board made of wood chips, which are glued together under pressure.

Chipping Hammer
Hammer that is used to remove scale or paint from a metal surface or slag from a weld. It's steel head is pointed on one end and tapered to a horizontal edge on the other.

Chip Seal
Finely crushed rock spread, in a layer, over an asphalt oil base after which is rolled smooth.

Chisel
Flat bar shaped tool, made of steel, which has a handle on one end and the other end sharpened to a wedge. Chisels are made for cutting, wood, metal, stone and masonry.

Chisel, Cold
A metal cutting chisel which incorporates a striking surface and handle with the shank of the chisel. The length of the chisel is wedge shaped for about a third of the way, tapering down to a hardened cutting edge. Hammers are used to strike a cold chisel.

Chisel Tooth Saw Blade
Used on wood, the teeth and spaces between the teeth of the cutting blade are made to cross cut and rip cut. Most often used for rough carpentry such as framing, the cuts are not very smooth.

Chisel, Wood
Wood cutting chisel, which can be used by hand for shaving or hit with a mallet for heavier cutting.

Chlorinated Polyvinyl Chloride (CPVC)
Plastic material with a higher pressure rating and a higher thermal operating ability at any temperature than Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) and is used for pipe and fittings.