Yankee Screwdriver
Ratchet type screwdriver that has deep spiral grooves in its shank, which is free to rotate within the handle. By using a pawl in the handle, which rides in the spiral groove so that when the handle is pushed along the shank toward the work, the shank rotates and turns the screw

Yard
Lineal measurement equal to 3 feet. The space or grounds surrounding a building; a cubic yard is the basic measure of concrete.

Yard Lumber
The type of lumber used in general frame construction, which is less than 5 inches thick.

Yarning Iron
Curved tool for packing oakum into a cast-iron pipe joint that is then sealed with molten lead, it is flattened on one end and made of iron.

Y-Connection
Referred to as a wye connection, this electrical connection has all three coils in a three-phase generator meeting at one point.

Yellow Hat
Term for a wire connector, which actually comes in different colors for different sized wires.

Y-Fitting
Also called a wye fitting, this plumbing drainage fitting gets its name by being shaped like the letter Y. It is used where a branch enters the run at an angle less than 90 degrees.

Yield
The return on an investment. Volume or amount produced. Alternately, a permanent deformation in a material cause by its being bent or stretched.

Yoke
1. Brace clamped around a form when a concrete column is being poured. Metal mounting strap on an electrical receptacle.
2. Also called a head jamb, it's the upper horizontal finish member in a window frame.

Yoke Lock
Lock that hold the brace that is clamped around a form when a concrete column is being poured.

Yoke Vent
Plumbing pipe, which slants upward at an angle from the waste stack to the vent stack to prevent pressure changes in both stacks.

Yoke Vise
Called a hinged pipe vise, this clamping device has a fixed lower jaw and an upper jaw moveable by a screw thread and is hinged on one side so that it can be opened to allow a length of pipe to be inserted.