Dutchman

A dutchman, or in some uses graving piece, is a matching piece of good material used to replace a relatively small damaged area that has been cut out of a larger item, to avoid having to replace the entire item; or, any of various techniques for accomplishing such a repair. In some cases, the meaning has been extended to include small pieces that are inserted between units of a larger structure as a planned part of the construction process, rather than as an ad hoc repair. The term is used in woodworking, masonry, railroading, boatbuilding, theater, and other fields. Uses Woodworking In construction and woodworking, a dutchman can refer to an inset wood patch used to repair wood. Typically a square inset is cut into the damaged area and a new piece of wood is glued into the inset. Masonry In stone masonry, a Dutchman is an inset selectively replacing only the fault in a stone with new stone material, usually matching adjacent material as closely as possible.