Teltti

Teltti is a Finnish term encountered mainly in historical texts and regional dialects, referring to a simple, portable work platform used for accessing elevated areas. In contemporary Finnish construction language, the standard term for such a structure is teline, while teltti appears primarily in older sources or regional speech.

Description and construction

A teltti typically consists of a few wooden boards laid across supports such as legs or posts. The boards form a flat working surface, and the supports provide height and stability. Because teltti structures are provisional, they were traditionally assembled close to the task area and could be disassembled after use. Stability depended on the evenness of the ground and the integrity of the supports and fastenings.

Usage and context

Historically, teltti served carpenters, roofers, and forestry workers as a lightweight, temporary platform for tasks at height. As standardized scaffolding practices evolved, teltti usage diminished in favor of more regulated and widely available systems. Today, references to teltti are mainly found in dialect dictionaries, historical descriptions of building practices, or discussions of traditional methods.

Relation to related terms

Teltti is connected to the broader concept of scaffolding and elevated platforms. It contrasts with modern, standardized scaffolding (teline) in terms of design, safety regulations, and ubiquity, reflecting how terminology can vary between historical practice and contemporary industry.

See also: Scaffolding, Teline, Finnish construction terminology, Dialect vocabulary.