Notching

n.
  1. The act of making notches; the act of cutting into small hollows.
  2. The small hollow, or hollows, cut; a notch or notches.
  3. (Carp.) A method of joining timbers, scantling, etc., by notching them, as at the ends, and overlapping or interlocking the notched portions.
  4. (Engin.) A method of excavating, as in a bank, by a series of cuttings side by side. See also Gulleting.