La mordaza de carpintero sujeta la madera encolada.

Because mordaza is a feminine noun in Spanish, so it takes the feminine article la.

A useful point for learners: noun gender in Spanish is grammatical, not logical. Even for tools and objects, you simply have to learn the noun together with its article:

• la mordaza
• la madera

That said, many feminine nouns do end in -a, so mordaza fits a common pattern.

De carpintero means for a carpenter / used in carpentry.

In Spanish, de + noun is a very common way to describe the type or purpose of something:

• mesa de cocina = kitchen table
• cepillo de dientes = toothbrush
• mordaza de carpintero = carpenter’s clamp / woodworking clamp

It is not carpintera because carpintero here is not acting like an adjective agreeing with mordaza. It is part of a de + noun phrase identifying the kind of clamp.

Here, sujeta is a verb: the third-person singular present of sujetar.

So:

• la mordaza = the subject
• sujeta = holds / secures / clamps
• la madera encolada = the object

So the structure is:

La mordaza de carpintero sujeta la madera encolada.
= The carpenter’s clamp holds the glued wood.

This matters because sujeta can also be an adjective or past participle in other contexts, for example:

• La madera está sujeta = The wood is secured.

In your sentence, though, it is clearly the main verb.

Because la madera encolada is the direct object, and Spanish normally uses the definite article with nouns in places where English sometimes does too.

The sentence has two different feminine singular nouns, so each one has its own article:

• La mordaza = the clamp
• la madera encolada = the glued wood

So the first la belongs to mordaza, and the second la belongs to madera.

Because descriptive adjectives in Spanish often come after the noun.

So:

• madera encolada = glued wood
• puerta cerrada = closed door
• libro interesante = interesting book

Putting the adjective after the noun is the normal, neutral order here.

If you moved it before the noun, it would sound unusual or stylistically marked in most contexts.

Because it agrees with madera, which is:

• feminine
• singular

So the adjective/past participle must also be feminine singular:

• madera encolada
• tablero encolado if the noun were masculine singular
• maderas encoladas if plural feminine
• tableros encolados if plural masculine

This kind of agreement is one of the most important grammar patterns in Spanish.

It is a past participle of encolar used adjectivally.

• encolar = to glue
• encolado / encolada = glued

In many cases, Spanish past participles work just like adjectives:

• madera encolada = glued wood
• puerta cerrada = closed door
• caja rota = broken box

So in this sentence, encolada describes the state of the wood.

Yes, but the given order is the most neutral and natural:

La mordaza de carpintero sujeta la madera encolada.

Spanish allows more flexibility than English, but changes in word order often affect emphasis.

For example:

• La madera encolada la sujeta la mordaza de carpintero.

This is possible, but it sounds much more marked and would usually be used only if you specifically wanted to emphasize the glued wood.

For a learner, the standard subject + verb + object order is the safest choice here.

The present tense in Spanish is often used for:

• general facts
• descriptions
• instructions
• technical explanations

So sujeta here can mean something like:

• holds
• secures
• clamps

It sounds natural if you are describing what this tool does in general.

If you wanted to describe an action happening right now, Spanish could also use:

• está sujetando = is holding / is securing

But in technical or descriptive sentences, the simple present is very common.

They might, but tool vocabulary can vary a lot by region and trade.

In Spain, depending on the exact tool and the speaker, you may also hear other terms such as:

• sargento
• gato
• other workshop-specific names

So mordaza de carpintero is understandable, but it may not be the only term a Spaniard would use.

This is very common with tools: regional and professional vocabulary can differ even within Spain.

In most of Spain, z is pronounced like the th in thin:

• mordaza ≈ mor-DA-tha

Also:

• c before e or i is usually the same sound in Spain
• but z and c are usually pronounced like s in most of Latin America

So for Spain Spanish, the pronunciation is typically:

• mor-DA-tha
• su-JE-ta
• ma-DE-ra en-ko-LA-da

Grammatically, de + noun can sometimes express possession, but here the most natural reading is type/function, not ownership.

So this sentence is understood as:

• a clamp used by a carpenter
• a woodworking clamp

not:

• the carpenter’s personal clamp

If you wanted to make ownership clearer, Spanish would usually rely on context or use a fuller phrase, for example:

• la mordaza del carpintero = the carpenter’s clamp

Notice the difference:

• de carpintero = carpenter-type / for carpentry
• del carpintero = of the carpenter / belonging to the carpenter