The History of Carpentry

The history of carpentry harkens back to the origins of hand tools and the term carpenter is the English rendering of an Old French word carpentier, which in turn, was derived from the ancient Latin carpentrius, or maker of a carriage. Universally? Yes, a carpenter is considered a person who is skilled in constructing objects and buildings with wood. Carpenters have an expert knowledge of the materials they use, and are extremely adept with their hand tools. The first carpenters were the inventors and users of wood working tools. The necessity to construct wood-based structures for homes gave birth to the carpenters profession.

Using the three primary tools of carpentry - the hatchet, saw, and plane - the carpenter can frame, floor, roof and build a structure of wood.

TYPES, OCCUPATIONS AND CHARACTERISTIC

A finish carpenter (North America) also called a joiner (traditional name now obsolete in North America) is one who does finish carpentry; that is, cabinetry, furniture making, fine woodworking, model building, instrument making, parquetry, joinery, or other carpentry where exact joints and minimal margins of error are important. Some large-scale construction may be of an exactitude and artistry that it is classed as finish carpentry. A trim carpenter specializes in molding and trim, such as door and window casings, mantels, baseboard, and other types of ornamental work. Cabinet installers may also be referred to as trim carpenters. A cabinetmaker is a carpenter who does fine and detailed work specializing in the making of cabinets made from wood, wardrobes, dressers, storage chests, and other furniture designed for storage.

A ship's carpenter specializes in shipbuilding, maintenance, and repair techniques and carpentry specific to nautical needs; usually the term refers to a carpenter who has a post on a specific ship. Steel warships as well as wooden ones need ship's carpenters, especially for making emergency repairs in the case of battle or storm damage. A scenic carpenter in filmmaking, television, and the theater builds and dismantles temporary scenery and sets. A framer is a carpenter that builds the skeletal structure or framework of buildings. Techniques include platform framing, balloon framing, or timber framing(which may be post-and-beam or mortise-andtenon framing). A formwork carpenter creates the shuttering and falsework used in concrete construction. In Japan, Miya-daiku (Temple carpenter) performs the works of both architect and builder of shrine and temple. Green carpentry is the specialization in the use of environmentally friendly,energyefficient and sustainable sources of building materials to use in construction projects.

TRAINING

Tradesmen in countries such as Germany are required to fulfil a formal apprenticeship to work as a professional carpenter. Upon graduation from the apprenticeship, he or she is known as a journeyman carpenter. Up through the 19th and even the early 20th century, the journeyman traveled to another region of the country to learn the building styles and techniques of that area before returning home. In modern times, journeymen are not required to travel, and the term refers more to a level of proficiency and skill. Union carpenters in the United States United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America - are required to pass a skills test to be granted official journeyman status, but uncertified professional carpenters may be known as journeymen based on their skill level, years of experience, or simply because they support themselves in the trade, and not due to certification or formal woodworking education. After working as a journeyman for a period, a carpenter may go to study or test as a master carpenter. In some countries, such as Germany or Japan, this is an arduous and expensive process, requiring extensive knowledge and skill to achieve master certification; these countries generally require master status for anyone employing and teaching apprentices in the craft. In others, it can be a loosely used term to describe a skilled carpenter.

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