Carpentry is the art of crafting wood to create all kinds of objects with multiple applications that can range from the making of a table to the construction of a house.
So if you are interested in this ancient art and want to know more about its history and its main types, read on.
Carpentry is a millenary art
A brief historical context of carpentry
Carpentry is one of the oldest crafts of mankind and, although there are written records of carpenters’ work, we know that woodworking dates back to prehistoric times.
The word carpentry originates from the Latin word “carpentum” which was a wooden cart widely used in ancient Rome.
The carpentum consisted of 2 wheels joined by an axle anchored to a wooden square or rectangle frame which was pulled by horses or mules.
This carriage was used by high-class women or priestesses who used them very ornate.
Then, those who worked in the construction of the carpentum and other pieces of wood were known as “carpenters”.
On the other hand, the word “carpentry” designated both the carpenter’s profession and the place where they worked, i.e. the workshop.
Also, as would be expected, the early woodwork was very rudimentary but no less ingenious for that.
Moreover, these works have emerged collectively as the history of wood has progressed.
The evolution of woodworking
Similarly, woodworking emerged as an easier and more effective alternative to stonework, which of course was more laborious and didn’t give the same results.
That is to say, the man realized that changing other materials for wood increased and facilitated piece production.
This produced an exponential increase in the production of all kinds of utensils made of wood.
In fact, almost everything was made of wood before, weapons, tools of all professions, and above all, the ships that allowed world trade.
For this reason, those who worked with wood were never unemployed.
Then, many centuries later, the industrial revolutions took place and systematized the carpenter’s trade with the arrival of new machines that allowed carpentry to massify.
However, the massification of carpentry meant a decrease in the quality of many wood works, since we must remember that carpentry is an art and, therefore, manual work is the fundamental core of this trade.
However, the work of a skilled carpenter cannot be replaced by any machine.
That’s why the most elaborate pieces of carpentry, often furniture and handicrafts, are so expensive; apart from the work involved in the extraction of good quality wood, the labor of many hours in the carpenter’s workshop has allowed the elaboration of very fine pieces.
Carpentry in our days
Currently, the biggest change that has occurred in carpentry is the new approach that has been taken with respect to the raw material, i.e. wood, since the environmental impact of the mass extraction of this material has been devastating for the planet.
Therefore, the use of synthetic woods such as chipboard has gained strength since the second half of the 20th century.
In addition to this, the carpentry industry has become so modernized that some even claim that this is a setback for carpentry as art.
The systematization of the trade has made new students learn to use machines, but they are not taught the manual and ancestral techniques developed over centuries or millennia.
In contrast, some people say that the carpenter’s expertise and talent will never be replaced by machines since they can do mass-produced work but lack the details that only a real carpenter can imprint on their work.
Types of carpentry
Carpentry is grouped into several types according to the way the wood is worked, the tools used and the products obtained. Therefore, we’ll see the most common types of this trade below.
1. Flatline carpentry
In general, this type of carpentry involves working with synthetic or prefabricated wood such as plywood and the joints are made with screws and/or dowels.
This type of carpentry is used in the mass production of parts and is the most common in the market. Examples are:
- Chairs.
- Tables.
- Beds.
- Shelves.
- Coverings.
2. Traditional carpentry
This type of carpentry uses solid or natural wood such as pine, oak, or finer woods such as teak.
Here the joints range from the most basic, that is to say, from nails to very complex and elaborate joints such as the ones found in traditional Japanese carpentry.
3. Industrial carpentry
Industrial carpentry is used to manufacture mass production of wooden articles, that is to say, the pieces obtained by this type of carpentry are in series or what is the same, all the pieces are the same.
Therefore, in industrial carpentry, the pieces are made almost exclusively with machines supervised by the workers, and this is what differentiates it from handcrafted carpentry, which is manual production.
Thus, the personnel working in industrial carpentry factories are trained in the handling of the machines, which in fact do most or all of the job.
In fact, the operators of these machines can set the patterns and tasks of varying complexity that they perform. Therefore, the machines can perform everything from carving to finishing the pieces.
However, workers must know about carpentry since they will have to certify the quality of the finished products.
This type of carpentry is therefore carried out by medium and large companies as their customers are often wholesalers.
Among the most common products of this type of carpentry we have:
- Desks.
- Cabinets.
- Tables.
- Chairs.
- Scenographies.
- Architectural ornaments.
The idea of this kind of carpentry is to reduce production costs to make the final products cheaper for the final consumer.
Note: although there is not a great difference between flat-line carpentry and industrial carpentry, since both produce pieces in mass, there may be differences in the level of production. That is to say, in flat-line carpentry usually, fewer pieces are produced and the target market is retailers.
4. Decorative joinery
This type of carpentry is characterized by the realization of works with decorative purposes, especially in interiors.
Therefore, most of the products developed here are accessories for furniture or different home environments.
Among the most common products in this type of carpentry we find:
- Decorative ceilings (these are wooden pieces also known as false ceilings).
- Lattices (these are grilles made of wooden slats that are placed on windows or other openings and their purpose is to be able to see through them without being seen).
- Panels.
- Moldings.
- Columns.
- Decorations of classic appearance.
5. Construction carpentry
Also known as structural carpentry, this type of carpentry is responsible for the elaboration of pieces that will be used for building different projects such as houses, buildings, docks, etc.
Perhaps, the most important piece in construction carpentry is the beam since it supports the buildings made of wood.
Other applications of construction carpentry are:
- Construction of wall coverings.
- Elaboration of panels.
- Elaboration of wooden formworks (they are wooden plates that receive the concrete and, once it hardens, they form the walls of many buildings).
6. Craft carpentry
This type of carpentry is the real art of carpentry. It allows the carpenter to create entirely unique products since they are completely made by hand and, therefore, have the details that the craftsman has wanted to imprint on his work.
As with some works of art, handcrafted wood pieces can reach a great economic value over time.
Most of the products obtained in this type of carpentry are individual or limited editions.
For this reason, only the best and finest woods are used for each job, that is to say, only solid or natural woods are used.
What does the job of a carpenter craftsman consist of?
Artisan carpenters must master many carpentry techniques in order to create multiple works with different designs.
In addition, artisan carpenters must determine what resources will be necessary for the implementation of each project, as well as estimate the prices of the pieces once they are finished.
The leaders of carpentry workshops are usually artisan carpenters with years or even decades of experience in the art.
How does an artisan carpenter work?
Each craftsman has their own working method, but generally speaking, artisan carpenters follow a sequence of steps to perform their work.
First, the carpenter captures his idea, either on paper or some other canvas.
Then he makes a general estimate of the project and selects the materials required, such as the type of wood and the tools to be used.
Then, he starts the construction of the piece and once he is finished, he sets a price for it. The latter is subjective as it will depend on how many hours are spent on the work, as well as the cost of the materials and the exclusivity of the work.
Among the most outstanding works of handcrafted carpentry we find:
- Fine furniture.
- Sculptures.
- Cases.
- Framing.
- Window frames.
- Veneers.
7. Reinforcement carpentry
Framing carpentry is based fundamentally on the design and construction of wooden structures.
This variant of carpentry relies heavily on the joints and assemblies in the structures and was often done at the construction site, i.e. the structures were not built in a workshop but assembled directly at the construction site.
This happened because the structures were usually very large and the transportation and logistics costs for their mobilization were very high.
However, the current trend is to use prefabricated materials since they are much easier to assemble and transport.
Among the most common pieces that are elaborated with the carpentry to assemble are:
- Pallets.
- Roofs.
- Supports.
- Walkways.
8. Exterior carpentry
Exterior carpentry is used to allow natural light to penetrate into the buildings.
Also, it allows the natural ventilation of the constructions with wood.
In the same way, exterior carpentry is used to create pieces that function as thermal and acoustic insulators in houses and buildings.
The most common pieces are:
- Doors.
- Window frames.
- Wall coverings.
9. Metallic carpentry
As a result of the creation of the steel mills in the 19th century, that is to say, the factories producing steel, many of the pieces that were formerly made of wood began to be made of metal: it was more economical or it broadened the possible uses of the products.
This led many carpenters to learn to work with metal and even apply what they already knew about wood in the construction of metalworks.
Perhaps the best example of this type of carpentry is apparent in both structural and shipbuilding.
The final products then combined woodwork with metalwork, since the ship’s floors could be made of timber but the joints and coatings were made of iron, steel, copper or other metals.
On the other hand, metal carpentry meant a replacement of the traditional materials used in construction. In other words, what was previously made of wood, such as doors and window frames, was now built-in metal.
Some examples of what can be done in metal carpentry are:
- Doors.
- Grilles.
- Lamps.
- Staircases.
- Railings.
- Window frames.
Aluminum carpentry
Within metal carpentry, aluminum carpentry is one of the most outstanding for the multiple applications this material can be used for.
After all, aluminum is a very heat-resistant and shock-resistant material, and it is also very economical.
Aluminum is also a good insulator so its use has increased significantly in recent years.
In addition, aluminum is a very light material and doesn’t rust so it can last for many years.
Among the most common works in aluminum carpentry we have:
- Elaboration of ceilings.
- Construction of doors.
- Window frames.
- Modular divisions (here it is used in combination with prefabricated wood).
- Structural repairs in construction.
Finally, now that you know what carpentry is and which are its main types, you can ask yourself which is the one that most catches your attention, and who knows… maybe, this is the moment for you to make incursions in this amazing art.