Have you ever wondered what carpentry is and how many types there are?
When we talk about carpentry, we immediately imagine a beautiful piece of furniture carved in wood or some of the most essential elements in the home such as doors and windows.
However, this craft encompasses many other creations that can even be made from other materials. In this article, you will learn what is carpentry, what is its origin and what types of carpentry exist. get your tools ready!
Source: Pexels
Carpentry: an ancient craft
Since human beings discovered that wood from trees could give life to houses, furniture and monuments, evolution was imminent.
This is how we discovered what carpentry is, a trade whose task is to change the shape and appearance of wood in order to create tools or artifacts useful to humans.
Carpentry has three main applications:
Carpentry in construction
Craft carpentry and furniture carpentry
Cabinetmaking
This is undoubtedly one of the oldest trades, as well as one of the trades that has contributed the most to the development of society.
History of carpentry
Archaeological studies have been found that claim that carpentry has been a craft for at least 6000 years. Can you believe it?
It is said that carpentry began around 2500 BC in Egypt, as beautiful carpentry work has been found in tombs such as the throne of the pharaoh Tutankhamun, made in 1350 BC.
At the beginning, it was a trade that enjoyed little recognition. However, as the years went by, carpenters created more and more pieces that attracted everyone’s attention, making carpentry famous.
Thus, by the Middle Ages, carpentry began to be an increasingly common trade, building chairs, doors and utensils of great help to human beings. And later, when the classical age came, everyone knew what carpentry was and the carpenter’s work began to be more valued, not only in construction, but also in art and sculpture.
In the 17thcentury, carpentry was precisely the art that gave life to one of the most praised constructions in the history of mankind: the carriage, with its elegant design and its usefulness to transport loads to other towns and to be able to communicate with them.
This is the origin of the name “carpentry”, which comes from the Latin carpentrius and means “creator of carriages”. Can you imagine it?
Thus, by the Renaissance, carpentry was already famous for being a high-level trade, practiced by many people in the world. And over the years, it became an essential activity for the development of society.
So, if you ask yourself what carpentry is, you can say that it is a very valuable trade that has been in each of the stages of humanity. From the ancient Mesopotamians to the present day. That’s how important it is!
Source: Pexels
Types of carpentry
If you are interested in knowing what carpentry is, surely you are also wondering how many types of carpentry there are. undoubtedly, carpenters for doors and windows do not perform the same functions as carpenters for monuments and decorative works.
These are the different types of carpentry that exist:
According to its application:
Industrial carpentry
It is the carpentry used for the industrial enterprise carried out in large factories, where raw material is used that comes directly from the sawmills.
Decorative carpentry
It is responsible for carrying out works that will be used as decorative and functional elementsin certain spaces, such as the construction of accessories and wooden furniture. With this type of carpentry you can give a unique touch to your spaces!
Construction carpentry
Used in the design and construction of buildings, specifically in the construction of windows, doors and other openings.
In the same way it is used in the realization of elements such as:
Laminated beams in series
Cladding
Formwork
Panels
Offset
Containers
Boards
Handcrafted carpentry
Also known as the craft of art, with this type of carpentry you can create objects or works that are unique and sometimes priceless, the most creative of all!
Carpentry workshop
It aims to build wooden pieces to use as decoration for buildings, such as:
Windows
Doors
Veneers
Cladding
Aluminum carpentry
It refers to the carpentry works carried out with the use of aluminum alloy profiles. This type of carpentry stands out for its good mechanical resistance, for the use of this non-combustible material, for its low price, and for other characteristics such as:
Excellent watertightness.
Standardized construction.
Electrolytic corrosion.
Variety of colors.
Diversity of shapes.
Exterior carpentry
The exterior carpentry performs the closing through doors or windows. with this, the interior of a construction will be able to acquire ventilation and natural lighting.
Of all the types of carpentry, this is the one that most takes into account the exterior cladding of a building, since its thermal and acoustic insulation is less than the insulation of the walls.
Carpentry to be assembled
In this type of carpentry, volume takes precedence over finishes and is widely used in the construction field for framing.
According to the materials:
Wooden carpentry
As its name indicates, this is the type of carpentry that only uses wood as a material. As you have already seen, wood is not the only material used in carpentry.
PVC carpentry
When talking about what is carpentry, many people focus on wood. However, in recent times, PVC construction has become very popular. in this type of carpentry, this material is used where it is required that the place where the work is done is very flat, smooth, plumb and square.
Metallic carpentry
On the other hand, we also have metallic carpentry, which avoids the use of wood and leans towards metals when building windows, doors, etc.
Carpentry vs. Joinery
You are probably wondering about cabinetmaking. however, this is not considered a type of joinery, because its methods and function distinguish it from carpentry. However, their differences are not as notable as is generally believed.
Cabinetmaking is a derivation, or, in other words, a specialization of carpentry that focuses on the production of more elaborate furniture,generating new techniques and complementing them with others for the manufacture of some pieces, such as marquetry, carving, turning and inlaying, among other techniques.
Source: Pexels
According to La República, “among the benefits of having a hobby is the possibility of expanding knowledge and culture in those areas of interest, meeting people who share the same passion, creating friendships that can last a lifetime and, perhaps, turning the hobby into a profession”.
Tools of the trade in carpentry
After knowing what woodworking is, working tools are one of the most important acquisitions.
Regardless of the types of woodworking, the woodworker must have at his disposal a number of machinery and hand and power tools that will be useful.
Among the carpentry hand tools are:
Saw
Hammer
Drill
Planer
Gouge
Chisel
Ruler
Square
Sandpaper
Screws
Pencil
Among the electrical equipment to be used we distinguish:
Sander
Circular saw
Router
Radial saw
Jig saw
Among the machines most commonly used by the carpenter are:
Trompo
Lathe
Drill
Band saw, radial saw, circular saw
Mortiser
Heating machine
Source: Pexels
Each of these tools has different uses and dimensions that will depend on the magnitude of the work to be done or the type of carpentry that is being executed. If you want to learn more about what are those tools that can not miss on your board, we invite you to see our top 10.
It is important to note that for what a carpenter does, they are also essential with smaller accessories to perform their work such as lacquer, varnish, brush, glue, C-press, clamp, adze and, they could not miss, the nails.
Most used types of wood
There are many types of trees in the world that produce different variations of wood. Craftsmen and carpenters have learned to differentiate and take advantage of each type of wood to transform it into tools, homes and vehicles
Although there are so many types of wood, carpenters tend to have their favorites, this may be due to the ease with which they work or the beauty of it, some of the most used types in the world are the following:
Cedar
Oak
ebony
Pine
Beech
Walnut
Carob
Pinotea
Source: Pexels
According to Madera 21, carpenter Alejandro Morales, better known as “The Carpenter of the Desert,” applauds the versatility of wood in carpentry and maintains that with it:
“You can build very strong structures or use it for decorative purposes. It is not a conductive material; on the contrary, it is a good acoustic and thermal insulator. With wood, almost nothing is wasted, it can be used 100%. Even sawdust can be put to good use”.
go get your carpentry tools while we wait for you in class!