This week’s lesson will cover the history of carpentry, modern carpentry, and opportunities in the construction industry.

The beginning of primitive carpentry arrived once stone tools began being used to cut and shape wood. Early Egyptians were extremely advanced carpenters, producing work that Europeans could not match until hundreds and hundreds of years later.

The Middle Ages saw carpenters focusing more on specialization. Although most areas still also had general carpenters. It was at his time that the Europeans developed the carpenter’s brace, which was able to hold and turn a drill bit.

Wooden pegs were used to hold pieces of wood together before nails were developed.

Carpentry continued to develop throughout the Renaissance resulting in the great buildings from that time. The advancements made in Europe were later used in America.

In 1840, George W. Snow debuted balloon-frame construction; which turned out to be a much quicker and cheaper way of building. Although this type of framing has a better ability to handle strong winds, it is rarely used today because of the difficulty in producing, transporting, and storing the extra long studs that are needed. Page 1.4 of the textbook shows a picture of balloon framing. Platform framing has replaced balloon framing as the most widely used style.

The modern world of carpentry is forever changing due to the availability of tools and building materials that are constantly being improved upon. Carpentry is usually divided into two categories in today’s construction industry:

Framing a house is an example of rough carpentry. Installing cabinets and molding are examples of finish carpentry.

The work of a carpenter varies depending on many factors including:

To be successful, a carpenter must possess the following qualities:

There are numerous job opportunities within the construction industry, including:

Becoming a journeyman carpenter is the first step after completing an apprenticeship.

A master carpenter is someone who has the highest skill level in the trade and is a mentor to fellow workers. They usually wind up starting their own business. A foreman directs the work of the laborers. Supervisors follow the work of foremen, journeymen, and apprentices to make sure everything is proceeding according to plan.

A safety manager is responsible for the overall direction of the business, payroll, taxes and employee benefits.

Estimators must put together estimates for what materials and labor will be needed for a project. A wide-ranging understanding of all aspects of the construction industry is needed for this position. If a mistake is made in the estimate it could dramatically affect the wellbeing of the company.

Architects are licensed to both design buildings and oversee their construction.

General contractors can be in charge of entire projects including planning and scheduling, buying materials, contracting work out and working with the client.

Construction managers can be hired by the owner of a building to watch out for the owner’s interests and work with the general contractor and architect.